Dress Up Games Questions

Katani Summers: Dressupgames.com is one of the coolest fashion sites on the web! How and when did dressupgames.com begin?

Inga Maria: Dress-up Games went online in 1998, so this year is our 10 year anniversary. It all began when I stumbled upon a "virtual paper doll" on the web and showed it to my niece. We both liked it, so I began looking for more games for us to play with. They weren't easy to find, so I had the idea that it would be nice to make a web site with links to dress-up games. I figured that since we liked them so much, others would like them too! The first version had about 30-40 links and only two categories. Now there are over 40 categories and hundreds of links.
 
 
KS: I know online fashion games are super popular among the fashionably fashionable at AAJH. What kind of fashion games did girls play before computers were invented?

IM: Dress-up games to me are a mixture of fashion and role playing games, with the fashion part of it becoming more important as the user (the person who is playing) becomes more older. Before online dress-up games, girls would seek similar entertainment with fashion dolls, paper dolls, and of course dressing themselves up in costumes and clothes they would typically not wear on daily basis, such as more clothes intended for teenagers and grown women.


KS: It’s like girls can play dress-up forever! What is it about girls and dressing up that makes it so much fun?

IM: Primarily, it's the role playing element of it. Dressing a doll and maybe even pretending to be them is a part of exploring and trying out different roles and identities. A mistake that many adults make is thinking that dress-up games are only about clothes. They are not any more than action figures are only about their shiny armor or playing with toy cars are about rolling them around with your hand. Mix a dress-up game with a child's imagination and you have a winning formula for entertainment!


KS: Awesome! So, how does a dress-up game go from an idea to a game that girls can play?
 
IM: For me, it's a lot about matching the right artist with the right idea. Someone who draws very well in a thick, cartoon style is probably not the right person to do a game with high-fashion, realistic clothes. I get ideas from everywhere, such as TV, books, magazines and artists’ portfolios (a good way to see what someone is good at).


KS: So, what would you say is the perfect dress-up game?

IM: It's essential to have what I often call a theme, a hook, a story, what would be called a plot in a movie. It does not have to be complicated, just something that sets the game apart from all the other ones. A doll with clothes doesn't really cut it anymore when there are more and more games available fighting for attention! Other important issues are quality of the graphics, number of clothes, and that they can be mixed together as much as possible. It's also important that the layout be as simple and user-friendly as possible.


KS: You are just like I want to be when I get older! Describe a typical day of yours as the founder and CEO of dressupgames.com.

IM: A lot of my time is spent looking for, trying out and playing dress-up games. Not a bad way to spend a day!
 
 
KS: That’s so cool! So, what’s YOUR personal style?

IM: My style is very much casual and rarely matches the style and glamour of some of the dress-up games I play online!


KS: When you’re not being a rock-star CEO of a fashion site, what else do you like to do?

IM: I love to travel, but I always take my laptop. So, even when I'm traveling, I'm working on dressupgames.com! I also love to read, I'm currently reading "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman, and by the way, wouldn't Lyra make a fantastic subject for a cool dress-up game?


KS: You are totally on top of what’s hot right now for fashion games on the web. What do you think the future will hold for dress-up games?

IM: Since I began playing dress-up games, they've only gotten better, so I'm very excited to see what the future holds! I wonder if maybe online dress-up game might become more like the popular "Sims" games, where you can not only dress the people, but also play out a role. That would be great!


KS: That would be heaven for me! Thank you so much, Inga!