Software:The American Girls Premiere

From HandWiki

Short description: 1997 video game
The American Girls Premiere
Cover art for the 2nd Edition release
Developer(s)The Learning Company
Publisher(s)The Learning Company
SeriesAmerican Girl
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Mac OS
Release
  • NA: September 16, 1997
[1][2][3]
  • NA: 1998 (2nd Edition)
[4]
Genre(s)Educational

The American Girls Premiere is an educational computer game developed and published by The Learning Company for American Girl. The game allows players to create theatrical productions featuring characters from American Girl's Historical collection, along with scenes and other elements unique to each of the girls' respective time periods.

It is the first installment of the American Girl series, and so far the only one to date to be released on Mac OS; subsequent personal computer titles in the series were released for Windows. The American Girls Premiere was later followed by The American Girls: Dress Designer, a paper doll-based software toy released by Mattel Interactive in 1999.

Gameplay

Screenshot featuring a typical theatrical production from the game. In this scene, the girls greet their teacher Miss Manderly as they start their embroidery lesson.

Built upon the earlier MECC game Opening Night,[5] The American Girls Premiere allows the creation and direction of unique stage plays starring the historical characters, from Felicity Merriman, representing the American Revolution, to Molly McIntire, daughter of an army doctor during World War II, alongside supporting characters from each of the girls' story arcs.[6][7]

After selecting a character, players are presented with a stage to which plays are created or presented, utilizing a drag-and-drop interface to add actors, props, lighting and other elements to the scene.[3][6] Digitized sprites taken from live actors and props from American Girl's historical collection are used throughout the game, à la-Mortal Kombat. Each of the characters have their own set of outfits based on the historical era their stories take place in, e.g. long gowns and petticoats for Felicity or argyle sweaters and blouses for Molly, along with scenarios from their respective time period. Players can also add dialogue in their productions, either through a voice recording, or using the built-in text-to-speech feature. The game develops skills in storytelling and writing,[8] and is open-ended in nature, allowing the player to create theatrical productions as desired, though the limited selection of characters, props and settings may present creative constraints to some players.[4]

In addition to the main game, bonus content such as a tutorial application and a sampler called the Director's Guide is included for players to get acquainted with the game's mechanics and user interface, along with a behind-the-scenes look on production as well as historical facts and commentary on American history and culture, and backstories for each of the characters.[9][10]

Development

The game marked the debut of Pleasant Company – the creator of the American Girl franchise – into the digital software space.[11] Linda Ehrmann, vice president of Internet business strategy consulting firm Grey Interactive, said that the video game had a due potential as it was entering a relatively untapped market, commenting that in the interactive media space, "girls are for the most part totally ignored".[12]

The game could be bought from major software retailers or ordered directly from The Learning Company or American Girl.[13]

Release

A "Special Edition Collector's Set" of the title was double the price, and in addition to the CD-ROM, it came with: "a keepsake tin, a one-year club membership, a club handbook, a membership card, a baseball cap and six bi-monthly issues of the club newspaper".[14]

An update to the game subtitled 2nd Edition was released in 1998, adding Josefina Montoya to the roster in line with the doll's debut.[15] The 2nd Edition release is a stand-alone expansion containing characters and scenes from the first release, and does not require a copy of the original game to play. The Collector's Set was later updated to include the Josefina-specific content from the 2nd Edition, though it is missing the American Girls Club membership kit.

List of The American Girls Premiere editions
Features Original release 2nd Edition Special Edition Collector's Set (1st Edition) Special Edition Collector's Set (2nd Edition)
The game Yes Yes Yes Yes
Exclusive packaging No No Yes (collector's case) Yes (collector's case)
In-game content
Josefina Montoya content pack No Yes No Yes
Physical content
Club membership No No Yes No
Handbook No No Yes No
Membership card No No Yes No
Newsletter No No Yes No
Baseball cap No No Yes Yes
Trading cards No No No Yes

