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Carol Shaw: 15,000

Video Game Pioneer THINK ABOUT IT Number of points

Today, only about 25 percent of needed to become an
workers in the gaming industry are official River Raider
women. Why is that number so low?
In 1977, Shaw received a bachelor’s Try to find out. What can be done to • Official River Raiders

degree in electrical engineering. She increase it? could mail pictures
began working at Atari while finishing of their scores to the
company. They would
a master’s degree in computer receive a River Raiders
science. Atari was one of the first success. Shaw was able to retire early clothing patch in
companies to make video games because of that game. return.
people could play at home. • In the River Raiders’
Shaw was awarded the Industry Icon manual, Shaw invited
Shaw designed her first Atari game Award at the Game Awards gamers to send her

in 1978. At that time, video game in 2017. a note with their
designers worked on every part Shaw won thoughts on the game.
of a game. They did much of their many awards • The manual calls Shaw
math by hand on paper. In 1980, for “Best Action a Computer Science
scholar.
3D Tic-Tac-Toe became the first Game.”
of her games to be sold in
stores. She was one of the
Carol Shaw best programmers at Atari.

Carol Shaw was the in 2017. Other games she completed
first woman to design
there were Video Checkers and
a video game for a
Super Breakout.
major company. She was
born in 1955 in Palo Alto, California. In 1982, Shaw went to work for

Her father taught mechanical Activision. They released her game
engineering. She played with trains River Raid in 1983. This game
and cars instead of dolls. Math was featured a jet that blasted enemies
her favorite subject in school. as it flew down a river. It was a huge
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