I've just spent half an hour playing the internet game Miss Bimbo, which according to The Times has caused an uproar by promoting plastic surgery and extreme diets to its 9-to-16-year-old target audience. And indeed, it was pretty depressing.
I remember the games I played when I was really small, like the text-only Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? They taught me about geography and vocabulary, not how many breast implants I needed to gain the love of that hot billionaire lounging poolside.
Still, I think that blaming anorexia or vanity on a pixellated image is a bit extreme, kind of like the US hysteria over trying to ban certain violent video games after some troubled teens shot up their high school. Sadly I fear that the more press Miss Bimbo gets, the more kids are going to want it!
Very depressing. I think you can blame things like this for some of the ills of the world - it might not be quantifiable but it all rubs off and contributes towards a certain world view. Children who watch Ivor the Engine are surely more likely to be decent than those who play Miss Bimbo.
Posted by: Rose | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 12:47 PM
Why give it more press then?
Posted by: Grace | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 01:07 PM
do u lot even know what rubbish your saying, your saying that this game is hazzardus to our kids minds and by saying this all over the radio and news you havent just brought the game to our parents attention but you have advertised it more around the world for us kids to play on it i never even new about it untill yesterday when i heard it on the news and i dont think i was the only one eager to try it out. i think its a wicked game onli my computer is verry slow and so i cant play it properly it takes like 10 minutes for each new page to load. but just because i play it doesnt mean that im going to instantly run down to the hospital and get a boob job 1. im not that stupid 2. it costs money wich i dnt have & 3. you have to be i think 16 or 18 to get surgery and im onli 15 :). this game is being played by 9 year olds + but when you register it says if you are under 18 you must get pearents permission so its up to the parents it also doesnt make us wana loose weight because diet pills are crap n dont work also the onli food you can buy for your dooll is steak and chips, cerial bar, chocolate, vegetables and a few other lil bits who is gonna loose weight eating chocolate n steak n chips, get with it adults just cos u mised out on playing games like this cos the internet dint exist dnt ruin our fun. also were in the 21st centruary look around you celebs are evry where surgery is every where and dieting is everywhere if we were gonna do that stuff we dnt need a game to encourage us to do it we wud anyway. im still going to be a member and its all thanx to the publicity this game is getting luv it. bye xxx
Posted by: bex | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 01:07 PM
Perhaps nothing speaks more eloquently about the educationally challenged state of our teens in the face of the internet onslaught than the copious and distressing grammatical errors in the phone text-based writing of bex. I would strongly suggest that she pays more attention to her books so she can become a real adult (one who gets a degree and holds a real job as opposed to being just a face and body in this 15-minute celebrity maelstrom of our current reality) in the near future.
games like drugs are addictive and when combined with a message, any odious message at all can be a potent weapon of social disorder...
Posted by: Candykay | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 02:19 PM
i only found out about this website because it is broadcast in the news and i think its great!
Posted by: abi | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 06:54 PM
I think this game could be dangerous, im 18 years old and to be fair as soon as i saw it on the news i was interested to check it out. the more you talk about it the more kids are going to want to play it. I dont play it because i have much better things to do, but for those sad people who have to make a pretend person on the internet because they dont have real lives, yes i think it could be risky. Girls these days are more worried about the way they look anyway, without a stupid game to back up there worries. Then again the same could be said for the video games im sure you have all seen or played, or the movies you watch, where people are hacked to bits, surely these are just as dangerous? for the few people who may want to try it out in real life.
Posted by: Naysha | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 07:42 PM
This game is just a game, yes it covers a range of issues that most teenage girls will face at some point, whether their parents like to admit it or not; am I too fat?, does that boy like me?, am I a good kisser?, will I be popular if I buy those shoes? Miss Bimbo is no different from playing Barbie - girls will be girls, would we complain if our daughters were playing an online game that emphasises on babies, changing nappies, feeding etc - promoting a 1950s mentality where girls are to be groomed into wives and mothers.
My point is, there is nothing wrong with young girls playing with a girly girl doll where they can mock 'big girl' lives (not bringing up children but boys and fashion). As pointed out previously, computer games are no more to blame for girls' insecurities than they are for the shootings in American high schools. It's far too easy a scapegoat - we need to face up to the real issues, lacked morals and structure to the household perhaps?
Posted by: Amy | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 10:01 PM
I come back to Grace's comment - if Ms Townsend finds it depressing and fears that the more press this site gets the more children will want it, why on earth is she promoting it herself, including a link to it here? Just wondering how much of a revenue-share Ms Townsend gets from sites that she encourages us to link through to...
