â??First female-run studioâ?? opens in Canada

In what is said to be the first of its kind in the country, two game industry entrepreneurs have opened a female-owned and operated dev studio.

Experienced industry names Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch and Kirsten Forbes are the two execs spearheading the Vancouver-based Silicon Sisters Interactive.

The outfit is said to have a predominantly female workforce, including designer Brenda Brathwaite as a consultant. The group is building two titles – one for PC and another mobile platforms – but is also open to certain work-for-hire projects.

Despite making noise about being a studio rooted in sisterhood, Gershkovitch insists that the firm’s design philosophy isn’t one gripped by the X-chromosome.

“We’re not interested in ‘pinkifying’ games, which is how girl games are typically designed," she says. "It’s no coincidence that the games I and many other female gamers are most drawn to have had women involved in their development. Girls and women game differently than boys and men. Silicon Sisters has studied these differences so we can make games that truly appeal to and resonate with the female audience."

Gershkovitch is the former COO of Deep Fried Entertainment, as well as a member of the GDC Canada’s Advisory Board, and chairs the Vancouver chapter of Women in Games International.

Her founding partner Forbes was previously an executive producer at Radical Entertainment, and says today’s games industry “is experiencing a rebirth of sorts".

She said: "PC online gaming is up, social networking has become pervasive, and mobile platforms are ubiquitous. Women are adopting games on these platforms in droves. It’s time to get serious about delivering quality games into this burgeoning market."