She Can Do it!: Inspiring the Future Women of Aviation
SkyHack 3.0 21 | By Amirah Shupe & Devuare Berg
You’ve heard of Amelia Earhart, but have you heard of Bessie Coleman? How about Jackie Cochran? These are both examples of women pilots who fought in WW2. Each of these women made phenomenal feats in the world of aviation. Bessie Coleman was the first African American and Native American female Pilot! Jackie Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier! With a “She Can Do It!” doll, you can be your very own aviation icon. Dress-up for a mission, fly or fix an aircraft, and get ready to take on the world!
The Mission
Many girls have felt that they can’t reach their goals or develop aspirations in aviation because of their gender. They feel that they aren’t smart, aren’t capable or simply aren’t meant to be aviation pilots or engineers. We want to change this way of thinking. With the ‘She Can Do It!’ Doll and online gaming experience we hope to inspire the youth with interactive experiences and role models that stress following your dreams and making an impact on the world around you. Our dream is to see a future of aviation that contains both men and women, with remarkable feats that we can only obtain by working together.
The Doll
Our doll represents the iconic women from WW2 such as Bessie Coleman, Hazel Ying Lee, Jackie Cochran, Janet Harmon Bragg, and Mildred Hemmons Carter. We intend to keep the realism of the women, such as facial features and body type. Seeing women who look like their mothers, aunts, sisters, etc. without having an idealized female body is important in creating a relatable, inspirational figure that all children can aspire to be like.
The doll comes with multiple outfits such as their flight uniform, as well as a historically accurate casual garment and accessories. Additionally, each doll will contain a flight journal, displaying their personal information, like name, age, etc. and a small paragraph about their life.
Their greatest accomplishment that led to their success will be displayed on the front of the package, serving as an attention grabbing detail that also displays a feature in the online game. Each package contains a unique code that can be entered on shecandoit.com for kids to play as their character. For example, Jackie Cochran, as the first woman to break the sound barrier, would have her accomplishment displayed under her name on the packaging and would grant access to her in-game special ability “Sound Barrier” which will allow the player to fly past obstacles and opponents at a speed much faster than those around them.
The She Can Do It! Doll is more than just a doll, it's an experience and an inspiration for children around the world.
The Online Experience
In the “She Can Do It!” online interactive universe, you have the option to play as your doll or, to encourage all children to take part and feel included, create yourself as an aviation specialist. The customization features will include diverse options such as skintones, body types, and additional details like hijabs, prosthetic limbs and more. From there you choose a role, for example, a Pilot or an Engineer. The site will feature a variety of mini games to choose from in addition to the main game. In the main game, you can chat with other players in the barracks, upgrade and unlock various equipment, and even rank up in the military to compete against players all over the world, gaining new outfits, badges, and skills along the way.
The perks of buying a ‘She Can Do It Doll!” are the in-game features that the doll comes with. In addition to the ‘special ability’ that gives you an in-game advantage against other players, you gain special missions, allowing you to take part in exclusive mini-games that display the real-life missions of the women behind the dolls.
*The game will begin with a PC and mobile based game-design with hopes to branch into a console and VR platform.
Pilot: Navigate through a flight mission by participating in a virtual plane simulation! Your plane will contain a simplified version of real-life plane controls, and it’s your job to navigate through hoops, or even shoot at targets to reach your final destination and complete your mission.
Engineer: Find out what is wrong with the engine before time runs out. Use tools, clues, and hints and problem solve just like an engineer! Compete against other players to see who has the fastest time and unlock new challenges!
Looking to the Future
A Future Collection could include current female pilots that are from minority groups, such as a transgender female pilot like Cat Burton, or Captain Stephanie Johnson, who was the first African American Female Pilot for a major airline.
Story Mode: An additional portion of the game could be added in order to play in first person perspective as your pilot embarks on an educational journey through her story and the events of WW2. Several in-game incentives can be gained from this such as new outfits, planes, or other prominent features from the event.
Events: Earn special cosmetic items and enjoy limited time mini-games by participating in seasonal events! These would include Women’s History Month, Black History Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and so much more!
Additional Figures: Additional Figures can be purchased such as planes based on their real-life counterparts. All of these figures will include codes to unlock in-game content. Additional figures can be purchased on a larger scale for items like planes, or in small mystery “Gacha” boxes that contain different items like accessories, informational monuments, and in-game cosmetic items, ranging in rarity from common to legendary.