When I started playing Kim Kardashian's iPhone game I was looking for a relaxing foray into the glam life of the A-list. I was not looking to answer questions that would test my views on morality and ethics. Nevertheless, while playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, I have been faced with multiple moral dilemmas that I hope Kim herself never had to face, because they're pretty tricky to answer.
Basically, I'm pretty sure Kim even thought this whole app thing up because she was tired of people judging her and wanted to teach us a lesson about her life. I imagine Kim's comments in the development meetings went something like this:
Kim: "Everyone says modeling and filming a show isn't hard. Make them do a lot of tasks simultaneously until they feel my pain."
Tech Person: "Lots of strenuous job opportunities, got it."
Kim: "And I have been forced to choose between family and career, so let's make them choose too. Ha!"
Tech Person: "Adding a ;Can women have it all; question, check!"
Kim: "This business is full of pressure to get naked and get plastic surgery. If they judge my decisions they should have to make those tough calls also."
Tech Person: "Anything else?"
Kim: "Throw some Kanye references in there too, please!"
Tech person:
Kim's game has forced me to make a lot of tough decisions. I'm not talking about which outfit to wear or whether or not I should buy a house. I'm talking about deciding whether to do nude photo shoots, get plastic surgery, and whether I can have a career and have love.
Here are the five biggest moral dilemmas Kim poses in her game and what happened when I answered them.
THE NUDE PHOTO SHOOT DEBACLE
Fashion photographer Marcel Tesiano want you to do a tasteful naked photo op.
If you say yes: Your career will get a big boost. In Kim's game stripping down means beaucoup points.
If you say no: The job goes to your enemy Willow Pape and your career suffers for it.
THE PLASTIC SURGERY QUESTION
Fashion maven Chloe tells you that you can totally make it in high fashion if you just get a little nip and tuck.
If you say yes: You will have to pay $2,000 for that work and your avatar will stay looking the same. You will get to keep Chloe on your work contacts list, but you might feel weird about how you got there.
If you say no: You never hear from Chloe again.
THE LOVE VS. CAREER CHOICE
I have discovered that it's almost impossible to "have it all" when it come's to Kim's game. You can date or you can be number one at your job, but you can't have both.
If you pick love: You can visit sections of the game that stay locked and have a GF/BF to spend money on.
If you pick career: You can excel at your chosen profession without dropping a lot of money on an ungrateful date.
THE FRIENDS VS. CAREER DEBATE
You get asked this twice in the game. The first time Simon makes you choose between a long lost friendship and your career.
If you say career: Simon is pleased and so are you because the friend was kind of a free-loader anyway. He gets pissed but, like, who cares?
If you say friends: You probably shouldn't in this instance. The guy is a jerk who is like, "Let's party!" Even after you politely said you had a previous work engagement. I presume if you pick "friends" it stalls your career and makes the job you skipped on not hire you again.
THE SECOND FRIENDS VS. CAREER DEBATE
A much more sinister dilemma is when Elizabeth Korkov (the digital version of Anna Wintour) finds out you sell Misty's line in your store alongside hers. She tells you to break it off with Misty or consider your career finished.
If you say career: Congratulations! Your professional relationship with Elizabeth is saved!
If you say friends: Elizabeth is pissed and tells you that you have until the end of the day to change your mind. Fortunately, before I was faced with the decision again, my publicist Maria stepped in with a grand idea. She said that I should explain to Elizabeth that selling both Misty's clothes and her clothes in my store has actually boosted the popularity of Elizabeth's line. So maybe my career isn't doomed after all! Thanks Maria! (See, standing up for what you believe in does pay off sometimes.)
Honestly Kim, these moral dilemmas are be pretty difficult for an app that's just supposed to be about being famous.
But at the very least, this game will make you think. That's not something I usually associate with video games and/or Kim Kardashian, so maybe there is hope for this game after all.
