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Of course, this just wouldn’t be a Coffee Break if I didn’t share a few of my favorite new games, so if you’re thinking of picking up a download game or two during the pink-ribbon campaign, you might want to sample a couple of these. And in honor of our theme, today’s game roundup is for the ladies!
One of the things I’ve always liked about casual games is the abundance of admirable, appealing female characters. Unlike the hardcore videogame genre, which for many years focused on the physical attributes of a heroine instead of anything that might be interesting to those of us who aren’t hormone-addled, 15-to-30-year-old males, casual games tend to feature women with brains, heart, and courage. From the unstoppable curiosity and tenacity of Nancy Drew to the level-headed confidence of Denise from Miss Management, these virtual girls have something to teach us about ourselves and our own abilities.
Emily
Game: Delicious – Emily’s Taste of Fame (and the whole Delicious series)
Why she’s cool: Because she doesn’t give up.
Here’s the scene. Emily has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to host her own cooking show on national TV. She’s psyched! So she packs up the car, invites her best friend along for the ride, and heads for Hollywood. So far, so good. Until somewhere along the way, they have a traffic accident of the “ooo, that’s gonna cost ya” variety. Worse yet, they’re in a small town without a mechanic, and it’ll cost another small fortune just to tow their car to the nearest garage. A small fortune that Emily doesn’t have. And she needs to be in California the next day.
This is the point where I’d be tempted to check in at the local motel, curl up in a corner, and cry. Or possibly do something emotionally soothing with a spoon, two pints of Ben and Jerry’s, and – if the motel had wireless – a few multiplayer rounds of Halo 3. But not Emily! Oh, no. Instead, she wanders into the local diner, chats with the owner, and lands a job. She then wheedles a three-week extension with the folks in Hollywood. With enough hard work, she can raise the money to fix her car, and still make her TV dream come true.
Slinging chocolate waffles at a rural drive-in is a far cry from demonstrating new sauces in front of a studio audience, but as long as it gets her where she needs to go, Emily gives it her all.
Jill
Game: Cake Mania – Main Street (and the whole Cake Mania series)
Why she’s cool: Because she works to make a difference.
Here’s the scene. Jill returns to her hometown, only to discover that it’s not the quaint and bustling little place she remembers. The tiny shops on Main Street are boarded up, the streets are empty, and many residents have moved away. Outside of town, a glitzy mall has taken over the regional retail scene, and lured customers away from supporting their local businesses. Jill is appalled.
But what is one person supposed to do against such huge issues as big-box commercialization and the erosion of rural communities? Most folks would just shrug, feel (or at least claim) a twinge or two of guilt, and then stock up on inexpensive shirts and packaged food at the big store. Jill’s not playing that game. Instead, she rallies a few of her entrepreneurial friends, buys the shuttered businesses for cheap, and sets out to restart the local economy herself. Neither spies, saboteurs, nor the enormity of the task will dissuade her from doing what she feels is right.
She may only be one person, but she’s one person with a vision of a slightly better world and the determination to achieve it, and sometimes that’s all it takes.
Becky
Game: Becky Brogan – the Mystery of Meane Manor
Why she’s cool: Because fear doesn’t stop her.
Here’s the scene. Becky is a high school student in the town of Old Haven. She’s supposed to research an interesting point of local history – Meane Manor – for a class assignment. Rumor says the place is haunted. In fact, two other groups have tried investigating the manor directly over the years, but they emerged so traumatized they’ve never been willing to describe what they found. Definitely interesting stuff! And while most teens would spend just a bit of effort to search online and maybe visit the local records office to research their report, Becky decides to follow in the footsteps of the people who searched the mansion before.
Cue the discovery of chilling diary entries, disembodied moans, prophecy, relics, eerie noises, and an old fortune-telling machine that seems to be speaking directly to Becky through hand-written notes on its cards. Yeeeeeeah.
Right about now, I’d be saying “better part of valor,” returning to my cheerful-if-cluttered study, googlling everything I could find about the manor, writing a half-baked report, and being perfectly content with my “B-”. But Becky has other plans. She goes right back to the manor, time and again, searching for the rest of the story. It’s not as if the worrisome sounds and creepy ambiance don’t scare her. She just puts the fear on hold while she’s chasing down the truth.
One thing’s for sure: if she survives high school – heck, if she survives this one assignment – she’s going to make a great investigative reporter someday.
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