University plans to use games to draw girls into math, science

Northeastern University in Seattle, Wash., is attempting to help middle school girls get into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through a venture called the GAMES initiative, GeekWire reports.

GAMES Initiative is a partnership with Northeastern, Institute of Systems Biology and the National Girls Collaborative Project to help launch three free video games intended to help girls become interested in STEM careers. After collecting information from middle school girls on characters, graphics, plot and more, the partnership will feed that information into a game jam.

The jam, which will feature industry experts, will brainstorm 20 ideas, with one developer eventually being selected to work on three projects. Those titles will then be released in 2016.

National grants, sponsorship money and donations will help fund GAMES. If the initial process is successful, it could result in more games and an online community for girls to share their experiences and connect with others.

You can watch the GAMES welcome video below for more information on the program.