Improving Representation with the King & Swedish Games Industry Scholarship Program

- Impact Featured Improving Representation with the King & Swedish Games Industry Scholarship Program Back to Kingdom News Whilst our players are on a mission to top the leaderboard, King is on its own social impact mission to improve the representation of historically underrepresented groups in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) careers and within the tech and gaming industries in particular. We’re doing this through supporting charitable organizations and helping them engage with local communities.  Enter: the Swedish Games Industry and our joint Scholarship Program.  The Swedish Games Industry (Dataspelsbranschen) is Sweden’s trade association for video game companies. They represent the industry and its members to policymakers, government, media, academia, NGOs, neighboring industries, and the public, and they’re partnering with King to facilitate internships across Sweden. What does the program involve? Together, King and the Swedish Games Industry are offering scholarships for women and non-binary people who want to start a career in game development. The scholars will complete a bespoke eight-month program which includes game camp education, mentoring from King experts, access to large gaming events, and masterclasses from King and Swedish Game Industry partners.  What are our aims? We will help these scholars to progress in their gaming careers or help to start their game education. These goals form part of our CSR ambition for a more inclusive and diverse gaming industry. Where does King come in? Alongside other education partners such as FCV Studios and the Swedish Games Industry, we are providing participants with mentors from the Kingdom. Using their Community Day, our Kingsters will support the participants with career advice, coaching, and industry education. But that’s not all… we’re also opening the doors of the Kingdom to host talks, meetups, masterclasses, and events for each and every one of the participants. Can you name a better place to introduce 27 people to the world of gaming and technology than our Stockholm office? You can’t? We thought not! Meet some of our mentors. The Kingster volunteers are pivotal to the success of these plans — their time is more than a monetary donation, it’s about sharing skills and expertise from within our walls to outside the Kingdom. By giving back, they’re investing in a younger generation and empowering them to succeed in tech and gaming. The involvement from Kingsters really connects our own talent to students who are starting out on their game industry journey. Now to meet some of the Kingsters making a difference... Say Hej to Ari! They decided to take part because they'd like to extend the same support they were given by friends and family to others so that they can hopefully open up new paths and possibilities for people. They don't see this as a one-sided effort — “I want to learn! Mentorship is as much a learning experience for the mentor as it is for the mentee, and I'm looking forward to hearing fresh perspectives that can change how I think about my own role in the industry.” Next up is Silvia, who decided to become a mentor so she could offer the support that she felt she was lacking at a similar stage in her career. She wants to give back and positively impact someone else’s journey in the gaming industry. We can’t wait to see how this pair share experiences and develop together. Like Silvia, Massimo also wants to give something back — he is enthusiastic about supporting younger generations to fulfill their potential and fostering a diverse and inclusive industry at large. When we asked him what he is most looking forward to, he replied, “The energy that all these people, with their hopes, dreams and expectations can give back to the ones supporting them!” Elena also shares Massimo’s vision for a more diverse landscape for the games industry. She told us that as a woman and having two daughters, she felt compelled to get involved. While Elena feels a little nervous, she is looking forward to her 1:1 sessions with her mentee and the opportunity to be part of “this beautiful mission”. Last but not least, meet Liza. Liza felt a strong responsibility to give back and be the representation she wished for her younger self. Growing up in Slovenia, she found there was very little representation of women and non-binary people in the games industry, so she is taking part to improve that. She is most excited to get to know her mentee, share her love for our industry and encourage the scholars to embrace their ambition to work with games. Who’s taking part? This year's cohort consists of 27 18-29-year-olds living in Sweden, many of whom have no experience in gaming. They all made their way to our Stockholm office to meet their mentors and start to build their knowledge and networks. Interested in following their journey? Watch this space… some sweet updates will be coming your way throughout the year. Safe to say, we know they’ll crush it. Back to Kingdom News Dont forget to share this post! Share via Twitter Share via LinkedIn Share via Facebook You may also like Blog category: Impact ‘Gaming for Good’: Our Hackathon Initiative with Junior Achievement King and Junior Achievement unite to empower students for STEAM careers through sustainability-driven hackathons. Blog category: Diversity & Inclusion Looking Back on Pride 2023 From Barcelona to Malmö and London to Stockholm. One month. Four countries. 350 Kingsters and a whole lot of fun. 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