Girls have an increasing number of video game titles designed just for them.
For as long as there have been video games, there have been girls who have wanted to play them alongside the boys. Many girls, however, have felt excluded over the years from video games, with much of the subject matter being focused on things that predominantly interest boys. Game developer Ubisoft has tried to address this by proposing a number of games specifically aimed at girls.
"Imagine" Series
This group of games is arguably the most well-known of all of Ubisoft's games targeted at girls. The games are predominantly available for the portable Nintendo DS game system, although some titles, such as "Imagine Fashion Party" and "Imagine Party Babyz" are available for the Nintendo Wii, and "Imagine Fashion Designer" is available for PC. There are 29 titles for the Nintendo DS, focusing on common career interests with titles such as "Imagine Reporter," "Imagine Teacher" and "Imagine Rock Star."
Some of the titles are designed to address general interests of young girls, such as "Imagine Sweet Sixteen" and "Imagine Babysitters." Each of the Nintendo DS games offers a single player experience that encourages the player to complete various challenges in order to progress the story. In almost all of the titles, key themes include fashion and helping others. The Imagine series had sold a million copies as of February 2009.
"Petz" Series
Like the "Imagine" series, the "Petz" series of games offers a variety of titles aimed primarily at girls, with each title focusing on taking care of a different virtual pet. The player is expected to feed, clean and play with her animal in the virtual world. As she continues to interact with the animal, it learns new tricks or grows depending on the game she is playing. Each title in the "Petz" series focuses on a specific animal or group of animals, from common domestic animals--as in "Petz Dogz," "Petz Catz" or "Petz Hamsterz Superstarz"--to exotic animals in "Petz Rescue: Endangered Paradise," "Petz Crazy Monkeyz" and "Petz Wild Animalz Tigerz." "Petz" titles are available for Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Game Boy Advance, PC, PlayStation 2 and Sony PSP.
"Style Lab" Series
The "Style Lab" series is not as extensive as "Imagine" or "Petz" but includes two titles that make use of the most recent advances in the hand-held market, capitalizing on the functionality of the Nintendo DSi. "Style Lab Makeover" uses the DSi's built-in camera to let the player take pictures of herself and edit them using different makeup, hairstyles and jewelry. "Style Lab Jewelry Design" allows girls to design virtual jewelry using a library of beads.
Once the player has completed her creation, she has the option of uploading her design via the DSi's wireless Internet connection and ordering the jewelry. The jewelry is mailed to the player so she can wear what she has designed in real life.
Other Games
While the "Imagine," "Petz" and "Style Lab" series are Ubisoft's core titles for young girls, there are other stand-alone games that many girls would also be interested in playing. "Sleepover Party" for the Nintendo Wii is a collection of activities for girls to do at slumber parties and includes tools to help plan the party, on-screen games and off-screen activity suggestions. Dance games, including "Just Dance" and "Dance on Broadway," are also available on the Nintendo Wii and encourage players to learn dance steps to music as a single player or as a group of up to four people. However, the dance games are intended for players age 10 and up.
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