Content area
Full Text
Jan Claesson has a tale of two cities to tell, but it's like nothing Charles Dickens ever imagined.
In his story, the first city is an island of chaos, buffeted by a series of natural disasters. The second city is prosperous, complete with a solid infrastructure and plentiful resources. The reason for the disparity lies not with the inhabitants of either urban centre, but with their creators.
The first city was developed by Claesson's nine-year-old and 15-year-old sons, while the second was produced by his 14-year-old daughter. They were using SimCity, an interactive video game that empowers its players with a God-like ability to build -- or destroy -- whatever civilization they imagine. Two cities, one product, two very different sexes.
For Claesson, president of Albuquerque, N.M.-based Her Interactive, the example is telling, if not statistically valid, and it forms the core of his merchandising philosophy.
"My daughter uses the computer not for her entertainment or amusement but as a productivity tool," he says. "It may sound completely altruistic, but we want the products we produce to help girls enjoy technology more, because in the long run that's what will help them keep using it throughout their lives."
Altruistic or not, Claesson demonstrates a component of the girls' software segment that distinguishes it from almost any other category. Many vendors that specialize in this area insist on carefully articulated mission statements, pop psychology and cultural deconstruction to justify their work. While the games give girls the chance to be superheros, explorers and time travellers, many products are marketed on the premise that girls need to be rescued -- saved before they abandon technology altogether.
But regardless of the premise behind them, many of these products are doing brisk business.
Ann Stephens, an analyst and president of Reston, Va.-based PCData, says Mattel's Barbie Fashion Designer sold more than 400,000 copies in the U.S. in the last two months of 1997. (Mattel could not be reached for an interview at press time.)
In addition to consumers snatching up these products, retailers are taking notice of this category, too. For example, Computer City recently launched a "Just For Girls" section in...