I think games like THAT are sickening. That's all I have to say. I'd rather play... well anything that's not the game your talking about.

Hah. I saw this at E3 while with RPS's John Walker. I couldn't tell if it was serious or not.

It certainly wasn't attracting anyone to check it out. The only reason we took a look at all was for it being next to Scribblenaughts (a brilliant game, as you noted).

I hate games like this. They piss me off so much. Games where you have to "run errands"!?!?! What kind of a game mechanic is that? Is this just like a lame-a$$ version of Animal Crossing? It annoys me less that childeren are being taught dumb things in games, but rather that developers making kids games can't be bothered to make them any good.

Ok, teaching childeren stuff like that about school sucks too, but honestly anybody playing this game is probably already in those situations. Just a thought.

Hehe. Funny .

OK while the idea of teaching twelve year olds that's how shool is supposed to be does seem pretty repulsive, the idea of this does sound at least a little bit interesting to me, in the same way that Mean Girls was a surprisingly entertaining film. Maybe it's because I'm from the UK and we don't have the same cliqueyness that the US seems to have, that I'm not as disgusted as you seem to be. Also I think it would be pretty fun if you could turn all the cliques against each other and tear the system apart, but thenI want to do that in every game.

Im actually pretty angry that the ESRB has to write these insanly stupid descriptors and that, even worse, parents actually take them to heart. Whatever happened to common sence

In fairness, Bully (CCE) plays with a lot of these themes too, but from a more boyish comedic perspective. Kids like to play games that mirror their lives, and unfortunatly school is the enviroment where kids and young adults define themselves and join a certain tribe. I dont really have a problem with games like this existing; they get kids interested in games and most things kids are into (dolls, comics, action figures, tv shows) are pretty stupid from an older perspective. At the end of the day, somebody is gonna buy this game and have great fun with it, whats wrong with that?

Just playing devil's advocate here....but movies have been showing the ugly side of teen culture for decades. Why should games be any different? Was Rockstar wrong for creating a game like Bully? I don't think so... If people don't like the content of a game, they don't have to play it.

I'm still laughing

Whoever at the ERSB has to write these rather amusing rating's summaries must have a whale of a time.

Wow, that is just, wow.... Interesting.....

Good point on mentioning Bully, danny and luc. I didn't really care for that game, either, but I think there's a difference in a game where the awful behavior is portrayed as something necessary and imposed upon the main character by circumstance rather than something sought after. The ESRB description doesn't definitively say which way this works, but from the synopses of The Clique book and movie I've seen, it's a far cry from Mean Girls, which I thought was just fine (and ultimately edifying) except for the cliche popularity-corrupts-and-absolute-popularity-corrupts-absolutely character development.

Have you or anyone you know played this game? I just don't see how you can upset over reading lines taken out of context and placed in a game summary. For all you know, it could be a biting satire of "the ugliest side of teen culture". \

Okay... probably not. But one can hope.

Children should be playing games like Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2. Not this Clique game. Do we want them playing this kind of stuff that could destroy their future and cause them to be school bullies?

I'm embarassed to be a girl.

ESRB wrote:

... Rating:Everyone 10+ ...

Wait ... what? The nature of this game content seems to me equally as controversial as many of those lambasted as inappropriate, but slated for a much older age-bracket - considering the target audience indicated, this seems of far greater import as a candidate for the attention of parents. Where are the Jack Thompsons of the world when you need them? How about getting Leland Yee back on the HotSpot to comment?

@johnsteed7 - biting satire or not (and despite the precociousness exhibited by my own daughter at that age), I doubt the majority of 10-year-olds are either mentally or emotionally equipped to discern such subtleties.

And uh-oh ... tempting fate there Brendan! Now that you've made the Golding reference (and considering the impending adaptation of the Divine Comedy), expect to see the concept in development soon - on second thoughts, it would probably be more popular as a Survivor series.

i think this game and the people who can play and enjoy this game are pathetic followers of what anyone says

I think you've hit the nail on the head in your analysis versus Mean Girls. This game is not about overcoming gossiping, or fighting gossip, or showing the dark side of gossip. It's about how gossip can benefit you.
I guess if this form of media is ever to be finally excepted as anything but a toy, we need to let more and more controversial subject matter inhabit games. We can experience all the aversions that we have every right to feel, but not to the prohibition of a topic.
I guess the most base thing that this game is guilty of, is targeting grade school girls.

boy oh boy oh boy, I did not like Lord of the Flies this is aboslutely terrible.

anybody have friend codes for ff3 ds willing to trade

lol, what a dumb game. please give it a 2.5.

