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It’s no secret that the gaming industry is still unfortunately
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a very male dominated, male centric place from the developers to the story lines to the in-game characters.
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So it’s important to note that "realistic-looking" first-person shooters and other games that employ graphic violence and sexist imagery
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are not the only games out there even though they do tend to get most of the attention when it comes to talk of "serious" gaming.
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Because I'm often frustrated with the male dominated, blood and guts, testosterone driven shoot em up
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games that seem to dominate the xbox and ps3 platforms,
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it's refreshing to see so many games on Apple's iOS that focuses on puzzle solving and creative storytelling.
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iOS is the shorthand for Apple computer's mobile operating system which is used on their iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.
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Even with, or perhaps because of, its limited graphics and processor capabilities the iOS platform has managed to expand the scope of what gaming can be.
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We’ve seen a flood of highly imaginative and engaging games that borrow from 80's era classics
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as well as breaking new ground with simple and innovative gameplay.
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Having so many creative, simple, intuitive and non-traditional games available right in our pockets has really helped bring gaming
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to a wider range of people (including to more women) who may never have considered themselves gamers before.
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These are some of the reasons why I find myself playing games on my phone much more than I do on the more traditional gaming platforms.
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My iPhone is always there for me when I'm waiting in a long line, riding the subway, or sitting in a boring meeting.
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With somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 games currently available for iOS it's not an easy task to pick out the best of the best.
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So, for this particular top ten list I decided to narrow the field a bit.
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While I really love games like Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies, I'm reserving this list for games that are based on non violent problem solving.
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Of course I recognize that Angry Birds uses an adorable and comical form of cartoon violence- plus those damn pigs really do deserve it!
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I want to make absolutely clear that I am in no way saying that games that involve violence are always bad or have no value.
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What I am saying is, at their best video games can promote problem solving skills, critical thinking, creative mathematics and confidence building.
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One of the things many feminist movements have advocated for over the decades is
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non-violent conflict resolution and creative ways to solve both domestic and international disputes.
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So while these games might not be explicitly feminist per se, they do focus on problem solving.
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So with that, here’s my top 10 favorite (mostly) non-violent games for the iPhone that don't involve beating anything to death with a stick.
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Tiny Wings is an adorable game about a little bird whose wings are too small to fly.
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It's a simple one touch button but don't be deceived by its simplicity, getting that little bird to fly can be tricky.
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World of Goo was originally created for a PC platform and was formatted to fit the iPhone and I've got to say,
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it was an incredibly fun game on the computer but it’s even more compelling on the iPhone with its touch screen.
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This physics based puzzle game involves building bridges, towers and other structures to move the goo balls from one place to another.
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Groove Coaster is an audio/visual game that tests your rhythm. You have to tap on the screen every time a bubble appears on the track,
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which corresponds to the beats of the music. It's not that complex but the combination of the geometric visuals
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and rhythmic music make the experience compelling and engaging.
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Cut the Rope is a physics based puzzle game where you have to feed a piece of candy to a frog.
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In addition to the main goal you have three stars to acquire before feeding the frog in order to get a high score.
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And you really want to pass each level because he looks so sad when you don’t feed him
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Whale Trail is a whimsical and simple game where you help Willow the Whale fly through the rainbow sky dodging the Thunder Brothers, collecting bubbles and making friends.
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Bumpy Road is a cute, cartoony game that follows a family traveling through their car along the bumpy road while collecting things along the way.
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You control the movement of the car by manipulating the bumps in the road.
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Drop7 is a number puzzle game that at first seems simple but gets complex during game play.
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You drop numbered discs into rows and columns to match the number of discs in that row or column or a disc with that number in the row or column,
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and you have to clear out discs before the board maxes out.
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Flight Control is a simple and compelling game where you have to land different aircrafts without crashing into each other.
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However it's a questionable inclusion on a Feminist Frequency list because of its sexism.
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While the game play only includes planes and helicopters, the menu exploits a retro sexist style image of a woman dressed up in various costumes.
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Edge Extended is a puzzle game that involves rolling a cube around a maze as quickly as possible.
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But to reach the end of each level you have to avoid falling off the edge as well as traveling along moving floors and walls.
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contre jour is a stunningly beautiful physics game where you have to manipulate the world around the hero Petit as opposed to moving the hero himself.
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To move Petit to the objective you have to nudge the ground and manipulate various environmental elements.
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Plus, fun fact, the protagonist is named after the classic french children's book Le Petit Prince.
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Just like television, movies and music, video games are part of our pop culture landscape and
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as such play a role in the way that we come to understand and engage with the world around us.
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They are a part of our social development and at their best they can do more than entertain, though they do that too.
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Some of these games are also available on Google's Android as well as other mobile operating systems,
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so go play them, have fun, and be sure to tell me what your favorite games are!
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