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Classic Games (Games) Toys Games Idle

Mattel Sells Out Of 'Game Developer Barbie' (cnet.com) 224

Posted by EditorDavid from the Malibu-Bejeweled dept.
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?
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Mattel Sells Out Of 'Game Developer Barbie' More

Mattel Sells Out Of 'Game Developer Barbie'

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  • Come on Barbie Lets's Go Write C, Ah Ah Ah Yea (Score:4, Informative)

    by lobiusmoop ( 305328 ) on Sunday June 19, 2016 @08:36AM (#52346715) Homepage

    Link is article is borked I think...

  • Broken link? (Score:3)

    by danaris ( 525051 ) <danaris@m a c .com> on Sunday June 19, 2016 @08:43AM (#52346741) Homepage

    Is it just me, or is the main link (the one actually referencing Game Developer Barbie) just an anchor tag without an href...?

    Dan Aris

  • Some clarification is needed. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 19, 2016 @08:44AM (#52346747)

    Does this doll represent a "female game developer" in the sense of a woman who likes math and computer programming, who studied computer science at a real university, who works on commercially-successful games selling millions of units, and who because of her abilities and experience is respected by her fellow game developers, both men and women alike?

    Or does this doll represent a "female game developer" who was born a man, suffered from severe identity issues and gender confusion, started calling himself a "woman" despite having a penis, studied game development by reading a book about JavaScript, works at a grocery store, and launches one angry tirade after another on Twitter attacking alleged "racists", "misogynists", and "homophobes"?

    I ask because these days the concept of a "female game developer" is, sadly, more commonly associated with the second sort of person than the first. It's shameful how the great accomplishments of real female game developers are overshadowed by a few loudmouths on Twitter.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Note to mods: This is a transphobic attack on Brianna Wu. FWIW she is a skilled developer, knowledgeable about the Unreal engine on mobile platforms in particular. I don't know where the "works at a grocery store" bit comes from, that's just batshit even by AC standards, and of course the "confusion" and speculation about her body is pretty much textbook transphobia.

      • Note to mods: This is a transphobic attack on Brianna Wu. FWIW she is a skilled developer, knowledgeable about the Unreal engine on mobile platforms in particular. I don't know where the "works at a grocery store" bit comes from, that's just batshit even by AC standards, and of course the "confusion" and speculation about her body is pretty much textbook transphobia.

        Note to mods: Brianna Wu *isn't* a programmer, has never demonstrated any technical skills and has frequently posted evidence of not knowing anything about programming. Brianna Wu is a *journalist* turned game-studio-owner.

    • Third Option: The physicians screwed up the circumcision, and instead installed an analogue vagina, prescribed life-long hormone therapy starting at the age of nine, and charged the parents for all of the "extra" work that the physicians themselves caused.

      Fourth Option: She is a smart woman who does what she loves.

      The gaming community is still disgustingly misogynistic. Women do like to play video games (my wife does), but it's hard enough to find one that isn't slanted, and harder still to find any mult

      • Re:Some clarification is needed. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by zrobotics ( 760688 ) on Monday June 20, 2016 @11:06AM (#52352499)
        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.

  • <a>new Barbie doll figurine touted as Game Developer Barbie</a>

    Good job, EditorDavid ! Was it supposed to be submitter's link [slashdot.org] to sfgate [sfgate.com] ?

  • Because a regular barbie cannot represent a game designer, or can it?

    Stop being so stupid. It's all about the fantasy. Even a stick man cut out of paper can be a game developer role model, if the child likes to play this game.
    If this is the most attractive game is a whole other question. If you look at the game development sector you're not even sure, if you would encourage somebody to get a game developer. Respect to the ones, which are, but that does not mean i would want to push my child in that directio

  • Will it work? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Sunday June 19, 2016 @09:20AM (#52346881)
    Only if the regular Barbie actually causes women to become bulimic.

    Are female programmers the only women who wear jeans and t-shirts? That is what makes a person a programmer?

    First off, we need to realize that not all that many men are into programming. Long hours, so-so pay, especially considering the hours. And zero social prospects. A real niche group.

    I can see the stories now.......

    Barbie eats cold pizza at 2 in the morning while trying to clean up some code for Friday's big rollout.

    Barbie gets told to do duty at the IT help desk because "You know computers and stuff, right?!"

    Barbie gets to wear her blue jeans and shirt at work the couple weeks she would have been at the beach because her vacation was cancelled so she can clean up some shitty code that the guy who up and quit left, and they gotta meet Friday's deadline.

