Blog Post 4: Rated "G" for Girls ...

Rachel is a ten-year-old girl for who I was shopping. In my shopping experiences online, I came across an abundance of video games for Rachel’s age group. Many of them were specifically aimed at girls.  A majority of the girls games were pink and involved typically female occupations. Video games aimed at young girls around the age of ten, like Rachel, attempt to promote gendered values with use of colors and activities presented in the game.

The games I found while shopping for Rachel were mostly packaged with a pink, purple, or light blue color.  These colors are typically considered feminine colors, and attempt to prove to the general public that these games are meant for girls.  The color of a product is a simple way for advertisers to target a certain gender because color is “a distinction by which gender stereotypes are reinforced” (Kirkham and Weller 269).  The color is adding to the fact that the actual occupations the games entail are emphasizing the typical feminine activities. 

The activities in the video games targeted to young girls are socially gendered occupations.  They involve mothering and cooking, typically feminine behaviors.  These games act as a reinforcement of gendered social norms. The mass media uses video games as a way to input these values that are considered normal into today’s youth. “Also, images having to do with gender strike at the core of individual identity; our understanding of ourselves as either male or female (socially defined within this society at this time) is central to our understanding of who we are” (Jhally 253).  When children are attempting to understand who they are, media takes advantage by advertising the gendered dichotomy through the use of activities, and colors involved in their marketing strategies. 

Works Cited

American Game Factory. “Bratz Ponyz.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 30 July 2007. We.b. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Dreamcater. “Dreamer Series: Pop Star.” Digital File.  Amazon.com. 24 March 2009. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file. 

 

Electronic Arts Inc. “Charm Girls Club: Pajama Party for Wii.” Digital File. Cool Games-Charm Girls Club. Charm Girls Club. 2009. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

“Imagine Babies.” Digital File. Women in Gaming. Word Press, 7 October 2008. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

“Imagine Happy Cooking.” Digital File. Women in Gaming. Word Press, 7 October 2008. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Jhally, Sut. “Image-Based Culture: advertising and Popular Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in 

 

Media: A Text-Reader. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2003. 249-257. Print.
 

Kirkham, Pat, and Alex Weller. “Cosmetics: A Clinique Case Study.” Gender, Race, and Class in 

 

Media: A Text-Reader. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2003. 268-273. Print.
 

Majesco. “Cooking Mam 2: Dinner With Friends.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 15 June 2010. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Majesco. “The Daring Game for Girls.” Digital File.  Amazon.com. 9 March 2010. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Nintendo. “Nintendo DS Lite Handlheld Gaming System – Metallic Rose.” Digital File. Toysrus. 2010. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Sakar. “3-In-1 Girl Gear Sports Kit for Nintendo Wii.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 25 September 2008. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

THQ. “Bratz the Movie.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 17 October 2007. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

UBI Soft. “Imagine: Fashion Designer: New York for Nintendo DS.” Digital File. Toysrus.com. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG File.
 

UBI Soft. “Imagine: Ice Champions.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 3 March 2009. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG File.
 

UbiSoft. “Imagine Fashion Designer 4.” Digital File. Toysrus, Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

UbiSoft. “Imagine Fashion Designer.” Digital File. Toysrus, Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.
 

Viva Media. “I Love Games – 16 Great Games for Girls.” Digital File. Amazon.com. 3 March 2010. Web. 3 August 2010. JPEG file.