Remember Ubisoft's propagation of female gaming stereotypes Imagine series for the DS? Sure ya do! According to French publisher Ubisoft, in-house research showed that pre-teen girls were interested in things like fashion, cooking and caring for animals and babies (and probably baby animals). The Imagine series is aimed at 6-14 year-old females. According to Ubisoft's Shara Hashemi:

We did research, and we are studying the market... that's what the girls actually like, so we should try to fulfill their needs... Those games were really designed for young girls who are just looking for fun games and ways to explore their favorite hobbies... From what we've seen, [the girls] didn't mention anything about being a police officer.

Thus, later this month will see clothes deigning and photo shoot coordinating Imagine: Fashion Designer, cooking with gas Imagine: Master Chef, sick animal vet sim Imagine: Animal Doctor and baby-sitting title Imagine: Babyz. (See that? See how they changed Imagine: Babies to Imagine: Babyz?) Next March, Ubisoft will release another DS title, Imagine: Figure Skater, and there are plans to expand to the Wii. According to Hashemi, "The games are built on ideas and concepts that every girl can relate to and they allow girls to expand their creativity while they're learning real facts and real-life concepts." Can't wait for Imagine: Glass Ceiling!
Ubisoft Talks Imagine [Multiplayer]

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