Ridiculous Life Lessons From New Girl Games

From the Wired blogs:

Some parents worry that videogames might cause their children to become violent and antisocial, but what if the opposite were true? What if games could make kids exceedingly likable and fashionable?

A wave of new games for tween girls seeks to do just that, serving up innocuous gameplay designed to let players become perfect little princesses. Aimed at that lucrative, Hannah Montana-fueled intersection of childhood and adolescence, these games might give 8- to 12-year-olds their first experiences with fashion, make-up, popularity … even boys.

The weird thing is that you can view these “wholesome” games as being just as bad for girls as Grand Theft Auto’s random bloodshed and rampant criminality is for young, impressionable boys. And while GTA’s influence on boys has been dissected to death, what about the Nintendo DS’ upcoming avalanche of games for tween girls? What kinds of values do preteens learn from these titles? Valuable life lessons, or bad habits?

The article goes on to list several new games for girls, and their objects. They’re pretty silly on first glance, and potentially dangerous after a longer look. Unless you’re trying to raise a daughter who acts like the popular girl at the beginning of the teen movie, don’t buy any of these; except The Daring Game for Girls: “What it teaches girls: Surprisingly, a lot. Like the book, the game offers handy tips and facts as well as non-stereotypically female activities, encouraging girls to seek adventure — not boyfriends or cute clothes, for once. So, of course, no one will actually play it.”

H/T Rich @ Christ and Pop Culture