Girl Geeks: Game On Read online

  About the Book

  Get ya geek on with this girl gang as they design, make, game, hack, code & more!

  Skateboarding and video games are the best things in the world according to Niki.

  So when the biggest esports tournament announces they will hold a junior comp in her town, Niki is the first to enter.

  It’s not an easy road and Niki is thrown a challenge, but with her girl gang by her side – it’s game on!

  The Girl Geek series is developed in partnership with Girl Geek Academy – an Australian-based global movement teaching one million women to learn technology by 2025. They run programs for girls, parents, teachers, corporate and community.

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About Girl Geek Academy

  Extract from Girl Geeks: The Hackathon

  Imprint

  Read more at Penguin Books Australia

  For the girl gangs out there who give each other strength in different ways, and my three best boys, Fred, Paul and George – A.M.

  What would the internet look like if more women were building it? This book is dedicated to all the women who want to, and those that already are – Amanda, Tammy, Lisy, April and Sarah

  Girl gang/gurl gang/ noun. 1. A group of girls who enjoy hanging out together. They have mutual interests but more importantly they have differences – this is how they are stronger together. 2. Your biggest fans and your own personal cheerleaders. They get excited for your success. 3. Recognise when you need help – ‘my girl gang help each other through the tough times, and encourages me to be the best version of myself’.

  Hmmm, Niki pondered as she swiped up on her tablet screen. Peter Peacock? Niki Newt? Zelda Zebra? She was inspecting all the character choices in a new game. She’d never played Cookie Jar Detectives before. In fact, no one in her class had. And it wasn’t every day that you got to do gaming at school.

  ‘I reckon I’ll be George the Giraffe,’ said Niki’s friend, Hamsa. They were sitting at the table by the window in class, along with their other friends Maggie and Eve.

  ‘Peter Peacock for me,’ said Maggie, pushing her glasses up along her nose. ‘Look at that gorgeous tail.’

  ‘Niki, your choice is obvious, right?’ said Eve, pointing at the lizard-looking creature on her screen. ‘Having a newt named after you has got to be a sign.’

  Hamsa laughed. ‘What a weird word – “newt”? I’ve never heard of them.’

  ‘We saw them sometimes when we went camping in the States,’ explained Eve. She’d recently moved back to Australia after living in San Francisco. That was when the girls had become friends. Niki hadn’t had much to do with Hamsa and Maggie before then. Not that she didn’t like them, they just never realised they had anything in common. But teaming up to build an app in a school Hackathon project had changed all that.

  Eve was wearing her long black hair down today. She curled a few strands around her finger as she inspected the character list on her screen. ‘Did you know that newts can grow their limbs back if they get chopped off?’ she said.

  ‘Wow!’ said Maggie.

  ‘Weird!’ said Hamsa, with her nose screwed up.

  ‘I’ll go the newt,’ said Niki. ‘The weirder the better.’ She was never bothered by what other people thought of her.

  Once everyone in class had selected their characters, their teacher, Ms Atlas, went over to the whiteboard. She wrote ‘Point of view’ in big letters across the top, drawing smiley faces inside each ‘o’. ‘I bet you’re wondering why on earth we’re gaming in class, when I said we’d be writing stories.’

  Kids around the class nodded while one boy, Ezra, yelled out, ‘No complaints here!’

  ‘There’s a saying that “there are two sides to every story”,’ continued Ms Atlas.

  Sal, one of Niki’s classmates, put her hand up. ‘Yeah! Like when my sister screams that I’ve stolen her new favourite jumper, and I explain I’m only borrowing it.’

  Ms Atlas laughed. ‘Exactly. Stories are different depending on whose point of view you follow. And I want us to think about that when we’re writing our own stories.’

  Ms Atlas tapped a couple of buttons so the screen of her tablet was displayed on the whiteboard for everyone to see. ‘Now that you’ve chosen your characters, let me explain how Cookie Jar Detectives works. It’s called a narrative game, and it’s kind of like reading a choose-your-own-adventure book – you’re in control, your choices affect the outcome of the story, and the story will be different depending on which character you choose.’

