BY: STEPHANIE READ
Ever since I was 12, starting when a gift from my grandmother meant for my cousin was accidentally mailed to me, I have been an avid fan for Nancy Drew video games from Her Interactive. These games come out twice a year. There are over 30 of them. I actually have become conditioned to get antsy and irritated every May and October right before the games come out. I call it PNS, or “pre-Nancy syndrome”. It is very real, although the doctors do not yet acknowledge it!
For those of you who don’t know ND (as the fans call her), educate yo’self.
So why do I adore these games, especially as a Museum Studies student? Here are my top 10 reasons:
1) A BUNCH OF THEM ARE SET IN MUSEUMS!
Yes. Nancy actually has to get to know many museums in-depth to solve dastardly crimes! My favourite museum-situated game is “The Secret of the Scarlet Hand”, where Nancy helps a curator prepare for a show featuring rare artifacts from the reign of Lord Pakal, king of the Mayan city-state of Palenque.
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| Nancy in the Main Exhibition Space. (Secret of the Scarlet Hand). |
2) THE CURATORS ARE ALWAYS REALLY, REALLY ANNOYED!
The curators in these games have a bone to pick! These gals have no time and plenty of deadlines to meet and if you do not know how to watch your step, you will straight up get cut (or prompted to shamefacedly return to the Main Menu and start again).
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| Ain't nobody got time for that! (Secret of the Scarlet Hand). |
3) THE ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENT TOTALLY DIGS YOU!!!
Ned Nickerson won’t be pleased, but how can you resist that tessera collection?
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| Well hello, blonde archaeologist Spike look-alike. (Phantom of Venice). |
4) YOU ACTUALLY LEARN STUFF!
I mean, I did just write ‘tessera’...
5) GAME PLAY INCLUDES ACTUALLY DOING “DULL” MUSEUM RELATED TASKS!
In “Secret of the Scarlet Hand”, you are pretty much forced to do mundane tasks like fill out and order inventory sheets, fix the audio guide system, set up displays, test the interactive games and more!
6) NANCY DREW IS ALL ABOUT CONSERVATION EFFORTS!
In “Danger on Deception Island”, Nancy gets to help an orphaned orca from poachers while chilling out at the local Whale World. In “Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake”, Nancy once again is called upon to help stop shady individuals from dragging the pristine lake. Nancy helps that tall drink of water Ranger Akers clean up some archival information at Moon Lake State Park Nature Centre.
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| Ranger Akers, AKA Tall Drink. (Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake) |
7) SOMETIMES THE PRICELESS ARTIFACT YOU ARE PROTECTING CONTAINS SECRET GOLD!
In “Sea of Darkness”, the ancient Icelandic ship Heerlijkheid collides into the harbour. The ship is a priceless cultural icon with a dark history and treasure abound!
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| Wouldn't be a mystery without a scary lighthouse! (Sea of Darkness) |
8) YOU ARE THE ONLY THING STOPPING EVERYONE FROM STEALING ARTIFACTS!
Stop them at the source! Butt heads with annoying celebrity archaeologists at an Egyptian archaeological site, determine the provenance of objects at a Classical Antiquities museum in Greece, and help the Italian authorities capture a wily thief!
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| No words! (Tomb of the Lost Queen) |
What are these? Who knows! Eat as many as you can before you remember that they aren’t real...
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Scottish snacks for hungry gumshoes! (Silent Spy) |
10) YOU HAVE TO LEARN A TON OF VOCABULARY FROM SEVERAL LANGUAGES!
Mayan, Italian, Icelandic, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Latin – the list goes on! Nancy Drew is a world-traveler, so have your online translator ready ;-)
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| Greek Antiquities! (Labyrinth of Lies) |
Having written this list, a few pieces of the puzzle are falling into place for me vis-à-vis my career path... Hmm... These games have a soft spot in my heart, especially because of the focus on learning new things while I sleuth!
Do you have experiences of games growing up that feature museums? Have you played Nancy Drew, too? Let me know in the comments below!
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