From Dolls to Offsprings:

The Effects of Childhood Roleplaying Games

on Effective Motherhood

Erin Marie D.C. San Valentin

University of the Philippines Los Baños

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SP: How do childhood role-playing games help a girl acquire good mother/wife characteristics?

TS: Childhood roleplaying games can help a girl acquire good mother/wife characteristics by exposing them to different roles that give a child an idea of the duties and responsibilities done by the character the child portrays.

I. Experience shapes a child’s performance as an adult.A. Play is beneficial part of childhood.

1) Children acquire experience from play.2) Children develop cognitive and psychosocial skills.3) Other traits such as self-regulation, social competence, and

creativity are also developed.B. Play is an inevitable part of childhood.

II. There were toys created specifically to help further develop useful skills.A. Ancient people also used toys to train children

1) Wheeled carts were imitated and made into toys around 2000 BCE, as seen in an ancient carving in Greece.

2) Around 2400 BCE, dolls were already present in Egypt to train the children for household work and care.

3) In Europe, toy horses were popularized to train boys for actual horse-riding.

B. In roleplaying, children assume characters of different people.1) Children make use of their imagination and materials available.2) Children have the idea of sex-role identifications.3) Make-believe play teaches the children to regard other people’s

thoughts, opinions, perspectives , and feelings in their role-taking.

III. There are different dolls targeted to young girls.A. With the use of dolls, a young girl can assume the role of a mother, a

friend, or even a rival of the doll.B. Barbie dolls seem to be the most successful in the doll industry.

1) The use of the Barbie dolls encourages children how to plan outfits for both the doll and her.

2) Some have responded negatively with the use of the dolls—teaching the children to be idealistic and materialistic, among many others.

3) On the positive outlook, Barbie dolls have inspired girls to be creatice, confident, and fashionable. (Basten, 2009)

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C. Inventive dolls are more useful in developing good mother/wife characteristics than fashion dolls.1) The “Baby Think It Over Doll” and “Betsy Wetsy” imitates an infant

and likewise have their needs that should be fulfilled by the child who acts as its caregiver.

2) Both dolls were created to help the consumers realize the difficulties of child-bearing.

IV. There are other types of role-playing gamesA. “Playing house” is a classic game in which children can assume

different roles such as parents, children, and even teachers.B. Technology has helped role-playing games evolve.

1) Tamagotchi, like the dolls, emphasizes responsibility and nurturance.

2) Although the children learns how to care for the pets, Tamagotchi was also found to be negatively affecting the emotional growth of some children.

V. How do children apply the skills they have obtained from childhood play?A. Jeann Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is one theory that can

explain.1) Children carry the acquired skills and turn them into an existing

knowledge that can be later accessed in their brains.2) Environment and experience shape a child’s perception of

morality.B. A child develops her own concept of morality through play and

experience and thus will be able to guide her in becoming the best mother to her family.

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When you were a child, do you remember having brought your favorite toy car

with you anywhere you went? Do you remember the name you gave to that little teddy

which you hugged in your sleep? Do you miss the tea parties you have spent with Ken

and Barbie? There may be some moments when you will feel nostalgic playing around

with your favorite toys. At the same time, you might also start feeling silly as you

remember those days in which you thought your toys were the most valuable things in the

world. However, if you were to be asked how your childhood play has affected you as a

person, will you be able to reflect on how the toys and games have left an impact on your

character and personality as a continuously developing individual? This paper will focus

on explaining how a child’s—more specifically, a girl’s—role-playing activities, through

toys and games, help in developing sensible parent characteristics.

Psychologists believe that early experience can also be considered as one of the

many factors that affect a person’s performance as an adult (Moss, 1970). It is noticeable

that most of the children’s time is being spent on playing. Generally, play becomes a

beneficial part of their childhood. Not only does play develop children’s cognitive skills,

but it also enhances their psychosocial abilities (Shaffer, 1989). These abilities are not

limited in the child’s capability to play; rather, they include the child’s ability to express

himself during such activities. Play also develops traits within the child such as self-

regulation, social competence, and creativity, among others (Johnson, Sevimli-Celik, &

Al-Mansour, 2013).