  Ms Atlas tapped on the peacock. The game zoomed in on the animal, flashing his brightly coloured tail. ‘The aim is to discover who stole the cookie from the cookie jar. But beware, each character will tell their version of events. Do you think that will lead you to choose a different suspect in the end?’

  Ms Atlas tapped her chin with her finger, like a detective deep in thought. Niki loved how playful her teacher was – she had a way of making everything at school interesting.

  ‘All right,’ said Ms Atlas, excitedly. ‘Ready up, let’s go!’

  The class were off in a flash and barely anyone spoke as they followed their characters through the game.

  Niki was right into the bright animation and thought the background music was a perfect mix of kooky and suspenseful. Her fingers danced across the screen with ease, instructing Niki Newt on what to do next. It wasn’t surprising Niki was so fast – she was a pro with anything tech.

  ‘I can’t wait to tell Mum we played games in class,’ said Niki.

  ‘Why?’ asked Eve.

  ‘Because she hates them,’ said Niki. ‘In fact, it’s hard to know what my parents hate more – that I’m into gaming … or coding … or skateboarding.’

  Niki glanced over to Hamsa’s screen. ‘Check it out,’ she said. ‘Our characters are both in the kitchen, seeing it from different angles.’

  All the girls took a closer look. Hamsa’s giraffe was so tall she could see the cookie jar on the kitchen bench. Niki Newt, on the other hand, was close to the ground. She couldn’t see the bench as the kitchen cupboards towered above her, but she could see a tiny trail of crumbs leading to the pantry.

  ‘Legend!’ Hamsa said proudly as she pointed at the cookie jar. ‘I knew the giraffe was the best character.’

  She playfully gave herself a pat on the back. Then she tapped on her screen to walk the giraffe out of the room.

  WHACK!

  The game made a thumping sound effect followed by birds whistling.

  Hamsa looked devastated. ‘It says I forgot to duck and hit my head on the doorway. I’m knocked out for three minutes. Now I’m never going to solve this crime!’

  Maggie, Niki and Eve couldn’t help but laugh.

  ‘How’s that giraffe going for you now?’ asked Niki with a mischievous smile.

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Hamsa, begrudgingly. ‘Point taken.’

  When the class had finished playing Cookie Jar Detectives they chatted at their tables about how each character’s point of view was different, even when they’d witnessed the same thing. When they started to write their own stories, Niki couldn’t believe how many words flew out of her pen. She never thought of herself as being great at creative
writing, but this exercise just clicked for her somehow.

  ‘Whoa, Niki, slow down. Your hand will fall off writing that fast,’ said Eve.

  Niki laughed. ‘This exercise is fun though.’

  ‘Sure is,’ added Maggie.

  ‘Even I like it!’ said Hamsa. ‘And I’m not one of those gaming types.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Niki, with her eyebrows raised. ‘And what type is that?

  Hamsa swallowed, like she was trying to work out what to say without offending Niki.

  Niki loved watching her squirm. Ever since she and Hamsa had become friends, their favourite thing to do together was argue.

  ‘I actually couldn’t care less if you are gamers or not,’ said Niki.

  ‘Thanks a lot!’ said Hamsa.

  ‘Sorry, I don’t mean that in a nasty way. I just mean that it’s fine for us to be interested in different stuff.’

  Hamsa nodded. That was something she and Niki could agree on.

  ‘You know what though,’ said Niki, getting an idea. ‘If you are interested in learning a bit more about gaming, there’s a LAN party on this weekend. You should come.’

  ‘A LAN party?’ asked Eve.

  ‘It stands for Local Area Network party,’ explained Niki. ‘It’s basically a club where you can meet and play in person, rather than playing online. Universities run them, or LAN cafés like this one coming up, or sometimes people hold them at their houses and you bring along your own consoles or computers.’

