In the last decade the game industry's changed a lot but still, there seem to be few quality games made with women and girls in mind. Sure, there are the ubiquitous "pink box" games, sugary confections that feature Barbie dolls or fixate on makeup, shopping and cute boys. While most developers seem to think all tween girls have on their minds is lip gloss and purses, Silicon Sisters Interactive has tapped into the heart of this demographic's real concerns with its clever social strategy game, School 26.
Released in April of this year, School 26 tells the story of teenage empath Kate, the daughter of two nomadic, sensory healers, as she enters a new school and begins forming relationships with her peers. Kate's not your typical teenager however; her tarot skills and heightened social sensitivity give her the ability not only to make friends but to help them navigate the often choppy waters of adolescence.
School 26: Summer of Secrets picks up where School 26 left off, just as Kate and her friends have finished their junior year and are set to start summer vacation. With so many different personalities, a lot's going on: Andrea, the snarky hipster chick's bemoaning her job as a part time barista while newly outed gay friend Lucas is desperate for a job. The resident genius is working on a secret project, the class clown is trying to get his garage band off the ground, the star athlete is training 24/7, the beauty queen is embracing a new rock star persona and the class diva's planning epic parties.
Through it all, Kate (or whatever you decide to name her) serves as friend, confidant, counselor and cheerleader, with varying levels of success. You start by taking on quests that send Kate to different locations, then chatting with various characters and learning about them. During the discussion, an empathy meter pops on screen and you're asked to choose the icon that best represents the correct emotional response to what the other character is saying. If you get it wrong, nothing else happens. If you get it right however, you gain insights into your friends as they begin to trust you enough to reveal their secrets.
Revealed secrets are stored in your cell phone and you can choose to share them with other friends if you think it can help resolve a particular character's situation. As you successfully gain your friends' confidence and share secrets in the right way, you up your "emotional intelligence" score as well as the bond your share with individual friends. Occasionally, you'll have to push reluctant friends even more to get them to talk or to share with one another. You do this by playing (and winning) a couple of simple mini-games with your tarot cards. These games are really easy, requiring only that you try and draw the highest or lowest cards from the deck - or make two sets of cards match.
School 26: Summer of Secrets is simple in concept but surprisingly absorbing, even for players outside the 9 to 13 set. The dialog is funny and believable and the issues the characters deal with feel pulled from reality. While most games for kids--and for girls especially--tend to be fluffy and condescending, this one talks about everything tweens and teens are faced with: homosexuality/homophobia, teenage drinking, divorce, academic pressure, creative ambition, employment, love and all the complications related to friendship, peers and fitting in.
Summer of Secrets is a short little nugget at 2-3 hours long but it's also a great little diversion and a great deal at $2.99 on iPhone or iTouch and $4.99 on iPad. If you're looking for a game for your tween (or yourself) that's a conceptual cut above what's usually on offer for girls, make sure you check it out.
For more information, visit the School 26: Summer of Secrets page on the iTunes website.
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