pink

Malmö University School of Arts and Communication (K3) Interaction Technology

AS LONG AS IT’S PINK
- girls and computer games

Sara Jacobsson 2003

Welcome to the party!
Walking into a childrens’ clothing store without noticing the invisible line between the cute, bright-colored items from the girls’ collection and the dark durable ones from the boys’, one must either be blind or a monkey. The same phenomenon occurs when visiting toy stores. The pink aisle, where various dolls and domestic toys are on display, are made to spellbind the girls, while the shelves exposing powerful cars and pumped-up action figures are the territory of boys.

Children of today are not children. They are boys and girls. And invited to different parties.

Getting connected
In the early days of the Internet, utopian reports were being made suggesting that without our physical bodies, the electronical space would be gender-free or even gender-equal. (Wakeford, 2000) Today, we know different. (see Brail,1996; Riley, 1996)

Still, I believe that video and computer games, with their massive influence on people of all ages, relatively short history and its possibilities of being androgynous, might open a way to change current gender stereotypes.

We live in a society were both men and women use computers in their everyday lives, but were the computer itself still is a symbol of masculinity and physical power. Looking at commercials, the message of power is demonstrated through images of strong sportsmen and fast cars. (Coyle, 1996) And the male as a norm is perhaps even more visible when looking at computer games.

In the world of video and computer games, everything from the environment (marketing, merchandising, the image of the industry) to the peripherals (the phallic joystick, the original Xbox controllers which are too big for any woman’s hand, the color scheme of the Xbox) are male-friendly. The industry sends out a message that they don’t know, and actually don’t care, if women play their games. And the games, created by and for men, become highly charged by their values for any girl who wants to use them. (Pinckard, 2003)

No girls allowed
The male-dominated history of computer culture

A vast majority of the history of computers, has been created, invented and influenced by men. They have shaped the technology by their values and desires, making it transparent for them. But, to those excluded, it’s very noticeable how others have influenced the technology. (Pinckard, 2003)

In the beginning, most of the research took place at the technical universities of America, by their researchers and students – usually all male. It was also there, in the mid-fifties, which the hacker culture started and grew, as students rebelled against what was, in their minds, a solemn and stiff computer society. In opposition, they wanted the world of the computer to be free for all to use and develop.

It was also the male students who introduced the computers into society and became the ones who, together with university researchers, started the first computer companies. And when the first arcade games were introduced, they used typical male environments, which ultimately led to the establishment of gaming as a male activity.

When computers reached a larger audience, they were mainly directed towards men, the publications concerning computers used graphics similar to the ones used in men’s magazines and the reader was always referred as a “he”. (Nissen, 2003)

Isn’t it just a game?
But why is it so important for girls to use computer games? Isn’t it better for them to spend time with other children, doing sports, playing outside or concentrating on homework?

Surely, neither of the above is unwholesome for any child, but seen in the light of the relationship between the high number of computer playing boys and the almost male dominance in high-power computer jobs, the issue is not just about entertainment. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998)

From an early age, the difference between girls and boys and their use of computers is obvious. In Pre-school and elementary school studies show that young girls tend to wait for instructions while the boys, to a wider extent, examine the computer by themselves. Noticeable is also the fact that the boys’ questions and learning sessions are more time-consuming, leaving the girls frustrated and with a feeling of being ignored. (Gürer and Camp, 2002)

The gap in girls’ and boys’ use of computers continues to grow throughout school, failing to establish a female interest in computers. As a consequence, the number of female computer science students at the American universities has decreased throughout the nineties and grown-up women feel distanced from their use of computers.

Instead, men still have a great majority of the important jobs in the computer field. They can continue having the power over the technological development, continue creating games targeted at boys. And the attitude of the computer as a boy’s toy can proceed to exist. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998)

The games do not only familiarize its players with computers and technology, it also teaches them other vital aspects of learning and experiencing. It is maintained that computer games can teach children how to see the world in a different way through which they can develop resources for everyday problem solving. They also gain skills in collaboration with others and interpretation of icons and images. (Gee, 2003)

Making girls play
Changing attitudes

Claiming that video and computer games are the main gateway for children to use computers places the importance of gaming in a much wider context. Since boys are the main target of computer games they get a head start in the understanding of computers. Girls can never catch up.

