Imagine… Go back to your kitchen?

I’m not the only female gamer and writer on this blog, and I think I also won’t be the only one to quirk an eyebrow at how much potential for wrong thing there is in that press release from UbiSoft about their new Imagine™ series. Because, Captain Obvious, everybody knows that all girls aged 6-14 need is a game that will teach them how to take care of babies. Or design dresses.

“Ubisoft is excited to finally offer young girls a line of games that give them the chance to explore their hobbies and interests in interactive and creative experiences,” said Helene Juguet, senior director of marketing at Ubisoft. “Our consumer research revealed that the young girls’ market has been relatively overlooked. We are happy to introduce a variety of titles relevant to what girls in this age group have indicated they are most interested in.”

Right. But wait, why do those ‘favourite hobbies and interests’ oddly have to do with the kind of ’skills’ expected from Madam Perfect Wife? I don’t see much difference between those games, and the old custom of offering little girls dolls that cry like real babies, plastic vacuum-cleaners and others “now learn how to be a future housewife” items. That’s quite a set of restricted options here–although boys don’t necessarily have it better, I admit (will there be an “Imagine: House Builder” or “Imagine: Car Mechanics” series someday?). It just seems awfully restrictive to me–girls have finally become something else than an odd rarity in the world of video games, so it’s mind-bloggling to notice that what they get is just the same crap that my mother’s girl friends at elementary school were getting as well, only in the shape of pixels. Pigeonholing is so much fun… not.

Imagine™ Babyz® is the first simulation game focused on caring for babies. Players take on the challenges of raising a baby throughout all stages of development and will also be able to take photos and exchange tips and clothing through a unique online component.

And do we really need that? I would have thought that with the current soaring rates of teenage pregnancies, such ideas would be better left out of young girls’ heads. Apparently, either I haven’t understood how the world had better run, or someone has remained stuck in the 1950s.

Am I overreacting, or are the premises of those games terribly sexist and patronizing?