USS Bits and Bytes - Electronic Newsletter of the Miami University's Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program (USS)

Vol. 1, #1, August 22, 1997

Towards a Better Gender Balance in the World of Computing
Summer 1997 project of Jon-Richard Little under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher R. Wolfe, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

Photo of John-Richard Little Jon-Richard Little is an idealist. He insists that even in a world centered on image and economics there exists a forum for everyone to be heard right at our fingertips. As a means of anonymous communication, the Internet transcends traditional boundaries between individuals and the world. As a student in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in computing and minor in women's studies, J.R. is most interested in the gender-neutralizing possibilities of the Internet. He feels the project he completed under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Wolfe will enrich lives by "neutering computers."

Interested in social movements of all kinds, J.R. was drawn to the women's studies because as a majority in society, women's issues affect everyone. There are many statistics that detail the absence of women on-line, including one that indicates women make up only thirty percent of on-line users. To explain this inequity, one theory suggests that men are socialized to "like technology" at an early age through video games. Boys in turn are attracted to games that are largely designed by males and intended for a male audience. Part of J.R.'s project involved researching games that appeal to both genders. All of the materials he gathered are posted in an on-line resource designed specifically to acquaint women with the Internet, but available to anyone as an introduction to the Internet and computers.

The completed website includes a main page and eight sections. It is possible to download games from one page in the site while another reviews games currently on the market. A third page provides instructions for building a website, because J.R. feels strongly that women not only need to browse the Internet, but develop a presence through their own pages. Concerned with economic boundaries in addition to gender boundaries, J.R.'s site is text-oriented so it can be accessed by those without the latest edition of a browser.

In order to recommend certain games as gender neutral on his site, J.R. needed to identify a common thread between games that appeal to both genders. Through research, he found that though most women admitted to little interest or experience with video games, nearly all had tried and enjoyed the game Tetris. With this information in addition to other research, he concluded that games involving some sort of mental as opposed to sex or violence are more likely to appeal across genders. This revelation led him to recommend Tomb Raider, a game which judged on appearance alone is basically male-oriented. However, as demonstrated by the strong, intelligent, though scantily clad female lead character, the game strikes a nice balance between traditional male appeals and the mental challenge that women prefer.

After graduation, J.R. hopes to carry out his vision of the Internet as an environment by everyone, for everyone, by teaching people about computers and the Internet. In the more immediate future, he wants to continue this project by updating the pages through his senior the year and even after graduation. With the completion of this project, he takes one step towards bridging the great continental divide between the genders and classes in society.

Jon-Richard Little is one of 120 Miami University undergraduates who participated in the 1997 Undergraduate Summer Scholars (USS) Program. This University program is an initiative aimed at heightening the intellectual challenge of the learning environment at Miami University. This program enables Miami undergraduates to do research or other creative activities in the summer under the supervision of faculty.

In 1997, some of the USS activities were supported by a National Science Foundation Grant to Miami University entitled "Creating a Research-Rich Curriculum: A Model for Lifelong and Continuous Learning" (DUE-9652063, Dr. J.A. Czaja, PI). This funding was provided under the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education's program on Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology.

Summary and Photo by Cindy (Cynthia) Bubb, a Mass Communication major with a minor in Marketing, Miami University class of 1998.