    This is not a field for many people - male or female. Finally, are young females so shallow that a little plastic doll's clothing can determine their choice of careers?

    If so, that is what needs worked on, not putting a plastic doll in a t-shirt and bluejeans.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It's not really supposed to "make" girls become developers, any more than a Disney Princess is supposed to make them royalty. Children just like to play "grown-ups", even if sometimes we think being a grown-up sucks (like those dolls that wet themselves... ugh).

      The significance is that children can see that being a game developer is something women. Maybe it seems obvious to adults (well , some of us, a few are still in denial) but child psychologists will tell you that role models are really important.

      • It's not really supposed to "make" girls become developers, any more than a Disney Princess is supposed to make them royalty. Children just like to play "grown-ups", even if sometimes we think being a grown-up sucks (like those dolls that wet themselves... ugh).

        The significance is that children can see that being a game developer is something women. Maybe it seems obvious to adults (well , some of us, a few are still in denial) but child psychologists will tell you that role models are really important.

        I know, I went through a lifetime of steroid dependence tryting to be like a he-man doll I had as a young boy - that is kidding of course.

        It's the part I don't get though. I never gave a damn about who thought what. Neither did the feamle engineers I worked with. They just knew what they wanted to be and did it. And to a person, they scoffed at the ideas being presented today for the dearth of women in STEM careers.

        In perhaps the greatest irony, I developed my views on getting women involved in STEM, f

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Barbie is aimed at really young children, so I think by the time girls start to study STEM seriously they are probably well beyond such toys.

          I'm not sure where you got the blaming men bit from. How does Game Developer Barbie blame men?

          • Barbie is aimed at really young children, so I think by the time girls start to study STEM seriously they are probably well beyond such toys.

            I'm not sure where you got the blaming men bit from. How does Game Developer Barbie blame men?

            Barbie is aimed at really young children, so I think by the time girls start to study STEM seriously they are probably well beyond such toys.

            I'm not sure where you got the blaming men bit from. How does Game Developer Barbie blame men?

            I don't think either of us have been hiding under a rock for the past several years.

            http://www.businessinsider.com... [businessinsider.com]

            One of my (not) favorites because of the nasty implications is from this article: http://www.aauw.org/files/2013... [aauw.org]

            One of these nasty tidbits that in essence tells women that they need special help because they can easily be turned away from a STEM career:

            Does the stereotype that boys are better than girls in math and science still effect girls today? Research pro led in this re

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              I don't think either of us have been hiding under a rock for the past several years.

              http://www.businessinsider.com... [www.businessinsider.com]

              I read that article but no-where does it blame men.

              One of my (not) favorites because of the nasty implications is from this article

              I think you are reading too much into this. These people are not blaming men, not blaming 50% of the population. They are identifying institutional problems. Yes, sometimes men are involved, but often it's women who are the problem, and mostly it's both.

              I hear this a lot. Feminism is seen by some as an attack on men when feminists point out issues that might require men to change to solve. That's absolutely not the case.

              The concept that any negativity will cause a person to fail, is disturbing indeed.

              That's clearly not what they are sayi

              • I don't think either of us have been hiding under a rock for the past several years.

                http://www.businessinsider.com... [www.businessinsider.com]

                I read that article but no-where does it blame men.

                Are you serious? Male dominated "culture" must change or else women will not enter the culture. As Thinkprogress.org states:

                "There is also persistent discrimination against women who enter the science and math fields. CTI’s study found that almost a third of “senior leaders” in STEM fields think a woman would never be able to reach top jobs at their organizations. A part of this surely comes from a general societal bias against women in those fields. Previous research has shown that even

                • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

                  by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                  "There is also persistent discrimination against women who enter the science and math fields. CTIâ(TM)s study found that almost a third of âoesenior leadersâ in STEM fields think a woman would never be able to reach top jobs at their organizations. A part of this surely comes from a general societal bias against women in those fields. Previous research has shown that even STEM professors doubt the ability of their female students. Biases against women in STEM start when theyâ(TM)re young girls and can become so ingrained as to actually make the girls worse at the subject.

                  Again, it doesn't mention men anywhere in that. You are reading more into it than it says. In fact, it is extremely careful to avoid blaming men and point out that the issues are institutional. Elsewhere it mentions that women are often the ones perpetuating these institutional biases.

