Ally McLean, 25

from Erskineville, NSW ESTABLISHING FEMALE GAME-CREATING REVOLUTIONARIES.

Ally McLean’s passion is making emotional, immersive video games. Half the people who play games are women, but in Australia, only about 14 per cent of the people creating games are women. “This needs to change,” she says.

She is working to abolish the experience of being the only woman in the room so the next wave of female game-creating revolutionaries can pioneer emotionally intelligent games that foster greater empathy, communication and understanding.

In order to do this, Ally founded a mentorship program called The Working Lunch, to connect women at the start of their careers with mentors who can guide and support them. The judges were impressed with Ally’s practical approach to creating real change in a male-dominated industry.

“Women can learn how to tell their stories, and that’s what’s exciting about being a games developer at the moment, the walls are breaking down,” Ally says.