Reception

Critical reception

The American Girls Premiere was released to mostly positive reception, with praise being given for providing children a "creative outlet"; a number of reviewers however criticized the user interface to be intimidating and complicated.[16][17] Children's software review site SuperKids noted that "those who chose to spend time with the program were delighted with their creations".[7] Lisa Karen Savignano of AllGame also noted the game's steep learning curve and limited selection of scenarios and props for authoring stage productions, but gave American Girls Premiere a largely positive review: "I think any girl would be entertained by this and it may start them on the road to creating not just plays, but stories and art of their own".[4] Kevin Mukhar of Computer Shopper thought the game would provide hours of open-ended play to young girls ages 7–12 who liked the American Girl franchise.[18] A reviewer from The Wisconsin State Journal praised the game for being "historically accurate", easy to use, and providing players with "limitless creativity".[19] The Buffalo News commented that the title wouldn't appeal to the "easily bored" or "readily frustrated", but that it would thrill players who were willing to invest both the time and energy.[20] The Capital Times praised the artwork as "rich and detailed", and noted that the interface was user-friendly.[21] Playthings deemed it a "winner".[22] Clint Basinger of Lazy Game Reviews also criticized Premiere's similarity to Opening Night and what he saw as limited educational value, but praised its appeal to fans of the American Girl franchise, calling it a "neat little program" and a "fascinating industry case study" on video games aimed at girls and repackaging an existing product to drive sales through the use of a licensed property.[23]

Many reviewers noted that The American Girls Premiere was a prime example of video games targeted at the female demographic. Deborah Porterfield of the Chicago Sun-Times described the title as "for girls" and "girl-oriented".[24] The Buffalo News suggested that the game was "at the top of many girls' Christmas wish lists".[25] Citing this title as an example, The Boston Globe reviewer Joann Muller suggested that while the video game industry had begun to make commercially successful titles that appealed to the female demographic, the rushed targeting of games directly to girls could "perpetuate gender stereotypes" and "[not] teach girls anything of value about computers".[26] The Buffalo News thought this game was the first "girl-targeted software" from The Learning Company, a company that had built its catalogue from "gender-neutral educational software".[12] Rocky Mountain News reported that Children's Software Revue gave the title a "tentative endorsement" due to offering a "female spin" to traditional video game genres such as adventure.[27]

Sales

In December 1997, the game "achieved the highest monthly dollar and unit sales of any single product" in the history of The Learning Company up to that point.[28] In March 1998, The Boston Globe said the girls' category of the video game market was "exploding" with titles such as Barbie Fashion Designer (by Mattel), The American Girls Premiere, Let's Talk About Me (by Simon & Schuster Interactive) and Rockett's New School (by Purple Moon).[29] In July, The Buffalo News reported that The Learning Company had captured 20.3% of the girl video game market with this video game.[30]

