Реферат: Computer Games Essay Research Paper This Christmas

currently represent only about 20 percent of the market, having been pretty much

written off by important manufacturers like, Hasbro, Sony, and Sega ( 3 ). Girls

have extensive buying power though, nearly 84 billion dollars annually, and over

6 million of them live in households with gaming systems ( 3 ). From ages, 6 to

10, girls play video games as much and as often as boys in that same age

bracket, and one survey reports that if there were more games out there that

they enjoyed, 85 percent of girls surveyed would use their gaming systems more (

1 ). Girls don?t seem to like the same kinds of games boys do. Instead of the

violent, time-limited games boys go for, the girls like games that offer strong

narratives, interaction, and creativity. It?s not enough to simply convert or

replace existing software for girls; the basic structure should be changed. A

1995 survey in Children?s Software Review found only 28 of the 344 games with

female characters in leading roles ( 3 ), proof that few producers have created

games exclusively for girls. I believe this is largely so, due to the male

dominance in the whole computer and technological industry. Males are turning

out a product for other males. Then why aren?t women out there designing a

product girls will enjoy? Some are trying, but I have found it a catch-22

situation. Men are leading the technology industry because they are the ones

inviting other males to join their ranks by making only games geared towards

boys and young men. Girls are less likely to deem this area as fun and inviting

and thus, turn their attention to other areas of study once college bound. Some

companies are beginning to look for ways to encourage girls to get more involved

in information technology. Girl Tech is one such group, in hopes of reaching 3.4

million Girl Scouts, they are sponsoring a technology merit-badge program (3 ).

Efforts like this must continue, though more immediate measures need to be taken

in order for girls to become technologically proficient. If for no other reason

than for an increase in earning potential, girls must learn to use and keep up

with the technology around them. Not developing video games for girls, seems to

be a classic example of symbolic annihilation ( 4 ). That is, the media has