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From: farmerl@handel.CS.ColoState.Edu (lisa ann farmer)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: computer games & women/girls
Message-ID: <14193@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>
Date: 13 Apr 91 02:19:35 GMT
References: <13947@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> <7060003@hpdtczb.HP.COM>
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523
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In article <7060003@hpdtczb.HP.COM> dmerrill@zombie.dtc.hp.com (David Merrill) writes:

>I think you have cause and effect reversed here.  It seems to me that 
>fewer women than men are interested in computer games because fewer
>women are interested in computers.  Period.  Now, the reason you find 
>far fewer female computer people than male computer people is another
>question altogether.  

I have been thinking about this subject quite intensely (it's my term
paper, I have to) and I realize that I have made some assumptions that
may not be true.  This is like the chicken and the egg problem.  If
more women were in computer science would more girls play computer
games and be interested in computers at a young age?  Do you need to
appeal to young girls first or do you need to get more women into the
CS field first?  Each one complements the other in my eyes.

Why I even choose this topic was because I saw the use of computer
games as an initial introduction to computers.  To play a game is far
"safer" and less frustrating than writing a program.  My theory is
that since women/girls don't play computer games they aren't as
comfortable with computers to begin with and therefore get discouraged
quicker than boys/men/ and other girls/women who have played computer
games.  Granted this my theory and what I am trying to do is to
collect info that supports or disproves my theory.

There are quite a few articles about the use of computers in
businesses.  Games are used to make employees feel more comfortable
with computers.

Well this is an update of where my paper is.  I will post a summary of
the responses I got sometime at the end of April.

Thanks for the feedback!

Lisa
farmerl@handel.cs.colostate.edu