GAME OVER – Gender-Based Violence Digital Game Competition 2025

A project promoting digital safety and girls’ inclusion in gaming

Friday, 5th December 2025 Port Harcourt, Nigeria – The Alliance Française Port Harcourt, in collaboration with the Females in Gaming Network (FIGN) and in partnership with Nexal Gaming Company, is launching the “Game Over – Gender-Based Violence Digital Game Competition 2025”, with the support of the Embassy of France in Nigeria.

This initiative is part of the global campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” and highlights a critical issue: the rise of digital violence targeting women and girls.

Creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces

Digital environments provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but they also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate. The gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often underrepresented, criticised, or made invisible.

“Game Over GBV” aims to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative and inclusive approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate within a respectful and supportive environment.

General and Specific Objectives

The project aims to develop gaming-related activities that encourage the participation of girls and young women while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour, support girls’ involvement in e-sport competitions, strengthen social and digital skills through games and workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.

Planned Activities: Inclusive esport competitions and panel discussion

The competition will bring together around 100 young participants from three major universities in Port Harcourt : Rivers State University (RSU), University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), as well as students from four selected secondary schools.

They will take part in tournaments on popular digital games such as: Mario Kart, EAFC 25, e-Scrabble, Just Dance.

These activities are designed to encourage inclusion, teamwork and fair play while offering girls a safe space to engage confidently in the gaming community.

Between the secondary school competitions and the university-level activities, a panel discussion titled “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces for Girls?” will be held. This roundtable will bring together university students, secondary school participants, gaming professionals, educators and digital safety advocates. Together, they will examine the challenges faced by girls in online gaming environments and propose practical solutions for creating safer, more inclusive and respectful digital spaces.