Who would want to play a game like that. I think games that let you live a different life is just stupid. Video games are for fun not for a life you dont live!

:/ Gross.

But really, having been a teenage girl once, I'm not sure I know anyone who would actually play this as a video game... in real life, yes, but I don't think anyone would *actually* like it, unless it was tied to already establilshed characters (like a Gossip Girl liscensed game or something). Hopefully it will turn out to be a bad investment. I can't imagine that many girls who aren't really gamers would invest enough time into a game to have likes and dislikes to a group of unknown characters, if that makes sense. It's an investment of time and emotion that I can't see many girls wanting to make.

@s_h_a_d_o - most 10 year olds won't get many jokes in your average Pixar movie either, but that's supposedly the age they're made for. \

In all likelyhood, the game will be crap. But we won't know for sure until it comes out. How many times have gamers attacked game critics for not playing the "sex and voilence" games that they're opposed to? I'm just saying that the same standard be applied. That blurb wasn't a Warner Brothers press release detailing their spin on the game. It was from a ratings summary. Who know what the actual game will be like?

@johnsteed7 - Sure, but the underlying message(s) in a Pixar film will tend towards edifying, rather than subversive - this said of course, without any real experience of the game content in question.
And I'll admit that the Pixar-equivalents of my own childhood were not altogether - shall we say - politically correct, but then my generation's turned out alright ...
...

Wow. It's amazing the type of garbage that people will produce just to make a quick buck. I hope this game bombs out and Warner Bros loses all its cash... What the heck is wrong with them?

Not all video games are to blame it's just some companies do not care for their consumers as much.

In middle school I was the target of some pretty bad gossip and bullying. The bullies regretted it, because I started to bully them and stopped them from bullying my friends and anyone else if I saw them doing it. However, gossip isn't something you can fight with your fists. Especially if it's girls doing the gossiping. I was taught not to hit girls. It sucks if there's a girl you like that won't go out with you because she heard a rumor that you're a total jerk. It's one of the worst things that can happen. In high school it can be worse. I think this game is sick and the product of sick minds. It could perpetuate the kind of thing I went through in middle school. Or, at least give the people who play it stomach aches and nightmares. Teenage girls who gossip. The stuff of nightmares. I'm glad I'm not in middle school or high school, anymore.

Why does anyone even care?

Yeah this is pure junk like that "Imagine..." new brand of games for DS is really releasing a game every 2 days!! im serious! Imagine Babies Imagine Baby Club Imagine Babysitters
Imagine Babyz Imagine Ballet Star Imagine Boutique Owner Imagine Champion Rider Imagine Cheerleader
Imagine Detective Imagine Dream Wedding
Imagine Family Doctor Imagine Fashion Designer Imagine Fashion Designer New York Imagine Fashion Designer World Tour Imagine Fashion Model Imagine Figure Skater Imagine Girl Band Imagine Gymnast Imagine Happy Cooking Imagine Ice Champions Imagine Interior Designer Imagine Makeup Artist Imagine Master Chef Imagine Modern Dancer Imagine Movie Star Imagine Music Festival
Imagine My Restaurant Imagine Pet Vet Imagine Rock Star Imagine Salon Stylist Imagine Teacher Imagine Wedding Designer Imagine: Artist Imagine: Ballet Dancer Imagine: Fashion Does World Tour Imagine: Happy Cooking Imagine: My Boutique Imagine: Soccer Captain Imagine: Teacher Class Trip Do they even sell one game out of this pile of garbage?

sounds like a game my little sister would LOVE to get for her DS
hilarity would be guaranteed on my part lol

I don't see how this is more offensive than games where you can kill the innocent and steal their cars. Besides, you haven't even played the game, which makes you just as bad as Jack Thompson. For all you know, this game could be satirical.

"twisted wish fulfillment depicting and reinforcing their ideas of how high school is supposed to be"

Replace "high school" with "war" and I could make the same criticism of war FPS games. Granted, war FPS games are not aimed at impressionable preteens, but a LOT of preteens play them anyway.

Wow. By Warner Brothers? Daffy Duck? Bugs Bunny? That is totally inapropriate for the targeted age group....... like calling Custer's Revenge EC.

Nice Article, by the way.

Video games aren't ruining our children. Just this one and a few other weird games that should not be played.