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Days after the demise of girl-gaming vanguard Purple Moon, Lego Media International has announced its entry into the girl's software market with Lego Friends, a CD-ROM that sounds a lot like Purple Moon's flagging flagship games.
The company made famous by its gender-neutral Lego Blocks plans to target 5- to 10-year-old girls with its Lego Friends series.
Some see serendipitous timing in Lego's software entry and hope that Lego will have the cash to outlast Purple Moon's flicker. Others in the industry are amazed that Lego is taking a shot at the market with a product so like one that has already failed. Others are annoyed that yet another major company is releasing a product that plays up stereotypically feminine fantasies.
European PR manager Jon Todd said that Lego Media -- the division responsible for the game -- isn't worried that Purple Moon's shutdown is a death knell for the girl games industry.
"Lego Media sees untapped opportunities for companies with the right ideas and values," Todd said. "Previous titles in this genre have done exceptionally well, and we are confident that both our creative approach and our production values will ensure our success. Lego Friends offers a great opportunity to exercise creativity and self-expression."
In a press release, the company squealed that Lego Friends players "can do all the things [girls] enjoy most -- from being part of a girls 'gang' to playing in a band," as they tackle realistic adventures in the game's small-town setting of Sunnyvale.
The titles follow the adventures of four girls in a pop band, inviting players to help them write songs, choreograph dances, and navigate the treacherous waters of the pubescent social scene in order to put on a concert in their school hall. Firepower is beside the point. In a formula borrowed from Purple Moon's "friendship adventures," players are encouraged to identify with their characters' minds. Instead of gathering gear or righteously decimating an enemy, Lego Friends players are more likely to see characters chatting in their bedrooms, working on their song-and-dance routines, or fielding flirty phone calls from the male characters.
Megan Gaiser, president and executive producer at Her Interactive hopes Lego's high profile will build momentum for girl-gaming companies like her own.
"Purple Moon did a great job growing the girl-gaming industry. Girls are finally being heard and served, thanks to these kinds of efforts. I hope to see more and more companies in the industry addressing girls' preferences," Gaiser said.
Stephanie Bergman, co-host of the Internet girl-games show Lilith & Eve was less sanguine.
"Why is this called a game? Where's the game in it? Why make games like this for girls instead of a game where you win or lose and learn things about competition and spatial thought? This is especially weird considering that Lego are asexual. What's next? Pink Lego?"
Bergman said she is sorry to hear about Purple Moon's closure, but she hopes the failure of its powder-puff-feminine games is a "continuing trend. When I was a kid, either you played Pong or you didn't. There weren't pink games for girls and blue games for boys."
Nikki Douglas, editor of Grrl Gamer is similarly alarmed by products like Lego Friends.
"These games seem to take the worst parts of high-school life, like peer pressure and worries about popularity, and replicate it in a game," Douglas said. "Who the hell wants to do that? Wouldn't you rather play a game where you're the queen and you're kicking ass?"
Douglas said companies like Purple Moon and Lego are responding to a stereotypical view of what girls are supposed to enjoy.
"Gender-based games teach guys how to make their world a better place, but they teach girls how to make people in their little world happier," she said. "These companies are way off base. They're just trying to reach the lowest common denominator and create something which will sell.
"There should be more of a responsibility in edu-tainment," Douglas continued. "Feminism is such a part of our culture, yet you can't find its ideals in any of the games being made for young women."
The first Lego Friends adventure is due to hit stores in September and will sell for US$29.95. At the same time, a Lego Friends Web site will launch and provide follow-up games and story information.
