The Daring Game for Girls
Great girl-power messages, lots of variety and fun.
The Daring Game for Girls
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Daring Game for Girls is a fun and wholesome experience for young girls. It is, however, based on the book, The Daring Book for Girls, that is featured heavily in the game, and if your daughter has not already read the book, she will likely want to do so after playing the game. Also, while the game puts forth a girls-can-do-anything message, there are certain activities in the game that would not be appropriate for young children to attempt without supervision (starting a campfire, using a power drill, exploring a cave). Be sure to explain to children that although there are no adults pictured in the game, many of these activities would require the presence of grown-ups in real life.
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What’s It About?
In THE DARING GAME FOR GIRLS, players take on the role of a young girl who has just moved to a new town. She sets out from her new home with three goals: To make new friends, have fun, and earn enough money to go on a big outdoorsy adventure trip. Some of the new friends she makes will school her on trivia about their favorite topics, others will invite her to play games like freeze tag, tether-ball, soccer, or double-dutch. She'll buy supplies (or find them, or be given them) in order to build crafts -- everything from dreamcatchers to a scooter that she can actually ride. She'll run sales from a little wooden stand, selling lemonade (which must be made in the game), flowers, or produce (which must be grown in the game), or any of the craft items she's built. Along the way, she'll go birdwatching, collect great books, and solve coded messages given to her by a wannabe spy friend.
Is It Any Good?
There is a whole lot to like about The Daring Game for Girls. It presents a wholesome, productive, diverse, fun vision of childhood -- and will likely inspire players to try to replicate some of it in their real lives. There's a ton of variety -- at any point in the game, it always feels like there's something else to do. And it's built in a great way where, if there's a part of the game that's not your thing, you don't need to spend time on it. For instance, if you don't like trivia, you can still achieve all your goals and reach the game's conclusion without playing through the trivia quizzes. Or if you think the gardening is too monotonous, just don't use the garden. There's almost total freedom.
On the negative side, there is a tad too much promoting of the book. And the ending is sadly lame. After all that work and saving up for your big outdoor adventure, you don't get to actually play through the vacation -- it's just shown to you in pictures. Luckily, you can keep playing after that point. But it's easy to overlook those flaws when you're so thrilled to find a game for girls that has nothing whatsoever to do with clothes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about many of the famous, historical women who are brought up and/or quoted in the game: Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Emily Dickinson, J.K. Rowling, Chris Evert, and many, many more.
A good question for familes to discuss: Can boys play this game? Obviously, there are no male characters to play as, but are there things a boy could learn from the game? What messages would a boy take away from The Daring Game for Girls?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo Wii
- Subjects: Hobbies: building, gardening, sports, Language & Reading: following directions, reading, Math: arithmetic, money, Social Studies: global awareness, historical figures
- Skills: Responsibility & Ethics: embracing differences, making wise decisions, respect for others, Emotional Development: empathy, identifying emotions, Communication: friendship building, Thinking & Reasoning: collecting data, investigation, problem solving, Creativity: imagination, innovation, making new creations, Self-Direction: motivation, set objectives, work to achieve goals
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Majesco
- Release date: March 16, 2010
- Genre: Girl
- Topics: Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Character Strengths: Empathy
- ESRB rating: E for (No Descriptors)
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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