If you have never heard about Silicon Sisters Interactive, or their recently released game School 26: Summer of Secrets, that’s alright. Their game, sequel to School 26, is a social sim for the iOS that puts players in the shoes of Kate, a high schooler who acts as a counselor and mediator between spatting friends (or makes the problem worse by spreading rumors and lies).
I don’t actually have much experience with this genre outside of the Sims and that always ends in fire and death, but from what I’ve read Summer of Secrets requires quite a bit of thought. Players are required to understand social rules and react to emotional cues given by friends in order to solve or create problems. As a person makes decisions and interacts with the game, choices are recorded and will have consequences (a la Mass Effect). A personality profile will also be created based on how you play, so if you’re a total jerk the game will let you know it.
I have an Android phone and so will not be getting this game (and I really don’t want to relive my teenage years), but I am curious to see how these and other Silicon Sisters titles shape up. The company is made up of women who focus on what females would play, using research and statistics to determine how their games are made. They are creating products that will help teach life skills while entertaining. If they succeed then good on them. I would love to see an end to teenage girls acting like idiots who don’t understand what the term ‘jail bait’ means.
School 26 and School 26: Summer of Secrets are availible in both SD and HD in the iTunes market.
