Developer Who Brought Female Representation To Games Tracked Down After 40 Years Skip to content Click here to check out the GameByte Shop great games, consoles and more! What a story! Developer Who Brought Female Representation To Games Tracked Down After 40 Years 16 May 2022 by Oisin Kuhnke The game developer who was responsible for first bringing female representation to video games has been tracked down after 40 years. In the 1980s, a video game company based in Texas called Apollo released a game called Wabbit. It was believed that a woman with the name Ban Tran was the writer of the game, which was importantly the game with the first female human character in any video game, as reported on by Polygon last year. The company declared bankruptcy in 1982 though, and Tran later disappeared from the world of game development. ADVERT ADVERT THE BEST FEMALE CHARACTERS IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY In Polygon’s report, it was concluded that Tran’s co-workers probably mis-remembered her name. As there were a lot of people named Ban Tran in the US, but none were her in particular. However, thanks to the Video Game History Foundation, she’s finally been tracked down. Though her name is actually Van Tran. The VGHF had specifically set up a channel in its Discord dedicated to tracking her down. One member suggested contacting the National Archives in Texas to look through its bankruptcy records. And that was where Tran was found, now married with the surname Mai.ADVERT ADVERT what’ s mai’ s story In an interview with the VGHF, Mai explained that she was born in Vietnam, but entered the US as a refugee at the end of the Vietnam War as a teenager. Due to the language barrier she dropped out of high school, but at a friend’s suggestion took a night class to learn how to program. And eventually, she joined Apollo as a developer after some bad luck with a previous job. Credit: Apollo In turn, Mai went on to program and design Wabbit, which was aimed at young girls. The game also had an innovative score system, but more importantly was the main character Billie Sue, the first human girl in a video game. These days Mai works in the bank industry. But she’s responsible for a landmark character in video games, even if it’s well behind her by now.ADVERT ADVERT The full story of how female representation in games was created is well worth a read, or alternatively you can watch the video covering the story above. The fighting in Ukraine is causing families to flee their homes. Please give now to save lives and protect people in need. Donate today! Keep the conversation going by heading over to our Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google News, Reddit and Flipboard. Be sure to also check out our friends over on FragHero and Sporf.ADVERT ADVERT Along with the latest games, merch, and accessories, the GameByte Shop has an epic Loyalty Points Scheme – earning you points for every £1 you spend. Sign up to hear about exclusive deals, PS5 console drops, and more! Featured Image Credit: Apollo/ Van Mai TweetShareSharePin Follow us on @GameByte @gamebyte GameByte GameByte GameByte Noobs Play @GameByte @gamebyte GameByte GameByte GameByte Noobs Play External Links Policy GameByte Staff About GameByte Advertise with us Careers Ambassador Program Contact Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Manage Cookies Preferences Submit Your Content FragHero Sporf 9 to 5 Life Social Chain Social Chain Agency