There’s a campaign going on right now ( since Nove 25) until dec 10 called Take Back the Tech, by the Association of Progressive Communications, Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP).
APC WNSP is a global network of more than 175 women in over 55 countries promoting gender equality in the design, implementation, access and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and in the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate them.
The campaign proposes to take a daily action to address ways to reduce violence against women worldwide though technology. On day 9, the action was:
Day 9: Making technology safe | Dream of a tool
The idea was to imagine a tech tool that would be a positive contribution to reducing violence against women.
I submitted the following: How to render Game Boys and Nintendo DS Games harmless to young boys
This is something my daughter suggested to me, as we were talking about her wanting a Nintendo DS and me saying I was not a fan of these addictive, curiosity-free games, that often have violence. Young boys sometimes as young as 7 get wrapped up in these games for hours on end and are caught in a violent world with no women or women wearing only what is in fact a bra and underwear. This sure is not going to help them develop ‘ their feminine side’. 
She suggested the game should be thought up so that to use it:
- a child needs to correctly answer 2 or 3 math questions
- the game stops after 20 minutes of use and asks new questions to the child who wants to play again
She’s only interested in the games where the player takes care of an animal in any case…Isn’t that a great way to take back the tech and keep the positive side of these games? The next step would be to have women design the games played on these consoles, so that they portray a less medieval and primary vision of the world.
Spread the word!