  ‘You’re not selling the dream here,’ said Hamsa.

  Niki bit her lip, weighing up how important it was for her to go to the LAN party. She had a group of friends who gamed online together. The other three had met in person before, but not Niki. She was keen to meet them. So Niki did something she hardly ever did.

  ‘Let me ask you as a favour then,’ she said, putting her biscuit down and giving the girls her full attention. ‘I’ve been asking my parents for months to go to one of these LAN parties. They always say no, but if you all come too, there’s a chance they’ll agree.’

  ‘Let me get this straight,’ said Hamsa. ‘In the presence of Eve Lee, Maggie Milsom and yours truly, Hamsa Pillai … Niki Apostolidis is officially asking for help?’

  ‘Just a small favour, but yes, I suppose,’ said Niki.

  ‘Well, I never thought we’d see the day,’ added Eve, with a wink.

  ‘Please?’ said Niki.

  Eve, Maggie and Hamsa looked to one another.

  ‘I’m at my dad’s this weekend, but I’ll ask,’ said Maggie.

  ‘C’mon, I’ll go if we all go,’ said Eve.

  They looked at Hamsa.

  ‘Fine,’ said Hamsa.

  ‘Yes!’ said Niki. ‘I promise it’ll be fun. The guys I game with will be there too. Well, two of them at least. The other one lives interstate.’

  ‘Have you ever met them?’ asked Eve.

  ‘Not in person,’ said Niki. ‘We play with headsets though, so I’ve heard all their voices. I don’t even know what their real names are. We use our game names when we play, which means I know them as FEARlix, MegaMax and AstroArchie. They only know me as TrickiNiki.’

  ‘TrickiNiki?’ said Maggie, giggling. ‘I like it.’

  ‘So what are they like?’ asked Eve. ‘Will we get on with them?’

  Niki shrugged. ‘Don’t see why not.’

  ‘But are they all boys?’ asked Hamsa.

  Niki nodded and Hamsa slouched back in her chair. She seemed disappointed.

  Niki didn’t understand what the big deal was. ‘Who cares if they’re boys,’ she said confidently. ‘We can all be friends, right?’

  ‘Some people have a totally different persona online versus real life,’ said Maggie. ‘What if they’re crazy?’

  ‘Or boring? Or rude?’ added Hamsa.

  ‘Nah, it’ll be right,’ said Niki. And she wasn’t just putting on a front. If she got on well with her gamer friends online, there was no reason why they shouldn’t in real life too. Was there?

  ‘It looks like a regular café to me,’ said Eve. She was waiting with Maggie, Niki and Niki’s mum out the front of the LAN café. Inside, there were tables and chairs along one side of the room, a food and drinks counter on the other side, and a bench with stools facing the front window. It was light and airy, with posters plastered across the walls that showcased a mix of the latest release games and retro classics.

  Niki’s mum, Angela, looked up from her phone. ‘Surely not. Just wait until we take a closer look inside,’ she said.

  ‘Don’t knock it till we’ve tried it, Mum,’ said Niki. She wished her parents were more open-minded.

  ‘Do you like gaming, Angela?’ asked Eve.

  ‘About as much as I like cutting onions,’ said Angela. ‘What about you?’

  ‘Never really tried it,’ said Eve. ‘I mean, I’ve played games on my tablet before, and my dad’s phone, but nothing like this. Niki was pretty convincing when she asked us to come along today.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Angela, nodding. ‘Convincing others is one of Niki’s superpowers.’

  Niki forced a smile. She couldn’t tell if that was an insult or a compliment. She quickly changed the subject. ‘I’m so excited you’re all here. I wonder which characters you’ll like best.’

  ‘Do we get to choose?’ asked Maggie.

  ‘You bet!’ said Niki. ‘So long as the people you’re playing with haven’t chosen that character already. They all have different skills and personalities and equipment.’

