Saw this mentioned in my friend's journal.

[goldfish_totem]

Mods, feel free to delete my post if you don't think it belongs, though it does involve the topic of wedding planning.

My friend (who has a young daughter) posted about a commercial she and her daughter recently saw on t.v. It was a commercial advertising this video game called "My Fantasy Wedding". 

Comments

[brown__eyes]

I guess you have to look at how it's approached. If I had a daughter, and this was just a passing phase in her Princess stage of life, I think it'd be a harmless thing. We let little girls play dress up and pretend to be brides, right? But at the same time, if this was given with a very strong emphasis on the singular-focus of getting married someday (THIS is what you must do/what determines your value as a woman), then that's another story all together. But it could also be said that that has more to do with the raising of a child than a videogame.
However, I can see your point as well. Just thought I'd play devils advocate a bit :)

[snowowl]

This. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Saying that this sends the message that women can only value themselves based on their marriage is kinda like saying that giving children toy guns to shoot each other with teaches them to be violent delinquents as adults. I'm sure some pretentious academics will have a field day with this game and all its "social implications," but I could not care less.

[in_vino_vanitas]

i think this will probably get deleted, and we have already had people sling such insults as "pretentious academic" and quite frankly that hurt my feelings and i have to take a cry break.

most toys are really stupid and mirror some troubling aspect of the adult world.

[goldfish_totem]

Shrugs. I guess I must be a "pretentious academic". I'm going to bite my tongue now as it's probably better than the alternative.

[lilstarling]

Agreed. I have issues with marketing to children all together. Kids see an average of 3000 ads a day, and most of those are gendered--leaving impressionable children with corporate ideas of what's "normal" for them to want, and what's not.

Dangerous, in my opinion.

[goldfish_totem]

You're the one who works at that magazine for girls in Duluth, right? (I remember from the avatar.) No wonder we agree!

[affectiion]

It's just a game. I played mummies and daddies growing up, and I don't judge becoming a mother as adding to my self worth, nor do I think that marketing little pink kitchen sets for girls makes them believe their only place is in the kitchen.

Pretentious academic does, unfortunately, describe a lot of people who tend to overdramatise small issues. I don't think this topic should encourage that sort of reaction- it's a game. Let kids be kids and stop making everything into a political argument.

[concretengrace]

It makes me a little sad. If for nothing else than it encourages little girls to grow up too early. Childhood is such a short, sweet period of time that I'd hate for anyone to be rushed out of it or rush out of it themselves in search of greener pastures. I like the more fantastical video games, personally, because they're just entertainment.

[goldfish_totem]

Well, I guess that makes two of us.

[pepperedmoth]

Three of us.

[lizzie]

Considering the age-range that it's targeting, a lot of little girls that age are into Disney princesses and playing dress-up. How is this any different than girls being bombarded with images of Disney princesses finding their perfect prince and living "happily ever after"? (Which, btw, is a common "theme" for adult weddings.)

Little boys are targeted with video games about being a professional sports player. Do you think that those games do the same "damage" that you think this wedding video game does? Does it teach little boys that the biggest thing to look forward to in their lives is when they become a professional soccer player, and that they HAVE to become a professional soccer player?

If children get their morals from a video game and not from their parents, then there's a severe breakdown in parenting. It's not the video game that's evil. It's just a game.

[goldfish_totem]

I've got to go to work, so this is short. But, I have issues with Disney too and don't plan to expose my future theoretical children to it. (They will get exposed anyway at other kids' houses, but I refuse to buy into it and buy the stuff.) At least soccer involves physical fitness and promotes a healthy lifestyle. I guess I see it as more than "just" a game. Oh well. Guess I'm in the minority here. But you can do what you wish with your theoretical child and I'll do what I wish with my theoretical child and hopefully they'll both turn out okay.

[lizzie]

Don't take my answer to mean that I'm okay with the gender stereotypes and commercialization that is being thrown into children's faces every day. In fact, I despise gender stereotypes and fully plan on raising my future children in an environment where they are not confined by such stereotypes