Monday, November 27, 2006

Understanding Dress Up Games

Some parents are concerned about their daughter’s safety online. They wonder as she sits down at the computer for hours on end just what is so appealing. Could she be chatting with the dreaded internet predators? Is she seeing too much violence or nudity? Many are relieved when they discover that their daughter is only spending countless hours in front of the monitor playing dress-up games.

What are Dress up Games?
Little girls have always loved playing dress up. Raiding Mom’s closet and pulling on dresses and high heels twice as big as a little girl is a staple of growing up. These games get a bit more broad as little girls begin playing with paper dolls and dressing her own dolls. Finally, as these young ladies begin to discover all that the internet has to offer, they stumble upon doll websites, such as TheDollPalace.com.

Doll Websites
Doll websites offer girls, or any other visitor, an opportunity to design and dress their own dolls. The sites provide bases, which resemble a traditional, undressed doll, and almost endless articles of clothing and accessories. Using the doll maker programs that many of these sites offer, the girls build personalized dolls or can “play” with dolls designed by experts. They design outfits, dress the dolls, and create lives and backgrounds for their creations.

New dolls are constantly released, so that there is always something new to try at these sites. TheDollPalace.com, for example, offers visitors an opportunity to play dress up games with dolls of every holiday and season as well as unique clothing styles such as Goth or Punk. It’s not hard to understand the appeal of these sites to girls who enjoy playing with outfits and creating new looks – especially when few other outlets offer these particular styles.

Doll Culture
These websites also offer contests, forums, and relevant articles to create an entire doll culture for visitors. Those who enjoy dress up games can visit within a community of others. They can design dolls, write stories and give personality to the dolls, and then share their work with others.

The dolls are used not only for pure entertainment, but also as avatars and signatures for online chats and forums. The doll websites often recognize they are targeting adolescents, so they attempt to offer contests, such as writing fairy tales or designing pumpkins that would appeal to this demographic.

The Future of Dress Up Games
Like all gaming on the internet, there is no end in sight for dress up games. The games are pure, wholesome fun with no negative connotations, and endless amounts of enjoyment for patrons. As more girls become involved in online dress up games, the industry will respond with more designs and more games.

Parents are relieved to have their daughters engaged in appropriate online activities, although forums and chats should always be monitored. Children have a blast designing new looks or giving existing dolls names and personalities. Dress up games are a good fit for everyone.

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