  ‘Sorry I’m late!’ called Hamsa, rushing over to meet the others. Her dad, Roshan, was following behind her.

  ‘It’s okay. It looks like we’re the first here anyway,’ said Niki.

  ‘We’re just discussing which characters we’ll play,’ added Eve.

  ‘Oh, yes!’ said Hamsa excited. ‘I have to be someone with long spiky hair!’

  Niki laughed. ‘It’s more about what you can do, not what you look like, but sure, there’s a character with spiky hair.’

  Niki led the girls inside and they were greeted by the woman behind the counter. She had straight hair, bleached with purple and pink streaks, and pinned back at one side with a Hello Kitty clip.

  ‘Hi, ni hao, bonjour!’ she said. ‘I’m Yumi. First time here?’

  ‘It is for me, her and her,’ said Hamsa, pointing at herself, Eve and Maggie. ‘And this is Niki – she’s a long-time player, first-time LAN party-er.’

  ‘Great to meet you all,’ said Yumi. ‘Come on through.’

  Yumi stepped out from behind the counter and led the girls down the corridor. ‘You’re early so you’ve got the place to yourselves for a bit.’

  The corridor opened up to reveal a large room with rows of desks. There was a computer set up in front of every chair. The walls were painted black and the lights were dimmed.

  ‘This is more like what I expected,’ said Angela. ‘Will there be many kids coming today?’

  ‘It’ll be a full house,’ said Yumi. ‘I’ve been working here for years while studying for my engineering degree. The kids’ LAN parties always pack out.’

  ‘It’s nice for the kids to meet in person,’ said Roshan. ‘Rather than only playing in the la-la-land of the internet.’

  ‘Dad!’ said Hamsa through gritted teeth, like she was willing him to stop embarrassing her.

  ‘Let’s get cracking before Team Jupiter arrive,’ said Niki. She was met with blank stares. ‘Team Jupiter – it’s the name of my gaming team.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Maggie.

  ‘AstroArchie chose it. He totally geeks out about astronomy. Anyway, you girls need to practice! I gotta make sure you’re not complete noobs.’

  There it was again – Eve, Hamsa and Maggie looked like they were lost in space.

  ‘Noobs. You know, like “newbies” … new to the game … forget it,’ said Niki.

  She found a nook at the back of the room and the girls all sat nearby. Yumi set them up with their computers and
headsets.

  ‘Testing, one, two, three,’ said Hamsa, adjusting the volume.

  ‘We can hear you,’ said Niki, amused by Hamsa, always wanting to look the part. She noticed Maggie staring at a poster on the wall. ‘That’s it, Maggie. My favourite game.’

  Maggie pointed at the poster. It had ‘Castle Capture’ written in big letters across the top.

  ‘Great choice,’ said Yumi. ‘I’m a mega CC fan too. And there’s a little something I think you’ll be very excited about later.’

  ‘What?’ asked Niki.

  Yumi smiled and covered her lips. ‘It’s top-secret until everyone arrives.’

  ‘How does the game work?’ asked Hamsa.

  ‘It’s set in a kind of medieval fantasy world,’ said Niki. ‘And there are two teams trying to capture the castle. First team with all their players inside, wins.’

  ‘How many players in each team?’ asked Maggie.

  ‘As many as you like. That’s where strategy comes into it! Bigger isn’t always better. If you’ve got twenty players in your team, you’ve got more strength, but it’s also harder to communicate. I reckon four or five players is best.’

  ‘Hold-up, are we the goodies or the baddies here?’ asked Hamsa.

  ‘Both I guess,’ said Yumi. ‘The castle is empty, so both teams have equal right to it. It depends on which character you choose. Some are big and use brute force to help their team win. Others use their brains or have special equipment.’

  ‘It takes all types to make a good team,’ added Niki. ‘That’s why I love this game so much. It’s different every time you play it, depending on which characters are in your team, and who’s in the opposition. Half the battle is working out your strengths and weaknesses, finding a strategy and communicating with each other.’