Tracey has pulled descriptions for 11 upcoming DS games aimed at girls. These are games about make-up, boyfriends or learning to become a detective. Skeptical about the values these games might instill, Tracey extrapolated the implied lessons in their gameplay.

For example:

Princess in Love
(THQ, Sept. 14)
What it’s about: customise Princess Isabella with clothing and accessories. As the queen-in-training, players must mind their manners and plan gala balls while searching for Prince Charming, who can be wooed by learning the right dance moves.
What it teaches girls: No, really, you need a man. Being a princess isn’t just about wearing pretty dresses and waiting for your knight in shining armour all day: You’ve got to work. If you want Mr. Right, it’s up to you, not him, to make the first impression. So get dancin.’

Tracey’s not being completely serious with all of her write-ups, but she sharply observes the patterns: games that value an obsession with looks, a dependency on finding boyfriends or just an awareness that, hey, you’re a girl. You’ll always different. That’s not all negative. But the themes are strong and worth examining.

Check out 10 more of these games getting this treatment over at Wired’s GameLife blog.

Ridiculous Life Lessons From New Girl Games

MTV Multiplayer got some surprising info on one of the key titles, the Lindsay Lohan vehicle Mean Girls. It looks to be a shameless Puzzle Quest clone — not such a bad thing — but trades jewel matching for shoes, lipstick and, err, jewel matching.

Further solidifying the fantasy to high school setting change is the swapping out of spells and incantations for “rumours, pranks and putdowns”. We should work on our own, Kotaku branded Puzzle Quest rip. There’s obviously money it.

‘Mean Girls’ Game Plays Like ‘Puzzle Quest’ In A High School, Stars Lindsay Lohan [MTV Multiplayer]