Video games could play a surprising role in getting young women interested in a career in STEM – according to a new study.

To celebrate International Woman’s Day, new research from the publishers of Scars Above – a videogame about a lone female astronaut and scientist stranded on a hostile alien planet – reveals a third of 14–19-year-olds females who play video games are more likely to be interested in a career in STEM then those who do not (33% v 22%).

The report, which explores what motivates the next generation of young women to pursue a STEM career, shows girl gamers are more likely to go on to study STEM subjects at A level (46%) compared to those who don’t (40%). Overall, over half (52%) of female students are planning to study a STEM subject, with this rising to 61% of males.

Of those young women who do or plan to study a STEM subject at A-level, enjoyment of the subject is the main factor (43%), though 37% believe it makes them more likely to get a good job and 19% were supported to do so by their parents. Conversely amongst those not taking a STEM subject, a lack of interest is also the key reason (34%), though 37% don’t think they’re good at the subjects and 26% mention they are too difficult.

Looking at subject breakdowns, Art and English are the most enjoyed subjects for girls at school (34% and 32% respectively), whilst maths was favoured by male students (34%). When it comes to what subjects they think they’re best at, the same gender divide remains with female students stating English (36%) compared to Maths for males (40%) – in fact seven in ten males (72%) stated they were best at a STEM subject compared to just 54% of females.

Of those young girls who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM, 69% of them say a female role model inspired their decision – compared to 43% motivated by male role models. More generally, two thirds (67%) of young people say that female role models inspire them with their careers, rising to 81% of women. While they have been inspired, three quarters (74%) say they would like to see more role models in their chosen career, with this view particularly prominent amongst women (81%).

If it were possible, the women in STEM that most aspire to or would like to meet is Marie Curie (33%), followed by Rosalind Franklin (29%) and Ada Lovelace (19%). Looking at role models on a more fictional level, Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft (33%), Shuri the Princess and Scientist from Black Panther (33%) and the Astrophysicist Dr Jane Foster from the Marvel Universe (32%) are the women in STEM they’d most like to meet.

The research indicates 85% of female students play video games and are averaging 5.5 hours each week – in contrast to 95% of males in the same age group who are clocking up 9.9 hours. Simulations are the most popular type of game (39%) amongst girl gamers, followed by puzzlers (38%) and action-adventure (35%).