Fashion Games

In the early years of video game technology, the market was saturated with games such as Centipede, Asteroids, and Pit Fall and then slowly, sports games came into the works. It was a boy’s market above all else. Most young girls didn’t have an interest in playing the games and thus reverted to the standard Barbie and baby dolls and other hands on toys.

Seeing a void in the market, developers began focusing on attracting girls to video games. In the early 90s the market began to see an influx of titles that interested young girls. The best selling video games for girls are fashion games. Whether they feature Barbie or not, fashion games give girls who have interest in clothes and design an interactive and technologically advanced way to play.

Fashion games broaden the old concept of paper dolls so much that one game may contain hundreds of clothing and outfitting options at the press of a button. Girls can choose outfits to mix and match and even select colors and patterns in many of them.

Though the biggest selling point of all fashion games for girls is to feature Barbie on the box, there are many games that feature other characters. Some fashion games focus not only on clothes and accessories, but also on hair and makeup. Some games allow players to freely choose their fashion options while others require a progression through the game to earn additional clothing options and accessories. A few games even feature a catwalk, or runway, where the characters will strut the designer’s stuff.

Critics argue that this heavy influx of fashion games may encourage materialism and shallow personalities in young, impressionable girls. However, there is very little to stop a young lady who is interested in fashion from focusing on clothes, accessories and experimenting with different styles. Some parents would argue that fashion games give their daughters outlets to experiment with different styles in a way that they might otherwise try on their own, which in the long run helps them develop a more appropriate sense of style. Regardless of your views, if you are searching for fashion games for a young lady in your life, there are some available for console and handheld game systems, but the largest selection will be found for PC use.