Man of Steel

Software companies are starting to get with the programs--girls' programs, that is. "Nobody was building anything for girls," says Doug Glen, president of the El Segundo, California-based Mattel Media Inc. "The girls' market was practically ignored by the industry."

Until now, it seems. Drawn by the huge potential of an undertapped consumer base, multimedia giants the likes of Mattel Media are making high-profile pushes into the girls' software market. "It's pretty clear that girls want to play on the computer," says Glen, "and there's been very little for them to choose from."

This year alone, says Glen, Mattel Media is planning to release some half a dozen titles for girls, with an emphasis on its Barbie tie-in programs--"Barbie Makeover Magic," "Barbie Ocean Adventure" and "Barbie Partymaker" among them.

Hitting this target market, however, might not be such an easy task. As Glen notes, boys and girls aren't generally getting (or seeking) the same things out of the games they play. "Boys tend to play competitively and aggressively," he says. "Girls tend to play much more cooperatively and creatively. They [also] communicate a whole lot more, which is why [many of their software programs] involve making up stories and acting out fantasies of what it's like to be a grownup."

Well . . . vive la différence.

This article was originally published in the March 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Man of Steel.