Sunday, August 3, 2008

Two Words: Fewer Buttons

Amelie Gillette wrote for the A.V. Club's Hater an article I wish I had. It's about new video games that are designed to appeal to women. Like Gillette, I'm not one for video games, with the notable exceptions of tetris and sex tetris. (I admit it; I don't get them. SP's 8-year-old nephew came to visit last week, and when I asked him to turn off his DS, he saw no irony in the fact that he couldn't because he was "having a conversation" on the Sims.)

But, as a 26-year-old woman with disposable income, I can assure you that, if someone is going to lure me into the (lonely, girlfriend-less) world of game, it won't be with a Clueless video game. (That's a game based on the movie Clueless, not a description of the misguided attempt to appeal to women's taste that such a video game represents.)

And I really liked the movie (back when it came out in what, 1991?) I probably still like it, but I wouldn't like spending my time--what the hell--fixing up video game characters?? I assumed the game would have us picking out Cher's outfits, but I just actually read the press release. You fix the characters up based on clothing styles and interests--you know those basic building blocks of any stable, satisfying relationship. I'm curious as to whether you can fix up same-sex couples...

Anyway, the idea of fixing real people up in real life is nauseating--why in the world would I spend my time sitting in front of my tv matching up (I'll go out on a limb here) stereotypical caricatures of nonexistent high school friends? Does this sound like fun to anyone? And wasn't the moral of Clueless to butt out?

Maybe it's just me (and Gillette at least). Carrie Underwood probably loves it. That's a little better, America Ferrera.

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