The nostalgia of flash games and the hold Girls Go Games had on me (and still kinda does)
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| the HOLD this website had on me is incredibleeeeee |
Well hey there, look whose back as promised and it hasn’t taken six months – yes I am going to brag about this as I am insanely proud of myself right now for keeping my word and becoming more consistent. As the title suggests we are talking about browser / flash games – I’ll be putting a definition further down anyway, but I actually only started playing these games again recently after seeing a YouTube video talking about it as I had totally forgotten these games even existed what with VALO, League, and indie Switch games existing but I have to admit I loved going back to these games that made my childhood. That makes me sound so old, but I feel like these games in particular were a huge turning point not only in gaming as an industry but also as a point in history (yes that does mean I’ll be talking about Y2K). So let’s get talking about flash games, Girls Go Games, and the nostalgia that it holds on me and how I think these games might just have been the beginning of me as a gamer hehe.
First up, definition time, I didn’t actually realise but Google now gives an AI Overview for definitions? And I'm lazy so seeing as that came up first, then I'm going to use that, so flash games also known as browser games are as follows:
“A Flash game is a computer game that is played on the internet using a web browser and a Flash plug-in. Flash games are also known as browser games. They are usually free to play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Flash games were different from other games because they didn't require any additional software to run. All that was needed was an internet connection and a Flash plug-in. However, Adobe officially ended Flash support on December 31, 2020, and most major browsers removed Flash support at the same time or in early 2021” – Google’s AI Overview accessed August 2024
For me at least browser games were such a cultural moment, when I think back to it as a period of time, it was a simpler time, these games were such a peaceful easy relaxation that I think would be hard to emulate now. Especially given the details above about Adobe among others having ended their support for the system and making it harder to actually access these games to play. When I was brainstorming for this article, I tried to retrace steps of the games I remember I used to play to find them again, to see if they were as I remember aside from my nostalgia and play them again, but considering Girls Go Games was the main site I recall using – it’s not in the state it once was due to the changes to flash support, and a lot of the games which I would guess were intellectual property disputes also no longer exist on the site or have been moved across to other sites that I didn’t know of. It’s strange to think that these games were such a huge point of many peoples’ lives and although they can be found and played still, it’s almost like a time capsule, life has moved on since then, the games are now a point of nostalgia to reminisce about.
But flash games are also a point of history in gaming, if you were to look around at video games now – be that on a console or on pc, the in game graphics are incredible and far better than the nostalgia flash graphics many of us used to play, like I said above, it was a cultural moment, it was a turning point in gaming and yes it’s nostalgic. I miss these slow-paced games that were simple and straight forward, and in some ways I also miss that they were browser games, they were easy to access and accessible to most, they were a starting point in gaming and although some who started on these may not still be in gaming, it’s a beautiful little section on the internet that shaped a generation, that was safe and cosy, it was easier and simple. Flash games were a gaming history moment, but I don’t think the simple joy of them has been lost, there are still so many indies games and companies I see who I think emulate flash games just with the new graphics that exist now. Truthfully I'm happy to see indie companies (and some bigger ones too) keeping the memory of flash games alive just in a way that has moved with the times, it keeps the nostalgia alive but with some perhaps better branding and a lot more portable for long haul journeys than it once was.
Girls Go Games Site - Screenshot of site August 2024
Onto the star of this article, Girls Go Games – so a quick history lesson was founded in 2001 and is from a Dutch video game developer called Spil Games, for a more in depth history of the company I have linked a YouTube video on the topic of Girls Go Games and the site’s history and development! So this was my go to site for games, and although most of the games I play aren’t on there anymore – they are instead on a site called Numuki which is a similar type of platform hosting flash games but the og one for me and I would assume so many others was Girls Go Games. Now I look back as well, this site feels like a massive corner stone of Y2k – if you were to ask someone to pin point something quintessentially 2000s then I'd say this site was it. From the pink background, the title stating it was aimed at girls and the type of games – makeup games specifically, feel in line with the type of moment of time that the 2000s were and in light of the Y2k phenomenon bringing back all the pink and glitter, it just proves how much of a point in time this site was.
And now as an adult looking back, oh my gosh it is such a point of nostalgia. Seeing throwbacks to Y2k kind of goes over my head, but gaming nostalgia? Especially flash games are such a huge comfort thing. They’re easy to play, they’re relaxing and they were easily accessible. For this article like I said earlier on, I went in search of many of the games I used to play – for the most part I managed to find them but definitely not where I was exactly expecting to – as this was how I discovered other sites that I had no idea that existed (like Numuki) so here are all the ones I found and managed to play again.
Polly Pocket Room Makeover:
I'm not sure why I was quite so obsessed with this game, but having replayed it recently, I think I’ve worked out why – I loveddddd the bright colours and quirky design choices in this game [see image below] something about the designs of everything really kept me entertained and held my attention and I am going to say it is in part why I love bright colours and unique design items for every space I have now as an adult.
*All image via Numuki Flash Game site unless stated otherwise
Polly Pocket's Beautiful Bedroom Design Game (my design of a room)
Though I still want half the decorations in this game as they are so cool and I'm yet to actually see half the designs out in the real world – more to the pity.
(Disney) Princess Dress Up (not the exact one I played but close enough):
I don’t want to get copyrighted for this one but let’s be real it was Disney themed and it was a cool way to play out the fashion I wanted to wear back when I played it, and now it’s a cool way to look back on the fashion from the 2000s and 2010s – some admittedly better than others but that is a different point entirely.
Dress Up Game! - image via Girls Go Games
I did however enjoy going back to how basic and easy these games were, compared to the complex puzzle games I play now as well as the play of when I am brave enough to log in to League.
My New Room Makeover (the original, second and third hehe):
I'm sensing a running theme here with my love of room design – despite the fact my own room is nowhere near as organised or pretty as many of the rooms I designed on these games. If only my future flat could look like the rooms I managed to design…
A personal fave game especially version 2!
A version of Sally’s Spa:
Ok fully disclaimer, I’ve said a version because I can’t remember the name but it was basically copy paste of Sally’s Spa so that title will do… but there was something incredibly captivating for me about games like this one and similar.
The Original Sally's Spa - image via Sally's Spa Official site
I'm guessing it’s because your attention is constantly on the go looking across at the next task to complete to get further and level up. Though I can’t lie I was always stressed haha but I still played them so clearly didn’t have that much of a negative affect..
So there you have it, a trip down memory lane with flash games, Girls Go Games and trekking down the games once more to have another bout of nostalgia. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed researching for this blog and writing it too! Thank you as always for stopping by and reading my blog and hope to see you on the next blog!
See you next time!
byeeeee
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