Accolades

The game was nominated for "PC Creativity Title of the Year" during the AIAS' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards[31] and won a Gold Award from the Parents' Choice Foundation.[32] The game also won a Mom's Choice Software award for Fall 1997,[33] and a 1998 selection in American Library Association's Great Interactive Software for Kids List.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "The Learning Company, Inc. and Pleasant Company Bring The American Girls Collection Characters to Life for the First Time on The American Girls Premiere CD-ROM". September 16, 1997. Archived from the original on December 5, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19981205201321/http://www.learningco.com/news/news97/970916.htm. Retrieved June 4, 2022. 
  2. ↑ Kliman, Marlene. "American Girls Premiere: Review". http://mathequity.terc.edu/gw/html/AmerGirlReview.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lotempio, Elizabeth (November 11, 1997). "Computer Games Brings American Girls to Life". The Buffalo News. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22950135.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Savignano, Lisa Karen. "The American Girls Premiere – Review – allgame". All Game Guide. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16151&tab=review. 
  5. ↑ Alexander, Steve (July 16, 2003). "CD-ROM lets girls create historical stage plays; Software industry is remiss no longer.". Star Tribune. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62616611.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Olson, Karen Torme (December 18, 1997). "Non-violent Games Show Girls Just Want To Have Fun". Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/12/18/non-violent-games-show-girls-just-want-to-have-fun/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "SuperKids Software Review of American Girls Premiere.". SuperKids. http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/girls/2/agirlpre/merge.shtml. 
  8. ↑ Clarke, Robyn (December 1, 1997). "The Fun-Damentals of Learning: This Holiday Season, Leave the Video Games in the Store and Give the Gift of Knowledge Instead". Black Enterprise. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20048723.html. 
  9. ↑ "The American Girls Premiere 2nd Edition on CD-ROM from CDAccess.com". CDAccess. http://www.cdaccess.com/html/shared/amerg2nd.htm. 
  10. ↑ Haggerty, Pamela. "Tech-NJ: Winter 1998: The American Girls Premiere". http://www.tcnj.edu/~technj/win98/premiere.html. 
  11. ↑ Ray, Robin (October 26, 1997). "All dolled up but nowhere to go". The Boston Herald. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56416072.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Software Designers Get with the Program – At Last, They're Discovering Girls". The Buffalo News. November 9, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22965166.html. 
  13. ↑ "American Girls CD-ROM Helps Children Create Stories". The Wisconsin State Journal. September 18, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69508476.html. 
  14. ↑ CD-ROM lets girls create historical stage plays; Software industry is remiss no longer. (Variety). September 25, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62616611.html. 
  15. ↑ "The Learning Company, Inc. and Pleasant Company Proudly Present The American Girls Premiere 2nd Edition". PRNewswire. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-learning-company-inc-and-pleasant-company-proudly-present-the-american-girls-premiere-2nd-edition-76498332.html. 
  16. ↑ Barnabel, Josh (January 3, 1999). "Software; Toonsville Tutors". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/03/education/software-toonsville-tutors.html. 
  17. ↑ Rosenberg, Ronald (December 14, 1997). "Edutainment software abounds; quality varies". The Boston Globe. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8447169.html. 
  18. ↑ Mukhar, Kevin (December 1, 1997). "The American Girls Premiere". Computer Shopper. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19994381.html. 
  19. ↑ "Dolled-Up CD a Hit". The Wisconsin State Journal. November 7, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69505194.html. 
  20. ↑ Galarneau, Andrew Z. (November 27, 1997). "Know the Facts, Then Go for the Programmers' Best". The Buffalo News. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22960656.html. 
  21. ↑ American Girls Get Virtual Doll House (Today's Business). September 26, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69509305.html. 
  22. ↑ "Atlanta. (Brief Article)". Playthings. January 1, 2000. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-59426855.html. 
  23. ↑ Basinger, Clint (21 April 2017). "American Girls Premiere: Text-To-Speech Mayhem". Lazy Game Reviews. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqGwUffHyCo. 
  24. ↑ Porterfield, Deborah (September 23, 1997). "Guide to some new girl-oriented computer games". Chicago Sun-Times. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4405381.html. 
  25. ↑ LoTempio, Elizabeth (November 11, 1997). "Commputer Game Brings American Girls to Life". The Buffalo News. 
  26. ↑ Muller, Joann (March 30, 1998). "A Game of Their Own New Computer Software Aims to Entertain and Educate Pre-Teenage Girls". The Boston Globe. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8458666.html. 
  27. ↑ Software Bytes (Business) (SoftWARE page) (Review). November 24, 1997. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67745146.html. 
  28. ↑ "The American Girls Premiere Top Ranked Educational Title in December For Third Consecutive Month". PR Newswire. January 23, 1998. ProQuest 450040829. 
  29. ↑ Muller, Joann (March 29, 1998). "Virtual Equality? Software Firms Find New Niche: Games for Girls". The Boston Globe. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8460578.html. 
  30. ↑ Game Makers Finally Realize Girls Play, Too. July 21, 1998. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23058283.html. 
  31. ↑ "AISA Annual Awards -> 1st Annual Awards". interactive.org. AISA. http://www.interactive.org/awards/annual_awards.asp?idAward=1998. 
  32. ↑ Oldenburg, Don. "The American Girls Premiere". Parents' Choice Foundation. http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=607&StepNum=1&award=aw. 
  33. ↑ "Toledo Blade – Google News Archive Search". https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19971122&id=hHIxAAAAIBAJ&pg=3495,3179844. 
  34. ↑ "Great Interactive Software for Kids List (Historical) | Awards & Grants". http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/267/all_years. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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