Making girly games that aren’t patronising
summary
Argues that girliness is undervalued because of a post‑1983 market shift, and that much “games for girls” is lazy shovelware. Cites the Imagine series (Imagine Teacher, Imagine Fashion Designer, Imagine Journalist) and Rachel Simone’s alternate Famicom museum as useful thought experiments, then points to working designs: Toca Hair Salon, Mystic Messenger, and boutique/fashion sims that actually make clothes look good. Recommends researching why audiences like fashion, horses or relationships, using respectful mechanics (less competitive, more community/relationship play) and treating the subject seriously.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Girly games and their stigma
- 1:07Historical dismissal of feminine interests
- 3:22Games marketed for boys
- 4:23Undervaluing women's interests
- 6:11Femininity in games
- 7:14Problem with patronizing games
- 8:41Imagine game series flaws
- 9:46Famicom Museum project
- 11:52Well-designed girly games
- 14:23Marketing games for women
- 15:48Q&A
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