In 2005, engineer Alhvi Balcárcel was one of five women entering the Computer Science and Information Technology program at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), alongside 25 male classmates. Her interest in video games and technology led her to stand out in a field largely dominated by men.
Currently, Balcárcel leads the "Mujeres Creando Videojuegos" program, aimed at promoting female leadership in technology. The initiative will provide scholarships to 30 young women so they can receive training in video game development and entrepreneurship. The main goal is to show that programming is a creative tool for women to tell their own stories.
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) selected Balcárcel to lead this project due to her significant contributions to the regional video game industry. She commented on the historical presence of women in programming: “Let us remember that there have been many female programmers throughout history, such as the woman who invented the first computer code translator and co-developed the first compiler,” she explained.
Balcárcel also noted that video games are often associated with violence or shooting themes, but she believes this perception does not reflect the full scope of the medium. “Women have a lot to say and a lot to share in creative media,” she stated. Based on her teaching experience, she has observed that many of her students excel artistically, particularly in character development and world-building within games. In this way, art and programming complement each other.
She cited successful examples of narratives created by women: “For example, the game 'Una conversación en el sofá,' by Diana Fernández, tells a story about a couple and won first place at the Vancouver Film School (VFS) Game Workshop. That demonstrated the advantage of offering stories that are uncommon in video games,” said Balcárcel.
The project offers an intensive diploma course at UVG covering programming, artistic creation, and studio management. Participants will be supported as they create their own businesses related to game development.
Eligible candidates are women aged between 20 and 35 who are students or graduates from fields such as computer science or areas related to graphic design or 3D animation. Applicants should demonstrate leadership qualities necessary for forming future game studios.
At the end of the program, participants will present their projects before a jury selects five teams to receive seed funding of up to 20,000 euros for their ventures.
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