National Gaming Day (9/20) is a timely reminder of how games connect, inspire, and shape culture. Yet, the numbers show an imbalance: only 23% of game developers are women, and just 5% of professionals in the gaming industry are Black. Women in Rewriting the Code (RTC), the world’s largest network of women in tech, are doing more than entering the industry—they’re transforming it.

The Tech Optimist sat down with three rising innovators to talk about how their journeys began, the projects they’re building, advice, and how RTC has helped them carve out space in a fast-moving industry. 

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Noelle Garrick

Beginnings

The first time I played a video game, I was hooked—it felt like stepping into a story I could actually shape. They’re basically movies 2.0: better because you get to interact and change the narrative. Growing up, I had multiple bouts of serious illness, and virtual worlds never failed to keep me feeling limitless; they offered a healthy respite and helped me imagine better realities. By the time I applied to college, I knew I wanted to work at the intersection of technology and art, designing interactive experiences that can both entertain and comfort.

Experience

I worked as a developer for Duke’s Multimedia Project Studio, essentially a game lab, where I had the chance to build gaming prototypes ranging from 2D to AR and VR for faculty and students. I later co-founded a gaming startup, Shadow Cow LLC, and in the summer of my junior year began developing Agronomy VR, a casual VR farming simulator, through Georgia Tech’s startup incubator.

Our team received an initial round of funding and spent the summer pitching to investors and building a demo, which we showcased at the end of the program, gathering over 100 sign-ups from interested users. Most recently, I’ve been a mentor with Girls Make Games, where I help demystify the game-making process for younger students and inspire the next generation of talent to get excited about building games.

Advice 

Prototype and demo early. Be willing to show your “baby” in its ugliest stages and trust that it will improve simply by showing up and dealing with the discomfort that comes with daily effort. Find one or two products that mimic what you’re trying to build and use them as roadmaps for the non-differentiating parts of your project. Don’t reinvent the wheel; save your energy for the elements that add the most value.

Support Through Rewriting the Code

What I value most is having tangible evidence that I am not alone in my ambitions; seeing Rewriting the Code members all around me reflecting that drive and carving out space in this fast-paced industry continues to be validating and inspiring. In almost every internship I’ve had, I’ve known at least one other woman who was part of Rewriting the Code. When I first arrived in San Francisco for my internship with Salesforce, I went to a Rewriting the Code meetup, and it was such a grounding experience. It gave me a community of others who were also new to the city and figuring things out, which made me feel supported both professionally and personally.

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Madeline Gupta 

Beginnings

When I was about 12 years old, I begged for a Google Cardboard headset for Christmas. At that time, it was brand new on the market, about $20, and essentially just a cardboard box with a 3D lens inside. Still, it fascinated me. I’ve always been really interested in immersive technologies and their power to make people feel both at home and in a new place entirely. I’ve since spent my young career as a software engineer, working at Apple, Zillow, and now at Google, building my skills in technology to continue working on dreaming of a world where tech helps everyone. 

Experience

I’ve spent the past two years working on a virtual reality experience made for tribal youth in the Great Lakes area. I filmed parts of Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, Mackinac City, and Sault Ste. Marie, overlaying audio from tribal elders and leaders telling their stories or singing songs and prayers. My goal with this project was multifaceted: 1) help tribal youth see themselves in VR and therefore feel inspired to explore technology themselves, 2)  uproot Native American histories and stories from a damage-based past and instead represent current Native communities using future-forward tools, 3) create a visual archive of Native American lands as they stand in 2025, before climate change continues to progress.

Advice

One thing I wish I knew before starting to build the game is that it takes a team to make it happen! I brought on an artist, Caitlyn Newago, to create the map for the game, and consulted with dozens of tribal leaders and researchers to make the best product possible. In the future, I hope to have an even larger team working on similar projects! 

Support Through Rewriting the Code

Rewriting the Code has made a huge impact in my life because it provides immense extended access for people like me who may not know anyone in the tech industry already. One example of this is their free resume reviews—you can get your resume looked at by someone at a big company and get feedback to help you get a job there! They also have specialized programs and applications for members that make getting started easier. I got my Zillow job through a Rewriting the Code application, and would have never gotten my software engineering career off the ground without it!  

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Adaya Head

Beginnings

I grew up playing video games for fun all the time (primarily Nintendo). It was a major source of entertainment for me, so much so that I learned that people can actually make games as a job! I learned that programming specifically was how the mechanics were built into video games, so I dedicated myself to studying computer science from high school to college. With my art and comics on the side, I was always in a space within my friend group and community to make fun things for people, and creating video games was the next big step to make something truly fun and immersive!

Experience

My first game development experience came from joining a non-profit organization called Gameheads that trains, for free, underrepresented talent in tech to enter the video game industry. Through Gameheads, I learned to become a Unity gameplay programmer. I worked on two video game projects through Gameheads, the latter project turning into a separate indie studio with funding that lasted us for two years. I left that studio in September 2024 to pursue my management career and have created my own studio, Round One Games, developing our own take on the mascot horror genre. 

Advice

A lot of planning goes into game development, more than I originally realized. My previous two games were very simple in terms of art and mechanics, but the amount of depth I want to achieve with my current title takes weeks of research before we can even start coding or modeling assets. When considering scope and timeline, this planning stage needs to be considered during that period.

Support Through Rewriting the Code

Rewriting the Code has been a great space to find community. I love being able to see updates from other members and share opportunities. If I’m in a certain training program, I can find other members, usually new faces, that I can connect with and learn from. I’ve also really appreciated how proactive they are when it comes to creating social and professional local communities. There are meetups happening all the time, so not only can I meet people online through Slack, but through in-person coffee chats as well! It has also been a great space to network and recruit developers for my studio as well.