My Secret World is the latest in a long line of Imagine games released for the Nintendo DS. The series seems to be just getting started with more spin-off titles than you can, well…go figure.
In 2007, four Imagine games were released. These were Happy Cooking, Fashion Designer, Pet Vet, and Babies. Four games in one series is pretty unusual in video games, but the developers of the Imagine series, Ubisoft, were just warming up.
In 2008 they released an almost unbelievable 11 new games for the series. These Imagine titles were; Figure skater, girl band, teacher, My Secret World, babysitters, baby club, fashion model, modern dancer, New York fashion designer, champion jockey, and pet hospital.
Wait, that’s not all. Before the end of 2008 they plan to release 7 more. Imagine’s 7 upcoming titles are; Party Babyz, interior designer, wedding designer, gymnast, movie star, ballet star and party fashionista.
18 games of a series in a single year is unheard of. Even with Nintendo seemingly releasing every second title as a Mario game, it’s still nowhere near this. So why are so many Imagine games being released in such a short time?
Ubisoft is targeting the female audience of video game players that, until recently, has been largely underserved. This hasn’t just been a case of game developers being sexist. Many game developers have tried games aimed at women, but the sales just haven’t made it a profitable venture.
The Nintendo DS has succeeded for the first time in attracting a more even audience of men and women. This has been done by producing games like Nintendogs, which focuses on a theme that is considered less male-oriented. Since the Nintendo DS has succeeded where others have not, Ubisoft has set itself the goal of capitalizing on the large proportion of women who own the DS.
While video games generally focus on adventure and battle, casual gamers tend to be more drawn to more realistic situations. For example, in Imagine: Teacher, the player assumes the role of a teacher, rather than leading an army or raiding tombs. Others in the Imagine series aren’t really what you’d consider a game. My Secret World for DS is more of an interactive journal with personality tests than a game.
It could be questioned how high the quality of these games is, since so many are being produced in such a short time. The games certainly don’t give the appearance of rushed work with attractive and unique interfaces in each one. However, the gameplay feels shallow and repetitive.
The Imagine series is arguably more relatable in its theme, cute graphics, packaging, and advertising campaign than it is in its gameplay. It certainly seems that the series is successful but it does not have good reviews. Video game review website IGN claims Imagine: Teacher to be the best in the series and still only rates it 7.5 out of 10 while others score even lower with Imagine: Rockstar scoring only 3.2 out of 10.