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Mattel Sells Out Of 'Game Developer Barbie' (cnet.com)
Long-time Slashdot reader sandbagger writes:
The Mattel people have released a new Barbie doll figurine touted as Game Developer Barbie. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she was apparently designed by a game developer.
It's already sold out on Mattel's web site, with CNET saying it provides a better role model than a 2014 book In which "computer engineer" Barbie designed a cute game about puppies, then admitted "I'll need Steven's and Brian's help to turn it into a real game," before her laptop crashed with a virus. Mattel says that with this new doll, "young techies can play out the creative fun of this exciting profession," and the doll even comes with a laptop showing an IDE on the screen. Sandbagger's original submission ended with a question. Do Slashdot readers think this will inspire a new generation of programmers to stay up late writing code?
It's already sold out on Mattel's web site, with CNET saying it provides a better role model than a 2014 book In which "computer engineer" Barbie designed a cute game about puppies, then admitted "I'll need Steven's and Brian's help to turn it into a real game," before her laptop crashed with a virus. Mattel says that with this new doll, "young techies can play out the creative fun of this exciting profession," and the doll even comes with a laptop showing an IDE on the screen. Sandbagger's original submission ended with a question. Do Slashdot readers think this will inspire a new generation of programmers to stay up late writing code?
Well at least this one doesn't seem like it has impossible body style?
No, but it does reinforce the stereotype of nerd girls wearing glasses, having funky colored hair, print t-shirts and canvas jackets. Put some cat ears on the headphones, and it would probably sell well ... to a different audience.
I think most boys when they dream of being a game developer, they dream of being Shigeru Miyamoto, not some random mobile developer.
And as such, girls should aspire as be as big as Ms.Williams, because well, besides the fact we need another of those because the game industry is stagnant as hell, it's a much more glorious dream.
Life. (Bonus: this link actually works!)
USENET. (Hacker Barbie's Dream Basement Apartment. "To me, the most realistic thing is how if you put in her in the chair in front of the monitor, she'll stare at it for hours without blinking or taking her hands off the keyboard.")
I would actually argue that the problem with gaming isn't misogyny, it's that the entire culture is overwhelmed by a toxic minority. Women are an easy target for the mouthbreathers, but I gave up playing online FPSs simply because I was sick of constantly hearing the n word and other crap being spewed over voice chat. Yes, women do get singled out, but focusing on strictly misogyny rather than the culture as a whole will be less effective overall. Not only will women feel more welcome, but others will as well. As a straight male I'm not singled out, but I still quit online play. And LGBT individuals, at least in my experience, seem to attract more ire than women. The creeps aren't hitting on them, but they seem to ratchet the hate levels right up to Westboro Baptist levels almost instantly.