Two Aussie geek girls have created a new mobile phone game uniquely for young women that shakes and stirs old school stereotypes.
The Coolest Girl in School lets players live out their high school fantasies,with the following tantalising (and controversial), parameters for play: "Experiment with fashion! Experiment with drugs! Experiment with sexuality! Cut class! Spread rumors! And avoid dying of embarrassment - literally!"
In Coolest Girl, fashion and communication reign supreme, bribery and corruption are essential survival skills.
All this is bound to raise the ire of some, and sure enough, the game has been dubbed 'toxic' to young women by some conservative groups, and the Australian Family Association has called for the game to be banned.
Camille Nurka chats with its two mums, Holly Owen of cross platform entertainment group Champagne for the Ladies, and Karyn Lanthois, principal of mobile content connoisseur'sKukan Studio.
Tell me a little bit about the game and how it works? What age group is the game aimed at?
Holly: Coolest Girl In School is a mobile RPG (role playing game), the first one in the world made specifically for a female audience. Set in high school it allows players to laugh at the fickle nature of high school hierarchies, subvert stereotypes and most importantly, have FUN! In it players create their character (name it and dress it from an extensive wardrobe) then go out into the world (home, school, material world- the shopping complex) and interact with non-player characters (school mates, parents and teachers). Interactions occur as multiple choice questions and every answer affects your personality points (score).
The game is aimed at girls (and guys who get it) who are mature enough to know the difference between real life and a mobile game and have a sense of humor. We feel it would appeal to people 15 and over. Obviously there are many people under 15 who are media literate and have a sophisticated sense of humor who would also enjoy the game.
It's Grand Theft Auto for girls.
What inspired you to make a mobile phone game for girls?
Holly: Initially I set out to make a game that I would like but the fact is, around 60% of mobile gamers are women and very few developers create mobile titles specifically for them. It’s a hugely underserved market. That said all of my work is written from a feminine perspective and my protagonists are always women.
Karyn: As a mobile game producer I was distinctly aware of the fact that there are no other games like this in the market... subversive games for chicks that enjoy popular culture. Kukan Studio was interested Coolest Girl in School not because of potential profit making but because it was a concept that HAD TO be explored. I am immensely satisfied that the final product met all its objectives plus more.
Did you consciously choose the mobile format because you thought it would be a better medium to market to girls? And does the game suit the mobile phone better than a PC interface/Playstation console? Does it have the potential to move across into other game formats?
Holly: Initially I was developing Coolest Girl In School for console or PC. Jo Kerlogue, the game’s artist was involved from the start. (I try not to do projects without her - she’s awesome). A year or so into the development I started working in mobile and loved it. That women made up the majority of gamers on this platform and not the minority was very appealing as was the significantly reduced cost of creating a mobile game.
I adapted the concept for Coolest Girl In School considerably and took it to Karyn, executive producer of Kukan Studio. I’d wanted to work on something with Karyn since the minute we met. I really admired Kukan's work and had wanted to find a way to collaborate with them. Their games have great narratives and when it comes to mobile content they really know their stuff. Luckily Karyn liked the idea and agreed that Kukan Studio would co-produce Coolest Girl In School.
Karyn: I have seen first hand and read research that proves to me girls have a relationship with their mobile device that is different on the whole to the way guys interact. The game is perfectly suited to a mobile.
Camille Nurka Camille Nurka graduated in 2003 with a PhD in Gender Studies from the University of Sydney. Since then she has worked for the web publishing division of the ABC and is now a freelance writer based in Melbourne.
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