Gender and software: rhetoric and the computer culture exemplified by "Barbie Fashion Designer"

Abstract

It's not just coincidence that most computer games are designed for boys, and males dominate the computer programming profession. Playing with computers familiarizes users with computers and programming, and helps prepare them for work in computer science and other technical fields. Recently, the monopoly of male-dominated games has begun to change, led by the wildly successful "Barbie Fashion Designer" program. This paper examines this software and other electronic games through the lenses of rhetoric [i.e. in terms of Berkenkotter and Huckin's (1995) conception of genre] and gender orientation.