Girls Gaining Ground in Software Selection

For far too long, the world of computing has been dominated by boys. It was men in the military-industrial complex who created the Internet. It was mostly guys, tinkering with electronics in garages and laboratories, who started the personal computer revolution.

Then it was boys who bought and played most of the computer games.

That didn’t leave a lot of room for women and girls. Or at least they weren’t made to feel very welcome.

Those who ventured onto the Internet, seeking the magic of the global computer network, frequently ran into the same sorts of harassment they found in the real world. Sexist jokes, come-ons and general Neanderthal-like drivel.

Finding girl-oriented computer games and other software in the stores was next to impossible, unless the girls wanted to take on the role of a testosterone-crazed avenger armed with grenades or flamethrowers.

I’m happy to report that all of this is changing, and just in time for parents who want to buy their computer-savvy girls some Christmas goodies.

First, a little background on the trend. In the early 1990s, a number of computer industry officials recognized that many girls were being left behind by swift technological changes. They didn’t play on computers as much as boys, and they seemed more timid about the machines at school. They were virtually untapped as a market.

In 1992, a company called Interval Research Corp. set out to find out why. Over the next 2 1/2 years, its staffers studied playing behavior, consulted with 100 adult specialists and interviewed 1,100 boys and girls. They also analyzed the kinds of games available on the market.

In the end, they confirmed what many parents and teachers already knew: Girls don’t like playing computer games that offer such simple outcomes as point totals, wins or losses, survival or destruction.

Instead, they often prefer games that focus on personalities, relationships and unfolding stories.

“Winning and losing is too limiting,” said Karen Gould, a spokeswoman for Purple Moon, a computer software company that focuses on girls. “They don’t like super action heroes where all that you know about them is that they can choose weapons from an arsenal.”

Turning this perspective into products is paying off. The computer industry sold about 65,000 boxes of software aimed at girls in 1995, taking in $1.5 million. This year through October, more than 634,000 units were sold for about $20 million. The numbers keep rising, according to Ann Stephen, president of PC Data, a market research firm in Reston.

“What that says is there is a great demand for it,” Stephen said. “There just have not been the right products.”

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Here’s a sampling of software you can buy now. Most of these programs can run on standard PCs with CD-ROMs and Intel 486 processors or better. Check your computer to make sure you can run the software.

For girls over 12, there’s “Let’s Talk About Me Some More!,” a set of two CD-ROMs that has fashion games, secret “protected” diaries, puzzles, quizzes and the like. Parents may also want to consider the Carmen Sandiego series. It uses capers by the international thief to touch on educational topics such as math, geography and language. Girl detectives are supposed to catch her.

“Rockett’s New School” is about a 13-year-old girl on her first day in the eighth grade. Girls have to carefully choose everything Rockett does in those first tentative hours, including making friends and coping with social gaffes.

Younger girls might enjoy “Anne of Green Gables.” This CD-ROM uses animation, music, video and two languages (choose English or French) to focus on the adventures of Anne Shirley, the red-haired orphan who makes mischief on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. And there’s a “Babysitters Club Clubhouse Activity Center,” fashioned after the popular book series, complete with membership kit, communications center and games.

Computer giant International Business Machines Corp. even has its own offering this year: the “Crayola Magic Wardrobe,” which allows girls to play with the clothing from a dozen historical eras. It includes clothing designs, diaries from several fictional characters and other documents to read.

At every level, there is also educational software, some of it cloaked in games. Parents might consider “Madeline Classroom Companion,” for instance, which has various versions of CD-ROM products for girls as young as preschoolers.