No research indicates that girls are less suitable at computer tasks than boys. Instead it shows that computer skills come from exposure to the medium and consequently since boys spend more time using computers they also achieve greater skills. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998)

What do girls want?
A lot of research about girls and computer games has been done in both the academic world as well as in the commercial field, hence, a lot of voices has claimed to know “what girls want”. (Cassell, 1998) Generally it is said that the objective of most computer games on the market is getting the highest score in the shortest time – a concept that as a rule doesn’t appeal to girls. They, on the other hand, usually enjoy the type of games where you are allowed to create instead of destroy. (Gorriz and Medina, 2000)

Girls also tend to appreciate collaborate games where they can interact with other players, creating a more rich and complex type of interaction. Other important aspects of games for girls include a meaningful storyline and character development. (Gürer and Camp, 2002)

An objection to making such generalizations is brought up by Cassell (1998). She argues that studies like these assume that all girls are the same and enjoy the same kind of things, revealing them as static and ontological beings. The presumptions made by researchers contradict studies describing gender as a constructed phenomenon that varies from different contexts and stages of life, making it impossible to know “what girls want”.

In her research, Cassell approaches the problem from a different angle, not letting the software telling the girl what she should like, but instead making the users express themselves. In software she has developed, she encourages users to become storytellers through playing with identity and exploring the same range of roles we use in life. By doing so she opens up a space for both girls and boys where they can learn how to express themselves as well as how to listen to others.

Moreover, the typical female preferences in game, such as an interesting story, entertaining characters and good game play, is often considered to be a request from all kinds of players. In that perspective it is possible, with thoughtful design, to create games that appeal to both male and female players without any special treatment.(Pinckard, 2003)

The male gaze
The images of gender

Computer games offer us a world of great stereotypes where men generally are strong dominant figures whereas women are portrayed either as subdued and in need of rescue or as fearful creatures working against the male protagonist. (Gürer and Camp, 2002)

In computer games the player is both the actor and the spectator. And an important aspect of character construction is to create good tension between identification and alienation, the latter used for preserving player identity and the former for creating an emotional bond between character and player. (Pinckard, 2003)

But what does it mean for female gamers when they have to identify themselves with characters created for the male visual pleasure, as giggling schoolgirls or eroticized women wearing as little as possible? Disagreeing with the images that women are represented by, most girls feel ignored and alienate themselves from the game. What girls search for are strong female characters that represent a positive view on girls and women. (Gürer and Camp, 2002)

An interesting point on this subject is being made by Pinckard (2003) in her article about character design. She discusses the issue of Lara Croft, heroine of the Tomb Raider game series, and claims her to be an acceptable female character. Despite the fact that Lara, with her big breasts and small shorts, is representing the male ideal of a woman, she is also a strong, adventurous and educated role model for female players to identify with. The problem with Tomb Raider was that the player wasn’t supposed to identify with Lara, the game was marketed towards boys and men and Lara was to be seen as an object, something to control and oogle.

By designing game characters that offers different aspects of gender, making them into figures both girls and boys want to identify themselves with, we get games focuses on identity - not gender.

Think pink
Reconstructing gender stereotypes

The first game, or entertainment software, to reach a large girl market was Mattel Media’s Barbie Fashion Designer, when it in 1996 sold more than 500,000 copies in it’s first two months of sales outselling games like Doom and Quake. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998) This made the industry realize the big potential of female consumers of computer games and also caused girl games to emerge. But by following the trends of using very gender specific marketing and targeting as traditionally done by the toy industry, girl games ultimately grew on gender stereotypes. (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 1998)

The goal for many of the companies making computer games for girls, such as Her Interactive, Girl Games and Purple Moon, was the idea of motivating girls to become more interested in and familiarized with the use of computers to be able to pursue more and better career choices, and not being two steps behind the boys. However, by targeting just girls, they alienated both boys as well as the girls who didn’t fit into the girl stereotype. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998) Moreover, they emphasized traditional girlish behavior, making games that involved, for example, dating or clothes, and often with aesthetics choices including pink and other pastel colors and ornated soft fonts.

