Mattel recently released a new Game Developer Barbie, and it’s already sold out. This doll is an update to 2013 version of the popular doll, which was deemed sexist. The original Game Developer Barbie relied on her male counterparts to be an engineer. However, with this newest version, the sexist attributes were changed. This fix is very exciting but one thing is still wrong— the doll is only Caucasian.
Introducing the newest #Barbie career: Game Developer! #YouCanBeAnything pic.twitter.com/HE2TAH8s1U
— Barbie (@Barbie) June 15, 2016
Though Mattel has recently been more conscious of creating dolls from diverse backgrounds, this oversight points to another issue. This $12.99 children’s toy shows the lack of visibility of women and people of color in the tech industry.
Marcus Montgomery, a game developer, took it upon himself to change that.
My wife wanted the new #gamedev @Barbie but it only came in one skin tone. I fixed the problem. #wearegamedevs pic.twitter.com/JqnPNbZqmq
— Marcus Montgomery (@marcusingames) June 22, 2016
Marcus’ fight against this lack of visibility didn’t begin with the Mattel toy. He’s the founder of We Are Game Devs, a digital platform that celebrates diversity in the game development and technology industry.
Other Twitter users quickly supported his “update.”
See a problem, find a solution, publish it so others can see/benefit.
Yup, dev. Bravo, sir! https://t.co/aQhtK5ibV5
— Militant Bibliophile (@MilBibliophile) June 22, 2016
@marcusingames @Barbie I love this! Hopefully Barbie takes note!
— Lauren Anne (@LozzimusPrime) June 22, 2016
And his wife is very happy with her custom-designed doll.
Best Husband Evar! #gamedev @Barbie #wearegamedevs https://t.co/QXIajdeHwx
— Lisette Titre (@zette16) June 22, 2016