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Why do the young ones love to play? Do they play for the rewards or do they

simply play because it is their nature to do so? According to Hegeler (1963) in his book

“Choosing Toys for Children,” a child is born with nothing much to do but play. Children

play not because they want to learn or to get a reward; instead, they play because they

find it fun and, therefore, enjoy themselves. Through play, they learn small tasks that

eventually turn into a habit. In Hegeler’s example, playing “tidying-up” helps a child

develop an understanding that things should be put back in order in their original places.

Of course, at an early stage, children would not be able to realize the objectives behind

the tidying-up “game”. It will only be later in life that these children will be able to

realize that what made them acquire certain skills was their play. For example, a child

who is able to able to skillfully clean things up and put them back in order was able to

acquire such skills from his early activity of playing tidying-up. Hegeler’s example

supports psychologists’ findings that play is more than an instrument in enjoying the

childhood years. Rather, play can also be considered helpful in nurturing the child in

terms of his cognitive development.

To further develop some useful skills, there were some toys created to aid and

prepare the children with what they need as they grow up. As early as 2000 years Before

the Common Era (BCE), there were playthings such as wheeled carts for children. An

illustration of this instrument has been found carved on a Greek jar which was dated 2400

BCE. These mini-wheeled carts were imitations of the real carts. The real ones were used

by the ancient Greek to easily transport different items. Around the same time, dolls were

discovered to be present in Egypt. Both toys were believed to be tools in training children

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for work and household caring, aside from entertaining themselves. In the same way, toy

horses were popularized in Europe during the Middle Ages so as to prepare the families’

boys for riding the actual horses (Lindon, 2001).

These are examples of play that only involve enjoyment instead of work. Another

example would be roleplaying, wherein a child assumes the character of other people.

Since this paper will focus mainly on how roleplaying affect young girls’ concept

and ability of being a good mother and/or wife characteristics, the author will focus more

on play, toys, and activities which are normally targeted to girls. As playing with toys

targeted for boys enhances skills of versatility, activity and manipulative play, as studied

by Martin and Halverson (1981), Block (1984), and Caldera and Sciaraffa (1998), Liss

(1983) has observed that playing with feminine toys enhances skills such as proximity,

nurturance, and role-play. (Basten, 2009)

To be an effective mother of the household, one must not only communicate well

with the members of the family but also with the rest of the members of the society.

Indeed, it is challenging to be able to understand the thoughts of others. However, this

trait can be developed as a child.

It is only in the child’s second or third year when a child starts to engage in make-

believe play. In this kind of play, children make use of their imagination and the objects

available to them. According to Hurlock’s (1956) “Childhood Development”, “the make-

believe play of children is a mirror of the culture which surrounds them, in that it

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dramatizes events of their everyday lives.” Another definition of make-believe play

comes from Jersild (1960), wherein he characterizes it as a “play in which the child…

deals with materials or situations as if they had attributes other than those they actually

have.” It can also be noticed that children start to assume roles; the girls usually take the

characters of mothers, models, or businesswomen, while the boys assume the roles of

soldiers, heroes, or craftsmen. Some studies have shown that as children learn to take

such roles, they also start to develop their social skills. By taking different roles, they are

able to have even the simplest idea of becoming what they are role-playing (Moss, 1970).

A person’s ability to regard others’ thoughts, feelings, and perspectives can be referred to

as role taking (Shaffer, 1989).

As stated by Almon (n.d.), a study conducted by Sara Smilansky in 1970s to

1980s showed the children who engaged in play, specifically dramatic play, were the

ones who showed positive results in communicating with others-- adjusting emotionally

and socially, and having a broader imagination than those who refuse to participate in

different activities.

One of the most common toys that young girls play with is the doll. With dolls,

girls can assume a lot of different roles with them. A child can play as a mother, a friend,

or even a rival to the doll. Through this, children can be more creative and, at the same

time, practice their role-taking capabilities. In addition, Basten (2009) has stated that

feminine toys have also helped to “foster nurturance and proximity”.

