Girl Power Games

Nancy Drew

• Her Interactive is a software publisher in Bellevue, Washington. The company is one of the few producers of games specifically geared toward girls. The games that Her Interactive publishes are based on the Nancy Drew book series and feature the smart, tough detective solving crimes in various locations such as haunted mansions and exotic islands. The software are mostly for personal computers, but some titles are on DVD, Wii and Game Boy Advance.

Emma

• "Emma In The Mountains" and "Emma At The Farm" from Aspyr Media are games for the Nintendo DS. The games are geared toward girls and also intended for young boys. "Emma In The Mountains" is about a young girl, her dog Pickles and her brother Andy whose object in the game is to save gophers and protect the environment. The second game continues the series with Emma on her grandfather's farm where she must find the missing animals.

Magic School Bus

• The Magic School Bus games from Scholastic, Inc., feature Miss Frizzle who is a science teacher. Miss Frizzle takes her students on adventures, for example, through human anatomy or to the wetlands. It is important for girls to see women in science through their media and in their lives so that they can aspire to careers outside the realm of traditional choices like housewife.

Turn the Circle Inside Out

• A circle is formed with all the girls participating. All the girls join hands and face the middle of the circle. The girls close their eyes and try to turn the circle inside out so all the participants are facing towards the outside of the circle without letting go of each others' hands. This game promotes cooperation and problem solving to find the solution of two players holding up their hands so everyone else follows them through from underneath.

Exergaming

• Exergaming is a term for combining software and exercise. An example of exergaming is "Dance, Dance Revolution" where participants watch the screen, listen to the music and try to follow the patterns on the screen. Encouraging girls to exercise can teach them to be proud of their bodies and help prevent lack of good body image and development of eating disorders.

Feather Game

• Give a group of girls a feather and challenge them to keep the feather up in the air and from falling on the ground. This game helps girls recognize the importance of cooperation and not the destructive competition that sometimes characterizes female relationships.