What kinds of videogames did you play when you were in Jr. High? For those who are in their 20s now, Megaman, Zelda, and Catz might be on the list. There weren’t many games for tween girls back then. Mobile and Flash games have really changed the market for young gamers, who can play games for free without having to beg their parents to buy it for them. Buzzfeed has the whole breakdown.
One such game, Modern Girl for iOS, has girls role-playing at a magazine company in New York city. However, the game is less about editing and more about dressing cool to get dates. Of course all these things take energy, but you can buy more energy with real money so you can keep playing! Modern Girl is only one of many such games that focus on fashion and choosing a man.
In some ways, it seems harsh to judge these games for tween girls as being ridiculous. Games for tween boys have them blowing things up and shooting zombies; did we expect their taste to be mature at this age? On the other hand, it’s good to have a wake-up call. Girls want to play games, and probably learn a little bit about how the world works from them—shouldn’t we be teaching them that life is more than having the right clothes and the right boyfriend?