How Gaming is Helping Girls to get into STEM Subjects

Gaming is playing a key role in encouraging more girls to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects, with some even outpacing boys in their age group, according to a Glasgow academic.

Dr Rashmi Mantri, a computer scientist and founder of the British Youth International College (BYITC), says the number of girls enrolling in the college’s games-based STEM courses is steadily increasing.

More girls are excelling in tests and winning BYITC awards for excellence.

One such example is 11-year-old Namra Sayyed from East Renfrewshire, who recently won a STEM award at the BYITC Inspire Awards.

These awards, which celebrate the achievements of young people from across the UK, have been presented at both the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and the UK Parliament in Westminster over the past two years.

Dr Mantri said: “As we prepare to mark International Women’s Day, let’s also celebrate the huge numbers of girls immersing themselves worldwide in STEM subjects.

“At BYITC we are proud to play our part in this global movement.

“These young women and girls are the world’s next generation of brilliant minds, and it’s a joy, increasingly, to see them flourish and excel in STEM subjects.

“In the UK, women now make up nearly 50 per cent of enrolments in STEM courses.

“This surge is particularly strong in technology and IT, as women break longstanding barriers and make meaningful contributions.”

Girls made up 48% of winners (13 out of 27) at the 2024 BYITC Inspire Awards, a slight increase from 47% in 2023.

Since its founding, BYITC has seen the number of girls enrolled in STEM-related courses rise by more than 40%.

Namra Sayyed, who was just nine years old when she won the Best Innovator category at the 2023 BYITC Inspire Awards, is passionate about coding.

She has developed her skills through school programmes focused on coding, game-building, and robotics. Namra is also a strong advocate for gender equality in STEM.

She said: “I like doing this because it’s fun and you can do whatever you want when it comes to coding.

“In future, I would like to become a software engineer and make new inventions.

“I would also like to inspire girls to come coding, and together we can close the gender gap.”

Namra’s parents added: “Winning the STEM Award last year highlights the positive impact of interactive learning.

“Namra’s passion for coding and her vision to inspire other girls to pursue STEM careers is a testament to the changing landscape of STEM education.

“Since then, she has taken part in game design and development with a major bank and also worked with St Ninian’s High School to formulate cyber response plans.”

Dr Mantri founded BYITC after using an abacus to teach her son, Dhruv, basic arithmetic.

The college later developed what it calls the world’s first games-based abacus maths application, featuring bright graphics and characters inspired by digital games to engage children in learning.

BYITC has since launched over 20 games-based courses aimed at making maths fun.

These include Penguin Party Maths, designed to build math skills, Number Nitro, which teaches addition and subtraction through play, and Fish Frenzy Maths, an interactive way to practice arithmetic times tables.

Research is increasingly supporting the link between gaming and girls pursuing STEM careers.

A 2023 study in Entertainment Computing found that women who play computer games are more likely to enrol in STEM degrees and perform better academically.

A 2018 study from the University of Surrey also found that girls who are avid gamers are three times more likely to pursue physical science, technology, engineering, and maths (PSTEM) degrees at university compared to their non-gaming peers.