Nancie S. Martin, director at Mattel’s Girl’s software development, defend Mattel’s decisions in marketing by reinforcing gender stereotypes such as girls wants things to be pretty and they want it in pink. A similar point of view is expressed through Heather Kelley at Girl Games. In the companies effort to encourage girls to use computers they stress the traditional female behavior.

Creators of games for girls and so-called “pink software” defend their reconstruction of gender stereotypes by expressing a will to introduce girls to computers. But does the end justify the means? Sure, by developing games and software that girls play and enjoy we get a society where they are more likely to play in the same league as the guys, getting more confident in computer environments. But by creating games that emphasis fashion, make up and dating as girls’ main (and only?) interests we reconstruct gender stereotypes and, perhaps, makes the gap even larger.

Girl gamers
Questioning gender stereotypes

Despite being outside the target group of computer games there is a growing number of girls and women that refuse to let the boys have all the fun. Instead of feeling abandoned by the computing society they grab the space they want, playing the games they want and being whatever they want. They are girls who enjoy playing computer games despite what the boys say.

The gaming girls’ attitude is that they don’t need any special treatment, no pink boxes and no dating-games. But they want and demand an invitation to the party. They criticize the gaming industry for making assumptions on what all girls like and they seek an attitude where it is obvious that games are made for both boys and girls.

By beating male gamers in their own game they construct a new game play were both sexes are able to enjoy computer games together. (Jenkins, 1998)

The girl gamer develops skills necessary for a life where women can stand up to men and displaying an equal understanding for computers and technology.

We are all humans
Androgynity in games

Although computers in general and computer games in particular are seen as boy’s toys and are targeted towards them, a group of games on the market appeals to both men and women. In this field we find abstract-based games, such as Tetris, puzzle-based games and exploration games. The latter are games such as Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog where often other creatures than humans are the leading character. But most of these games received their female market by coincident, without aiming for it. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998)

If nothing else, this indicates that men and women can play the same games. Without gender stereotypical characters, I think that the game industry can open itself to a much wider market.

So, are we all that different?
We foster our children into stereotypes and we don’t even notice it. Baby girls should have the pink clothes. Baby boys should have the blue.

Seen in that light, what right do we have to condemn the inequality in the world today? When all other issues begin with the children, such as smoking prevention and environmental care, why do we still place the children in stereotypical girl and boy domains? And why do we keep developing items for them that strengthen the images of the traditional boys and girls and their wants and needs? If we want to create an equal society why do we let our children grow up in different worlds?

Children of today are very aware of gender and the expectations and limitations which come along with it. Their desires are manufactured by the toy industry. (Cassell & Jenkins, 1998) Girls get excluded from action games with the explanation that they don’t enjoy them, but by claiming that, we maintain the traditional thoughts that girls are supposed to be calm and passive. (Jenkins, 1998)

In studies on how gender affects the creative thinking in designing computer games it apparent that the differences between boys and girls are highly dependent on the context of the task. (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 1998)

Applying this conclusion to computer and video games in general, the differences between boys and girls seems to be, to a great degree, contextual. Boys and girls grow up in different worlds and therefore they want different kind of games.

Computer games is a big industry but also a rather new one. And it is still in a phase of heavy growth. The short time on the market offers a flexibility which can be used to conduct serious changes in computer games development. The way that computer games have the potential to reach out to all children is an aspect I wish the industry would take advantage of.

The games industry could evolve into creating media that promotes equality. They could be showing children (and adults) images to identify with and creating an atmosphere where personal identity is more important than gender. By displaying a wide and complex spectrum of both men and women computer games can influence the way children think of gender in a positive way.

The great advantage that computer games has is its early introduction into children’s lives, were the games become a great influence. Even if the foundation of gender differences already has been made by then, this impact could, at least, neutralize some aspects of gender and teach children new perspectives. I think it’s important to display good role models for children, characters that doesn’t stress differences in gender but instead indicate that we are all individuals. I want games that focus the fact that our individualism is the reason why we want different things and think different thoughts.

I am aware that it is impossible to create games that all people will like and that is not what I want. People have different tastes and interests, that’s what makes us unique. But I want taste and interests to be the main focus when developing computer games and not gender.

I wish that computer and video games could be an entertainment media for all people. A media through which we can neutralize computers and technology as well as gender and stereotypes, while having a really good time.