Indigenous girls make video games with 'Indigicade'

Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry... and youth, indigenous and not, spend a ton of time with a controller in hand. But who is actually making the games we're glued to?

In a recent survey of the gaming industry, only 41 developers out of nearly 6,500 indicated an indigenous identity. Only four of those 41 were women.

That's where Indigicade comes in. It's a program based in Toronto, designed for young indigenous women to correct this imbalance by helping them make games of their own. A collaboration between Dames Making Games and the Indigenous Routes collective, it connects indigenous girls and women (aged 13-24) with the tools they need to develop games. 

It's kind of hard making games when you have this, sort of, different background - and then you have to explain yourself every time.- Meagan Byrne, Indigicade Participant

CBC producer Acey Rowe dropped in on a recent Indigicade session and chatted with organizer Archer Pechawis and participants Meagan and Tara. Click the 'listen' button above to hear it for yourself.