Posted by: Hatty | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 11:37 PM
Im an 18 year old and i took a look at this website and it is rather depressing. I also read the rules which state you cant let ur bimbo get fat but you do have to feed her because we all have to eat once in a while. I dont know about you but i see so many things wrong with that sentence especially the comment that we all have to eat once in a while. Last time i checked werent we supposed to eat 3 balance meals a day. I dont think this game is going to cause as many problems as the media are prtraying but it is sending out the wrong message to 9 year old girls. We should be promoting video games that show independant women who dont need men to provide for them.Women who arent fake boobs hair and personality. Yes i know at the end of the day it is just a game but wouldnt you rather a healthier message was put across to your young daughters.
Posted by: samantha | Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 11:54 PM
I have been seeing the Miss Bimbo story everywhere — sad that it is so hard to get that same visibility for a site that does girls some good.
There are options to Miss Bimbo. There are great, age-appropriate sites for preteen girls. Check out http://www.beaconstreetgirls.com
This is positive media with strong role models for preteen girls. Girls post (safely, all monitored) comments on things like: Are we too old for Halloween? What’s the appropriate age for wearing makeup? The girls discuss friendship and social issues, even cyber-bullying and Internet gossip, and how to deal with it. They support each other. Yes, the site has fashion content and dress-up games, puzzles and quizzes, but it is all stuff that any reasonable parent is going to be OK with.
Posted by: Bobbie | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 02:23 PM
I agree that the game is not healthy for young girls but as mentioned previously, we are all making it more appealing here by publicising it. Tell your kids it's bad and they want to do it even more! My solution to this dilemma is to monitor my daughter's activity on the pc by having it located in a place where it is visible at most angles and she doesn't get any privacy, that way if she is on a site I don't think is suitable I will stop her from using it. I know that is not a realistic option for everyone but it certainly puts my mind at ease. It's not just miss bimbo that's unhealthy, Habbo Hotel and plenty of other websites are a playground for paedophiles. it's all about monitoring and how well you know your child for me. It's such a shame that it has to be like that though, when I was a child my parents never had a fraction of the worries we seem to have today - all thanks to the lovely computer!
Posted by: Chelsie B | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 02:56 PM
Kids obviously want to play miss bimbo so why not let them? if your concerned about your child or other children playing it dont complain about the game talk to the children! in my pinion the more publicity this gets the more it will catch girls attention anyway ( i'm age 13)
Posted by: lola rizzotti | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 03:55 PM
I am 21 and my younger sisters of 13 and 16 play miss bimbo and I don't see them asking my parents for plastic surgery. A computer game will never have that much influence. Children are already aware of what is happening in the world because of television, magazines and the internet. They are already as impressed by beauty and success as adults are. Miss Bimbo is nothing but a fun game that they will get bored of eventually and move on to something else. Miss bimbo is not teaching kids something that they don't already know. Children already know what plastic surgery and crash dieting is. They know that Britney spears got breast implants.
My sisters must be exremely intelligent for their age because they do get the irony of miss bimbo. My parents think it's a silly game and don't see what all the fuss is about. If other parents are worried about their child's self esteem then they should pay their kids more attention and more complements. It's just a game and there is nothing to investigate - kids know more now than kids did 40 years ago and times have moved on since snakes and ladders, however, children are still children and playing miss bimbo will not take away their innocence. What makes them innocent is their lack of life experience. Miss Bimbo is an innocent game for today's standards. I think people need to calm down and see this game for what it really is - I mean come on even the kids are able to see that.
Posted by: Natasha | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 04:56 PM
Yeah... so... I saw this thing about 'Miss Bimbo' on the news, and yesterday I decieded to check what it was all about. I typed it into Google, and read a little thing about it on a News site. Then procceded to join it, calling my self . . 'M1SSBLOND3B1MBO' and playing a little, get fake tan, and buying skimpy skirts and tops. I now... Have no intention to wearing slutty clothes and being a bimbo.. so let kids play it... its cool!!
Beth xO
Posted by: Beth xO | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 05:03 PM
"Candy Kay"? What a name for someone who is supposed to be so intelligent! "candykay" you should be mature enough to not write something insulting about a 15 yr old child - aren't you supposed to be the adult here? Now I'll tell you what "a real adult" is? A real adult has been known to have facelifts and boob jobs - in fact it is the behaviour of adults that children tend to mimic. Miss Bimbo satarizes this type of adult behaviour.
You don't like this game because you are a lady of mature years and you feel deeply unatttactive - get over yourself.
Posted by: natasha | Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 05:56 PM
a)It is a good thing that the game was publicised on the news. It may draw attention to the game, but it also gets a hell of a lot of negative attention which could get it shut down. Also, it's likely there may be so many people go in it that it crashes their servers (hopefully).
b)I sure as hell wouldn't want my child playing it. It may 'only be a game' but it all adds up. Why do you think people are having sex younger and younger, and becoming complete whores. It's influences in games, films, TV etc.
