Computer games， as just about everyone knows by now， are full of road racing， guns， fighting， killing， blood letting， and death and dying. And， of course， there are the hot babes wearing little clothing to spice up the action.
This is the information technology age， so， we should care about this strange fantasy① land. The issue involves who gets into the world of computer technology and the way we look at it. And this is important to our social， economic and political develope.
Moreover， computer games are full of violence and mistreatment of women and they attract many boys and men. That is disturbing.
Good Side
But there is the much less recognized role of this computer culture. That is in economic opportunities and designing the world in which we live. Computer games are often the spark that lights the interest of males in the technology itself.
Many boys get hooked on the games and want to learn how to reprogramme them to their likings. From this attraction they go on to learn how to design and create technology.
Often it is the fascination with games that turns young game geniuses into computer scientists. They become the technologists of our society. They lead us through the great changes of the information age and redesign our culture.
So， where are the girls？
Although there are some girl gamers， most females use the technology but do not design or invent it. Women surf the web and enjoy instant messaging， but in the U.S. only about 20 percent of computer science majors are female. And only about 17 percent of high school students taking the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam are female.
It matters a great deal that the inventors， designers and creators of computer technology are mostly men and boys. At the most basic level， girls and women who are not engaged in technology miss out on educational and economic opportunities that go to computer aware young men.
In the long term， the absence of women at the design table will affect computing② as a discipline and the direction of its influence in society.
At the very least， products are being designed that do not meet the needs of women.
For instance， there are many stories of early voice-recognition systems that were adjusted to male voices and did not hear or respond to the tone of women’s voices. More important， large parts of the economy and our social lives are being shaped without the experience of half the population (the female half).
Certainly， computer science is not for everyone. However， is the absence of girls in computer science classes a matter of biology？ Are girls， as some would say， “just not interested in things like technology”？
The evidence suggests otherwise.
Research has shown that our computer science culture shows the domination of male students whose interests， preferences and concerns are expected.
Interviews with women who are studying computer science reveal a connection they see between computing and other areas they want—like medicine， environmental protection and other social concerns. Many women said they had an interest in computing because it had a purpose. They did not like just playing around with computers.
The world is one where male-oriented③ gaming is prevalent. What would our world look like if there were larger numbers of female computer scientists？
Children would be more likely to find and enjoy computer games filled with less blood and killing. Women and girls would not be turned into objects and looked down on④ in these virtual settings. That would be a step forward.
Technology is now an important part of real life， and it seems necessary to make sure that women are drivers， not just passengers. The computer gaming industry needs a new operating system.
① fantasyn. 空想；幻想；梦想
② computev. 计算；估算；推断
③ orientedadj. 以……为方向的，以……为目的的
④ look down on轻视
电脑世界
众所周知，现在的电脑游戏中，充满着赛车、枪击、搏斗、杀戮、血腥和死亡。当然，里面有也有很多明星，她们衣着暴露且在做着各种挑逗性动作。
现在已经步入了信息时代，所以，我们还要关注这一独特领域。这个问题涉及到谁将进入到电脑技术世界中以及我们看待它的方式。而且这对于我们社会、经济和政治发展是十分重要的。
此外，计算机游戏中充满着暴力和对妇女的虐待，这会吸引众多男孩子和男人参与其中。这是非常糟糕的正面影响。
好的一面
但是人们还没有充分认识到这种计算机文化发挥的作用。它存在于经济机遇以及我们所生存世界的构想中。电脑游戏经常会在技术领域内激发出男性兴趣的火花。
很多男孩子都沉醉于电脑游戏中，并且想学会如何按自己的爱好将这些游戏重新编程。从这种富有吸引力的游戏中，他们将继续去学习如何谋划和创造新技术。一些让人着迷的游戏通常会使年轻的电脑天才转变成为计算机科学家。他们会成为我们社会中的技术专家。他们领导着我们经历信息时代的巨大变化并重新塑造我们的文化。
女性那里去了？
虽然也有些女性电脑游戏爱好者，绝大多数女性使用这种技术但是却不去从事设计或者发明工作。女性也上网冲浪并喜欢看些即时信息，但是在今天，美国也仅仅有20％从事电脑工作的人是女性，并且只有17％的女高中生参加计算机高级等级水平测试。
绝大多数电脑技术的发明者、设计者和创建者都是男性，这个问题关系重大。在绝大多数基本水平上，那些致力于信息技术的女性将会失去与精通计算机男性同等的教育和经济机遇。
从长期的观点看，作为影响社会方向的一门科学，在设计领域中缺少女性将会影响到计算机的发展。至少，产品在设计上就不会满足女性的需要。
例如，早期的语音识别系统闹过很多笑话，因为是根据男性的声音进行调整，它对于女性的声音会听而不见或根本就无法进行识别。更严重的是，经济和我们的社会生活的大部分形成根本就没有一半人口的参与(女性那一半)。
当然，计算机科学并不是为每个人准备的。但是计算机教育中女性的缺乏会影响到今后生物学的发展吗？还是仅仅是女性对这些技术不感兴趣。
事实证明完全是另外一种情况。
我们的计算机科学文化已经显示出了那些对计算机具有兴趣、爱好和关注的男性具有的支配地位。
女性已经看到了计算机和她们想要从事的其他领域工作之间的联系——如医学、环境保护和其他社会所关注的行业等。很多女性说她们对计算机很感兴趣是因为它有自己的用途。她们并不喜欢用电脑来玩游戏。
这几乎是一个男性主宰的游戏流行的世界。如果这个世界上出现大量的女性计算机科学家，这个世界将是什么样子？
孩子们将更有可能发现和欣赏到更少的充满暴力和杀戮的电脑游戏。女性就不再变成这种虚幻游戏中的标靶而受人们歧视了。这将是社会的一大进步。
技术已经成为现实生活的重要组成部分，妇女也是司机，而不再仅仅是乘客，这似乎已经非常明确了。计算机游戏行业真的需要一个新的运行机制了。
