Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • It’s no secret that the gaming industry is still unfortunately

  • a very male dominated, male centric place from the developers to the story lines to the in-game characters.

  • So it’s important to note that "realistic-looking" first-person shooters and other games that employ graphic violence and sexist imagery

  • 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.

  • Because I'm often frustrated with the male dominated, blood and guts, testosterone driven shoot em up

  • games that seem to dominate the xbox and ps3 platforms,

  • it's refreshing to see so many games on Apple's iOS that focuses on puzzle solving and creative storytelling.

  • iOS is the shorthand for Apple computer's mobile operating system which is used on their iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.

  • 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.

  • Weve seen a flood of highly imaginative and engaging games that borrow from 80's era classics

  • as well as breaking new ground with simple and innovative gameplay.

  • Having so many creative, simple, intuitive and non-traditional games available right in our pockets has really helped bring gaming

  • to a wider range of people (including to more women) who may never have considered themselves gamers before.

  • 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.

  • My iPhone is always there for me when I'm waiting in a long line, riding the subway, or sitting in a boring meeting.

  • 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.

  • So, for this particular top ten list I decided to narrow the field a bit.

  • 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.

  • Of course I recognize that Angry Birds uses an adorable and comical form of cartoon violence- plus those damn pigs really do deserve it!

  • 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.

  • What I am saying is, at their best video games can promote problem solving skills, critical thinking, creative mathematics and confidence building.

  • One of the things many feminist movements have advocated for over the decades is

  • non-violent conflict resolution and creative ways to solve both domestic and international disputes.

  • So while these games might not be explicitly feminist per se, they do focus on problem solving.

  • 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.

  • Tiny Wings is an adorable game about a little bird whose wings are too small to fly.

  • It's a simple one touch button but don't be deceived by its simplicity, getting that little bird to fly can be tricky.

  • World of Goo was originally created for a PC platform and was formatted to fit the iPhone and I've got to say,

  • it was an incredibly fun game on the computer but it’s even more compelling on the iPhone with its touch screen.

  • This physics based puzzle game involves building bridges, towers and other structures to move the goo balls from one place to another.

  • 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,

  • which corresponds to the beats of the music. It's not that complex but the combination of the geometric visuals

  • and rhythmic music make the experience compelling and engaging.

  • Cut the Rope is a physics based puzzle game where you have to feed a piece of candy to a frog.

  • In addition to the main goal you have three stars to acquire before feeding the frog in order to get a high score.

  • And you really want to pass each level because he looks so sad when you don’t feed him

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • You control the movement of the car by manipulating the bumps in the road.

  • Drop7 is a number puzzle game that at first seems simple but gets complex during game play.

  • 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,

  • and you have to clear out discs before the board maxes out.

  • Flight Control is a simple and compelling game where you have to land different aircrafts without crashing into each other.

  • However it's a questionable inclusion on a Feminist Frequency list because of its sexism.

  • 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.

  • Edge Extended is a puzzle game that involves rolling a cube around a maze as quickly as possible.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • To move Petit to the objective you have to nudge the ground and manipulate various environmental elements.

  • Plus, fun fact, the protagonist is named after the classic french children's book Le Petit Prince.

  • Just like television, movies and music, video games are part of our pop culture landscape and

  • as such play a role in the way that we come to understand and engage with the world around us.

  • They are a part of our social development and at their best they can do more than entertain, though they do that too.

  • Some of these games are also available on Google's Android as well as other mobile operating systems,

  • so go play them, have fun, and be sure to tell me what your favorite games are!

  • If you enjoy these video please help keep Feminist Frequency going by donating today! Just visit feministfrequency.com/donate

It’s no secret that the gaming industry is still unfortunately

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it