Demand is high for skilled and educated workers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Computer occupations alone are expected to result in nearly half a million new jobs in the U.S. by 2024. Yet, amidst the backdrop of this booming service sector, there is growing concern toward the gender imbalance of the STEM worforce.

Despite over a half a century of laws prohibiting gender discriminatory hiring practices (Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act), the U.S. lags well behind many less gender-progressive countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.) in the representation of women in the STEM workforce. This is even more troubling when considering that women make up nearly half of the country’s total workforce and are more likely than men to complete college and attend graduate school, yet constitute only 26% of STEM workers. It is clear that, with the demand for skilled and educated workers growing at an unprecedented pace, the lack of female representation in STEM fields threatens to undermine national competitiveness and economic development.

Gamification has become a misunderstood, and often misapplied, trend in recent years. The true value of gamification is not badges and leaderboards, but to engage users in meaningful experiences that enrich learning outcomes. To achieve this, game strategy must be carefully derived from a understanding of users, goals, content, and context.

We used the game environment to create a safe space for girls where they can be creative with STEM skills, build confidence, and engage with a supportive community without fear of stereotype or bias. An important underlying goal was to promote a positive academic identity for girls so they would feel able to sustain success in STEM pursuits. This meant that it would be especially important to represent the user positively within the system. We explored several other mechanics before settling on the plant narrative that would ultimately define the experience. The purpose of this is to contextualize STEM activities as active and fun, to show growth in an immediate way, and to encourage community members to treat each other as "buds" with recognition to their potential and fragility. Users responded positively to this approach throughout evaluations. However, we could have taken in further.

Going forward, I would like to emphasize the engagement of storytelling within the experience by weaving story elements throughout the core gameplay mechanics. The sound design would be especially critical for immersing the user in a story-rich environment. This would also be a great opportunity to further incentivize community involvement, which was regrettably limited due to safety concerns for underage users. We hope that Stembuds can inspire others to take an active role in supporting girls in STEM pathways.