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12 year old Maddie Messer took on the video game industry over gender inequity : Planet Money When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: playing as a man was often free, but she had to pay to play as a woman. So ... she decided to take on the video game industry. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

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A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

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Imangi Studios
Imangi Studios
Imangi Studios

Note: This episode originally aired in 2015. We're re-airing it, along with a new interview with Maddie about what she's been up to since we first spoke to her.

When Maddie Messer was 12, she loved a good video game. One of her favorites was called "Temple Run." At the time, it was one of the most successful games out there.

"Temple Run" was free to play—if you played as the default character, Guy Dangerous. But playing as a girl character cost extra. Maddie found out this was true for a lot of games, and she didn't think that was very fair.

Today on the show: a 12-year-old girl who took on the entire video game industry.

Music: "Camp" "Mangion" "Pinky" and "Detailing"

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