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Companies that manufactured dolls were present even before the 1900s. As the

doll industry boomed, companies’ products start to have variations. Produced dolls vary

in shape, size, form, and texture. It is also in the 1900s that dolls functioned more than

just display or entertainment. Other dolls were used as models in showing different

nationalities’ costumes and at the same time incite the children’s interest in different

cultures. It has also been found out that starting from 1930s to 1940s, some dolls were

actually used in teaching young girls how to sew their own clothes by using the dolls as

an alternative for sewing samplers (Kernan, 2008).

Barbie dolls have been considered one of the most successful products in the doll

industry since its first release in the market (Kernan, 2008). Though these perfectly

groomed dolls were originally targeted for older women, it has been very appealing to the

young girls who once patronized the soft and huggable stuffed dolls. With the Barbie

dolls, young girls are able to manipulate the outfit of the dolls. Barbie products are not

limited to the dolls; the company also manufactured other useful things for Barbie such as

cars, closets, and make-up tables. However famous and enjoyable this doll may be, some

studies have found that Barbie dolls have brought along some negative traits. Some

children tend to be materialistic and idealistic, while others become more self-conscious

due to the desire to be like the flawless doll. On the positive outlook, Barbie dolls have

inspired girls to be creative, confident, and fashionable, some traits that children may

further develop as they grow (Basten, 2009).

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Basten (2009) has also shown different “inventive” dolls in his publication. These

“inventive” dolls were said to be more realistic than the fashion dolls in a way that these

dolls possess one or two humanly characteristics like producing crying sounds or having

eyes that can blink on its own. Mostly, these inventive dolls were to imitate infants—or

children—for the young ones to assume the role of the dolls’ guardian. Another example

cited in Basten’s work was the “Baby Think It Over” doll. This doll is manipulated by a

computer simulation software in which the caregiver can choose the difficulty of

handling the imitated infant. Again, dolls like the “Baby Think It Over” and “Betsy

Wetsy” were originally created to let the consumers realize the difficulties of handling a

child. Relating this with the concept of role taking discussed above, having such a doll

will be able to help in familiarizing one to the duties and responsibilities of having a real

infant in a household. A child exposed to such playthings will be more familiar with

motherhood skills such as changing a child’s diaper and clothes when needed and feeding

an infant when hungry, among many others. These acquirable skills can be further

applied when the girl is faced with the real challenge of motherhood.

Another common type of roleplaying game is the favorite “playing house” in

which children assume roles of different kinds of people—from parents’ roles to

teachers’ and firefighters’ characters. In this kind of play, the role-taking ability of a child

is probably enhanced the most (Hartley, Frank, & Goldenson, 1964). “Playing house”

exercises children’s sense of responsibility and problem solving. For example, two

children are portraying the roles of a father and a mother. With their sense of sex-

identification roles, both of them will be able to decide who will do what work. The child

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acting as the mother might stay in the “house” and do household chores and take care of

their child, while the father goes out to work. If both of the children imagine that, for

example, the family television breaks, the child portraying the character of a father might

feel responsible for fixing the television. The interactions between the participants of

playing the game help develop the children’s social and communication skills (Pogrebin,

1980). Specifically, it has been observed that playing such make-believe play develops

characteristics such as determination, self-discipline, and good manners, among many

others (Hurlock, 1956).

Playthings have evolved through time. Electronic games have offered newer and

broader variety that children can play with. Around 1996, Japanese manufacturer Bandai

released the first Tamagotchi in the market (Mystic Fortress, 2004). Tamagotchi offered

the first virtual pet in a small egg-like façade, as the name implies (“tamago”, egg;

-“tchi,”, suffix to imply small) (Nakao, 1997). The goal of the game is to take care of the

virtual pets and take responsibility for its growth, as well as prolonging the pets’ lives

instead of letting it die early. To achieve such goal, the player must regularly feed, clean,

and medicate the pet. The virtual pets “communicate” their needs through small beeps, so

as to catch their owners’ attention (Singer & Singer, 2001). The Tamagotchi craze was

not limited to young players, but was also able to catch the adults’ interest.

