THE co-founder of York-based video game developer Revolution Software has been awarded a national Outstanding Contribution Award for her service to the industry.

Noirin Carmody, one of three founders who created Revolution in 1990, won the top accolade at this year’s Women in Games Awards.

The awards, hosted annually by MCV, Develop and eSports Pro, celebrate female talent in the games industry across eight categories.

Ms Carmody, who started her career 1988 working for American game developer Activision as one of the first market analysts in Europe, in also chairwoman of the UK Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIEA).

She said: “I was delighted to be awarded the Women in Games Outstanding Contribution Award. Women have always played their part in creating, making, and publishing games.

“Events like the Women in Games Awards shine a light on Women’s contribution to the success of the UK games sector and help raise our profile with the games sector and in the wider public.

“For me personally, I think in my 30th year as somebody who works in games, I was really delighted and flattered that I was given something for my contribution.

“I was delighted to have received it this year. We have won a number of Women in Games awards in the past, but this year the audience was a 60:40 split of women and men, which was very gratifying as it means we are not making it exclusively a women’s event, and that the awards are being celebrated across the sector and across gender.”

Through her role with the UKIEA Ms Carmody is working with The Digital Schoolhouse programme, which is helping educate teachers about coding so they can inspire the next generation. So far 11,000 pupils and 1,500 teachers across 21 schools have been involved.

Ms Carmody said: “Not enough young girls are choosing computer science at university. I think the key is to spark their interest at primary school. It’s a very exciting subject offering lots of potential.”