http://www.bitchmagazine.org/tag/science The taxonomy view with a depth of 0. en http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/mad-science <p>British scientists have uncovered the truth behind one of modern culture’s greatest mysteries: why little girls play with pink toys. Is it because toy companies flood whole store aisles with the color? Or because well-meaning relatives shower girl babies with pink blankets and clothing? Nope. According to the men in lab coats, it’s purely biological.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/mad-science">read more</a></p> http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/mad-science#comments biological determinism Feature gender gender roles mainstream media media media critique media sexism science Social commentary stereotypes Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:22:47 -0400 Kyla 301 at http://www.bitchmagazine.org http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/gender-gaming <p>“When I started out, gaming was a geek thing,” says Sean (not his real name), a 38-year-old senior director of product development for a major electronic game publisher. “Now, it’s totally mainstream. It’s clear there’s money to be made.” </p> <p>It’s not like there’s any nostalgia in his voice. With a six-figure salary and a generous bonus, Sean is one of those making the money. Electronic games—which encompass both computer games and console-based games—generated nearly $10 billion in revenue last year, thanks in part to top-selling titles like <i>Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Madden NFL 2005, ESPN NFL 2K5</i>, and <i>NBA Live 2005</i>. </p><p>Given the fact that electronic games have their roots in geekdom, the sheer jock/thug appeal of the above-listed games is striking. You’d think that geek boys, having been a) persecuted by jocks and bullies and b) heavily involved in the production of electronic games, might take advantage of the latter to redress the former. But somewhere between <i>Pong</i> and <i>Madden</i>, those geeks began spending their days and nights creating universes in which testosterone rules, in the process reinforcing the gender roles that made their young lives hell. </p><p>What happened? </p><p><a href="http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/gender-gaming">read more</a></p> http://www.bitchmagazine.org/article/gender-gaming#comments cognitive development computers Consumer culture Feature games gaming geeks gender roles jocks math play science sims stereotypes tech video games Wed, 31 Aug 2005 20:00:00 -0400 Kyla 228 at http://www.bitchmagazine.org