As small as it may seem, Tamagotchi promotes nurturance among its players.

Tamagotchi manufacturers intentionally made the toy to imitate real life. Thus, some

Japanese parents view it as training for their child to become responsible pet owners

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(Singer & Singer, 2001). Another important matter was that the Tamagotchi owners tend

to become attached to their pets (Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). Unlike the batter-

operated dolls, the Tamagotchi actually hatches from the egg until it grows, and

eventually dies. Singer and Singer (2001) were able to find some cases in which children

actually grieve over the death of their Tamagotchi pets. Though the device is equipped

with a reset button, psychologists have found out the negative effect of the reset function

(Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). Psychologists feared that children would think that

the reset function would also be applicable in real life.

Other ideas emerged upon the creation of Tamagotchi. Different versions were

released such as Angel’s Tamagotchi, which marketed the “resurrection” of the “dead”

Tamagotchi pets (Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). However, most of these versions

were patterned with the traditional Tamagotchi. Thus, most of the pets in these virtual

games die, if not disappear, due to the owners’ lack of care or responsibility for the pets.

Having said that, such virtual games teach the young players to be more conscious and

responsible of their pets and their pets’ needs.

As stated, both role-playing with dolls and playing house and simulated games

develop useful characteristics within a young girl. Among the skills enhanced by such

kinds of play, which of those are traits are desirable characteristics of a mother and/or

wife?

According to Shaffer (1989), children associate their parents with warmth and

affection. They visualize the mother as someone who is understanding, and is willing to

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give all for the love of her child. In Erikson’s (1969) words, a mother is a woman who

“seems to know no law but that of giving”. A mother/wife should also be supportive,

responsible, and most importantly, mindful of her family’s needs. Studies of Lerner

(1937), Meltzer (1943), Duvall (1946), Cederquist (1948), and Mott (1954) have shown

that the child perceives his mother as “the person who does things for him, takes care of

his physical needs with understanding…and who comes to the child’s aid in time of

trouble” (Hurlock, 1956). Through these kinds of role-playing games, the young girls are

able to exercise the ideal traits and skills of a mother.

However, how do children carry the things they learn from childhood play to

when they become adults? How do they apply the skills they have acquired from their

role-playing games?

One of the many possible ways to answer these questions is to make use of Jeann

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, which involves the use of the two processes:

assimilation and accommodation. The two concepts simply imply that new information

can be turned into an existing knowledge (assimilation) and that this knowledge can later

be accessed in people’s brains whenever they need it (accommodation) (King, 2008).

Thus, although a young girl grows up and eventually gets tired of the usual dolls and

games, she will be able to retrieve the knowledge and skills that she was able to

accumulate before.

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In 1959, Maccoby has stated in his publication “Role-taking in Childhood and its

Consequences for Social Learning” that children has the most tendency to learn and

acquire morality from his environment since one is not born with a concrete and

established sense of morality. In addition, Jersild (1960) also mentioned that a child is not

born knowing the differences between right and wrong. The child acquires his perception

of morality through experience. Environment and experience also includes influencing

factors like the child’s family and peers (Jersild, 1960).

By the time motherhood comes, the child must have had her own views and

perspectives when it comes to moral values. Thus, the values she has learned through

play during childhood may or may not be followed assuming that the child now has a

picture of what is and what is not morally correct. Her concept of morality, then, will be

her guide in becoming the best mother to her family when the time eventually comes.

Since play is an inevitable part of children’s lifestyle, children learn from their

play activities in every way possible. Children are able to discover and develop skills that

they probably cannot acquire through formal education. However, play also continues to

evolve together with the younger generation’s interest. Some children will now prefer to

sit down, spend some time with a tablet and play games there instead. Fortunately, child-

targeted applications offer a wide variety of genre, including role-playing games. Perhaps

more applications with the same concept as the live play should be developed so as not to

compromise the benefits of the real and active play.

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