Dona Bailey was the programmer on a four-person team for the successful Atari arcade game Centipede in her first assignment.
She was hired by Atari in 1980 and was the only female programmer in its nascent arcade division. When she left the much larger Atari two years later, she was still the only woman in that department and one of the few women in the entire company.
It’s tempting to say that women have come a long way since then, and in some ways they have. Today, it’s rare for a tech company to have only one token female engineer.
Yet 30 years later, there’s still a shortage of female programmers in Silicon Valley and beyond. Much of that goes back to education. Women receive fewer than a fifth of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer science, even though they get nearly 60 per cent of all bachelor’s degrees, according to the National Science Foundation. In 1980, 30 per cent of computer science degrees went to women.
Women such as Bailey often found themselves alone in a sea of men, giving them a glimpse into the male culture that few women had access to.
Bailey left Atari in 1982 and went to work at Videa, founded by three former Atari employees, and during her time at Videa, one of the games she worked on that never made it past the prototype stage was a game she called “The Glass Bead Game”, named after Herman Hesse’s novel by the same name. She later took on a PC contract role at Activision, working with Paul Allen Newell on a two-player game. In 1985, she left Activision and decided to leave the video game industry altogether.
From Dona Bailey’s story, we know that we must not underestimate the power of women and their contribution, equality between people must be reflected in gender equality.
source:
“Dona Bailey.” Atariwomen, 8 Mar. 2019, www.atariwomen.org/stories/dona-bailey/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.
“Dona Bailey (Atari) – Interview.” Arcade Attack, 2 Nov. 2017, www.arcadeattack.co.uk/dona-bailey/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.
Kent, Steven L. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond. Google Books, Three Rivers Press, 2001, books.google.com.hk/books?id=C2MH05ogU9oC&q=dona+bailey&redir_esc=y. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.
“The Original Gaming Bug: Centipede Creator Dona Bailey.” Gamasutra.com, 2019, www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130082/the_original_gaming_bug_centipede_.php.
“The Unsung Female Programmer Behind Atari’s Centipede.” Video, video.vice.com/en_us/video/hello-world-dona-bailey/55e0d8e8def5f894792e5d8d. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.
This was a good read to introduce a female game programmer as I haven’t heard of any in this industry. It’s amazing that she was able to work for gaming giants like Atari and Activision; both of which I’ve played games in.
I respect Dona Bailey and her marvelous works. About less female on programming work field, I do think more support or consideration are needed for female programmers.
I have heard of Atari and I know it was one of the most successful video game companies in the world. And Atari certainly could not be so successful without skillful programmers like Bailey. Poor Atari was later deceived by amateur game designers and became a history.