The University of Illinois department of computer science is hosting an international video game development competition, designed specifically for aspiring female video game developers. Â The Games4Girls contest invites teams of college-aged women to develop video games for their high school counterparts. The competition enables aspiring female game developers to get real-world collaborative experience in software game development while providing inspiration to middle- and high-school aged girls. Â The contest was conceived in response to research indicating that boys enjoy a relatively greater degree of confidence with computers because they spend more time as children playing computer games. Research suggests that this difference in confidence contributes to the gender imbalance seen within the growing field of computer science. Winning teams can earn up to $2,500 for their game! Here’s information about how to get involved: What: Games 4 Girls Competition When: Registration deadline is December 18, 2009 Where: http://cs.illinois.edu/outreach/games4girls Contact: Sonya Harris, Coordinator of Outreach Programs