                  Over and over, Dr. Cheryan and her colleagues have found that female students are more interested in enrolling in a computer class if they are shown a classroom (whether virtual or real) decorated not with âoeStar Warsâ posters, science-fiction books, computer parts and tech magazines, but with a more neutral décor â" art and nature posters, coffee makers, plants and general-interest magazines.

                  So men need to stop putting things that offend women on the walls. A Star Wars poster can keep them out of tech.?!?!

                  This is a really, really common mistake that so many nerds make I'm starting to think it's something about the logical way we like to think. Look at the text again, it's a list. It's not saying that those things individually a

            • Does the stereotype that boys are better than girls in math and science still effect girls today? Research pro led in this report shows that negative stereotypes about girls’ abilities in math can indeed measurably lower girls’ test performance. Researchers also believe that stereotypes can lower girls’ aspirations for science and engineering careers over time. When test adminis- trators tell students that girls and boys are equally capable in math, however, the difference in performance essentially disappears, illustrating that changes in the learning environment can improve girls’ achievement in math.

              From what I read, this only works until the test admin also tells the boys that it's a competition.

  • Actually, this is beyond stupid. Plastic toys can't program. This toy is a lie. A toy never played with is not a toy at all** (Kevn Kinney)

  • The link's broken. People have pointed it out already but if we spam the top level comments repeating it, it might just get fixed.

  • Are young girls buying them to play out their fantasies of becoming a game developer or are guys buying them to play out their fantasies of meeting a smoking-hot female game developer? I ask because most of the women I know who are into game development aren't into playing with Barbie dolls. They're usually tom-boy types. Not that that's a bad thing. (I prefer women that way, quite frankly). And one could argue that Game Developer Barbie's skin isn't nearly pasty enough. ;-)

    • I don't believe that young girls buy Barbies. They ask for them for gifts. So it's possible that the first rush of sellout is happening because social justice parents want their girls to have some influence into making computers look cool, even though the daughter will have that Barbie program a game once, when her parents are looking, and then just play with the doll in non-programming settings from then on.

      • Perhaps, but I would say that social justice parents are more likely to reject Barbie altogether for a whole list of reasons not the least of which is body-image issues. I wouldn't be surprised if someday some SJW tries to sue Mattel for having once portrayed unrealistic body images that magically scarred their precious little snowflake who likely still eats paste.

        • I would say that social justice parents are more likely to reject Barbie altogether

          True, but sometimes as a parent, the best you can do is find some sort of middle ground. "I don't want you to have a Barbie, but if you have to have one, so help me, it's going to be one encouraging non-traditional roles!"

  • As a software developer (15 years) it amazes me how certain people are pushing women to become devs. It's a dead-end job that's about as rewarding as stabbing yourself in the head. Any woman with any sense will steer well clear of it.

  • Whether something sells out depends partly on how many you made in the first place. In other words, the fact that this "sold out" is not useful information, and is an advertising trick. It's just that in this case the advertising trick is selling politics as well as dolls.

  • Dumbasses, the absurd schedules that male developers allow themselves to be subjected to are the #1 reason there are relatively few females in the profession. Moms, generally, need 9-5 jobs. If you want there to be more females in the profession then you need to stop allowing your management to treat you like a wage slave.

    Oh, but that might be hard and uncomfortable while being a social justice worrier is easy to feign online.

  • Unboxing of Game Developer Barbie [kotaku.com] annotated with overly-smarmy commentary.

  • I know there's a bit of a stereotype of nerdygirls being redheads (either natural or dyed), but I'm bit surprised the doll is a redhead. Mattel says redheaded Barbies don't sell well. They actually do very few good redheads and most of those being lighter reds and strawberry blondes.

    • I know there's a bit of a stereotype of nerdygirls being redheads (either natural or dyed)

      I am a big fan of red-headed nerd-girls. Like a moth to the flame, so to speak.

  • Life imitates USENET (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Guy Harris ( 3803 ) <guy@alum.mit.edu> on Sunday June 19, 2016 @02:41PM (#52348315)

    Life. [cnet.com] (Bonus: this link actually works!)

    USENET [mit.edu]. (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.")

  • Still a few copies left of Barbie Proctologist!

  • Did we all forget that it is misogynist?

    http://www.dailydot.com/geek/b... [dailydot.com]

  • I wonder if they will sell boxed set of Barbie The Game Designer together with Ken the Reviewer (and few small, hairy Internet Trolls), so little girls can roleplay entire Gamergate...

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