Some of the writers have overcome eating disorders. Several describe the negative influence of the thin, beautiful, fashion-conscious Barbie. Boys appear to be much more interested in video and computer games than are girls and most computer games are aimed at boys. The editors note that these differential preferences are associated with differential access to technological fields as the children grow older, and this differential access threatens to worsen as technological literacy increasingly becomes a general precondition for employment. Contributors, who come from a variety of academic fields or technical backgrounds, analyze gender roles and technology and discuss why certain types of games seem to appeal more to boys or girls.
Some chapters cover the new girls games movement and software aimed primarily at girls.
There is some controversy over whether it is preferable to design games for females, or to broaden the appeal of mostly male-oriented products, so that more girls will be interested in them. Ideally these games should include strong female role models which could appeal to all children. Some contributors aver that stereotypical girls culture should be valued and that computer games geared to these interests should be available. The middle third of the book is devoted to interviews with women involved in the production of software at six companies, including Sega and Mattel. Mattel is the manufacturer of Barbie Fashion Designer, which, to the dismay of many feminists, is the best-selling children s software product ever.