“We hope our stories, characters, and more speak to girls everywhere, helping them become all that they can be.” - American Girl: Our Company
Player's Annotation
From playing mancala with Addy, to escaping from enemies with Kaya, to starting a business with Kit, come have some fun with games at American Girl!
About the Creator
The American Girl brand was founded as Pleasant Company, in 1986, the same year that the first doll catalog appeared. Pleasant Company was acquired by Mattel, Inc. in 1998. American Girl products now include: the American Girl characters, the Bitty Baby line, the Just Like You dolls, and the American Girl magazines and books. I could not find information concerning the creation of the American Girl Web site or online games, other than the copyright on the American Girl homepage of “American Girl, LLC.”
Genre
Games: Historical Girl Characters
Interest Age
9-11 years
Playing the Game
The American Girl Web site in its entirety receives 52 million visits per year. The site includes many features, including 70+ games (a few of the games are actually two or more activities under one game heading). The games range in level of difficulty. On the simpler end are games like “Pet Sledding,” which involves maneuvering one’s pet down a snowy slope while trying to avoid rocks and picking up presents at the same time. A more complex game is “Kit’s Money Matters” which involves setting up an egg-selling business, strategizing new approaches when customers are not buying, as well as deciding whether to spend profits on fun items or those which may increase business. But a common feature of all the games is that users do not have to register or download anything in order to play them. Each game is played in a decent size pop-up box (almost 5” x 7” on my laptop screen) larger than those on many other game sites. Also, there are no advertisements around most of the games (see “Doll’s Journey” games below, however) other than the fairly unobtrusive links to other parts of the site.
Critical Evaluation
This is a very well-organized game site, allowing users to sort the games into categories, such as those involving historical characters, those involving pets, etc. I especially liked the games in the “Doll’s Journey” category, as they contain links to educational information on the country in which the game takes place. However, the downside is that they also contain a link to create a travel diary for your doll, so there’s a bit of commercial pressure on those girls who don’t own one. A helpful feature of the site is the detailed instructions that are provided for the more involved games. And a stand-out aspect of these games is their musical accompaniment – each game’s is quite distinct, and the pieces are actually quite atmospheric and interesting, unlike the repetitive refrains on other game sites. It is fairly easy to maneuver objects in the games -- the objects on the screen respond fairly instantaneously to one’s touch on the keyboard. The tone of the games is upbeat, and even those involving escape or some form of danger are not what I would call dark. I would recommend this game site to tween girls who want to have a little fun, and I think certain games such as “Kit’s Money Matters” could even be used as educational tools.
Talking Up the Game
Talk about the fact that there are a variety of levels of difficulty, both between games and within games.
Curriculum Ideas
History: Students study the historical time periods connected with the games.
Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this game, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the game’s content to promote its merits.
• Refer to library’s Internet and gaming policies.
• Refer to game reviews from authoritative sources.
• Obtain game reviews from tweens who have played it.
Why I Chose This Game
I wanted to review a couple games which do not require players to register on the game site or on a social networking site, etc. And I know that the American Girl brand is popular with tweens, so I thought I’d check out their offerings.
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