It's also ridiculous that girls can text for more 'Bimbo dollars' or whatever the currency is. Although, again it's a plus that it's in the media at the moment - aren't they thinking about stopping the website being able to do that...?
All in all it's just a crappy badly made flash game. With some minor adjustments it could be a lot more accepted though. Get rid of the negative elements and replace them with more positive qualities.
Posted by: Alex | Friday, 28 March 2008 at 01:18 AM
Yet another Business making Profit by programming young girls to believe that they HAVE to *look* a certain way or OMGWTFBBQ they'll be INSIGNIFICANT FAILURES!!!111!!
'Just' what our society needs....
>:-(
Posted by: Eddie | Friday, 28 March 2008 at 02:30 AM
have you ever met a anyone who did not wish their daughter or granddaughter would stay unspoiled by the likes of us and a substantially evil world. But what is it that lies behind such a wish aside from hoping that a living being will remain a porcelain figurine of our minds which she bears no resemblance except in our minds and is this not something of a societal deceit in the first place. I have yet to know a woman who carries any true resemblance to what society seems to wish her to be. They are not constructed so any more than we are. Those who hold any frilly notions of the feminine as opposed to the masculine might be better served to study the sexual characteristics of the canine to be brought up short.
In other words
Those who choose to identify themselves with the mortal body and it's affections will necessarily find that all is painful. Since everything _ for them _ must end
Posted by: Andrew | Friday, 28 March 2008 at 03:42 PM
NO OFFENSE UR CHILD HAS TO BE REALLY STUPIED IF THEY REALLY ARE DO LIKE WHAT THERE BIMBO DOES AND THE PARENT SHOULD NOT LET THIER CHILDREN ONLINE BECAUSE IF THEY CANT UNDERSTAND BETWEEN A GAME AND REALLY LIFE THEN NO INTERNET STOP BLAMING PEOPLE AND LOOK AT YOURSELF DONT PLAY IT IF U DONT LKIE IT U PEOPLE HAVE NO SENSE WHAT SO EVER IM 13 SO I THINK NEW AND OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD LEAVE IT ALONE OK I PLAY THIS GAME I THINK GOOD NO OFFENSE TO PARENT BUT YOU NEED TO LOOK AFTER KIDS MORE BECUZ PARENT ONLY LOOK FOR BLAME NOT LOOK AFTER THIER CHILDREN AND TRY TO HELP THEM
Posted by: SHANNEL | Friday, 18 April 2008 at 10:48 PM
Caps lock may be cruise control for cool, but you still have to steer, Shannel.
Posted by: /b/ | Saturday, 31 May 2008 at 05:43 PM
honestly, it's just a game! It's really fun, and like other people said, when you register it says IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 YOU MUST GET PERMISSION! My mom said i could play it because i'm not about to become bulimic girl with fake boobs. Relax, chill, breathe. If little kids are too immature to understand, don't let them play, silly parents! my godddd...
Posted by: Genners | Monday, 02 June 2008 at 03:52 PM
liosten dont concern about otha peeps let dem do wot eva dey want wif da lifes and u get on wif yrs ok (i am 12 years old) and i like miss bimbo
Posted by: tippy | Monday, 23 June 2008 at 01:53 PM
I, personally, agree with the people who say this is just a game. I have played on this site before and it does not urge me to start taking diet pills or get breast implants. I do not see how playing this game could turn you into a 'bimbo' yourself. How dare parents say that the type that play this game are the ones that will turn out badly and uneducated. In the forums, there are plenty of adults who play the game and have shown themselves to be intelligent. The game isn't exactly geared towards a younger audience. I agree that very young children shouldn't be playing this game, but really now. There are worse things they could be seeing on the internet. If you want to shelter them away from that, that's the parents choice. You could see and hear things much worse on the television or radio. This is hardly anything to blame, as it tame compared to what the media projects. This is a game. It's not meant to be real life. That is like saying that boys who play shooting games will grow up to shoot people themselves when they grow older. No, it is just the act of personifying another person than yourself. It is not real life.
By the way, I am sixteen years old, and from playing the game I definitely had no urge to do the things suggested in the game. If your child does, then obviously there is something wrong with the parenting. Don't blame it on a silly game.
Posted by: Juli | Tuesday, 08 July 2008 at 08:35 PM
mostly it's adults who play this game. i'm one of them and it's fun. it's really a satire, adults get it. young kids shouldn't be playing it. if i had a kid i wouldn't let her or him play it. maybe parents should be monitoring what their kids do online more closely.
Posted by: sophie | Sunday, 07 September 2008 at 12:44 PM