Rockett's New School
Encyclopedia
Rockett's New School is a visual novel
video game that was developed
and published
by Purple Moon
and released in 1997
. It is the first game in the Rockett series by release order, which is set approximately one year after the Secret Paths series and one year before The Starfire Soccer Challenge, which was aimed to spin off a new Starfire Soccer series. The Rockett series included three subsequent award-winning titles: Rockett's Tricky Decision, Rockett's Secret Invitation, and Rockett's First Dance. The character-based Purple Moon website also became one of the largest and most active online communities ever to exist on the internet.
Rockett's New School was released concurrently with Secret Paths in the Forest
and quickly became one of the most recognizable titles in connection with the beginning of the 1990s surge of girl-oriented computer games, the others including McKenzie & Co
and Barbie Fashion Designer.
, only to have Whitney Weiss, member of the elite clique
"The Ones," criticise her plain-looking outfit, which happens to be uncannily similar to that of another girl. Whitney is driven off by not wanting to be seen with another approaching student, Mavis Wartella-Depew, a nerd
y psychic
; if Rockett chooses to help her open her locker, a choice reinforced by the canon of later games, Mavis gives her a mystical "elf rune" whose magic needs to be recharged.
Rockett goes to homeroom
, where Whitney sits by her; challenged as to why, the blonde explains that her friend Nicole Whittaker is spreading (true, though she denies it) rumours that Whitney went miniature golf
ing with the dorky Arnold Zeitbaum, who harbours an unrequited crush
on her. The homeroom teacher Mr. Baldus calls Rockett up to the front of the room to introduce herself. Afterwards, Jessie gives Rockett a note explaining the main social groups of the school, the major two being the Ones (Nicole, Whitney and Stephanie Hollis) and an equally elite trio, the fun-loving, secretive Cool Sagittarius
Girls (CSGs). Rockett proceeds to the cafeteria, where she catches the girl who is dressed like her glaring at her and has a bad run-in with obnoxious, disgusting Bill Pill, head of food services. After figuring out where to sit (the choices being the Ones' table, with Jessie and kind guitar player Ruben Rosales, or by herself), Rockett eats and goes off to art class.
In art class, Rockett meets the girl with the similar outfit, Dana St. Clair, who has taken an instant dislike to Rockett. However, Dana's friends Nakili Abuto and Miko Kajiyama, fellow CSGs, like Rockett on the spot and tell Dana that she is overreacting. Rockett doodles a Sagittarius symbol on scrap paper, which piques the interest of the CSGs, but then the art teacher arrives. He decides to wax poetic about the conflict between Rockett and Dana, gives Rockett a tie-dye
d shirt from the paint shirt bin so they will not be wearing the same outfit, and appoints her head of the yearbook
committee, much to Miko's dismay.
Rockett leaves art class and is complimented by Nicole on her shirt and appointed as her replacement walking companion, as Whitney has walked off on Nicole for spreading the mini-golf rumour. In the women's washroom, Rockett finds a group notebook that contains extremely private and sensitive information about a group that is either the Ones or the CSGs; Rockett figures out which, but the owner is not revealed to the player until the third game. She becomes privy to a confrontation between Miko, Dana and Mavis, clears things up temporarily, and looks into the mirror for help. Rockett's best friend from her old school, Meg O'Riley, appears in the mirror and gives her advice, and Rockett ends her day optimistic about the year.
, with one major exception: there are no subtitles for the speech. In School, at any time, the player can click Rockett's backpack
and is able to see the contents of the bag in detail, pager
messages from other characters, and the contents of the lockers of three random characters. This is in contrast to the later games, which replaced the backpack with the Hidden Hallway. The Hidden Hallway was an exact, though green-tinted, replica of the eighth-grade hallway, apparently a magical creation much like the Secret Paths treehouse and lighthouse, which could also be accessed at any time and returned from with no time having passed. The game also had a scrapbook
feature in which the player could press the camera icon at certain moments during the story and have a small screen capture of that part appear in Rockett's scrapbook.
Rockett's New School was occasionally criticised for having the characters worry about fashion crises and having racially stereotyped characters such as Miko, the Japanese super-student. But the series also addressed numerous relevant issues, such as physical disability
, parental abuse, and other subjects. Also, with deeper involvement in the gameplay and accessing of the secret information revealed in the Hidden Hallway, players were able to discover a greater depth and diversity among the characters.
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
video game that was developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Purple Moon
Purple Moon
Purple Moon was an American software company based in Mountain View, California, targeted at young girls between the ages of 8 and 14. The company was founded by Brenda Laurel and others, and supported by Interval Research. They debuted their first two games, Rockett's New School and Secret Paths...
and released in 1997
1997 in video gaming
-Events:*October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi dies after a double car accident.*November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association launched.*3rd annual E3...
. It is the first game in the Rockett series by release order, which is set approximately one year after the Secret Paths series and one year before The Starfire Soccer Challenge, which was aimed to spin off a new Starfire Soccer series. The Rockett series included three subsequent award-winning titles: Rockett's Tricky Decision, Rockett's Secret Invitation, and Rockett's First Dance. The character-based Purple Moon website also became one of the largest and most active online communities ever to exist on the internet.
Rockett's New School was released concurrently with Secret Paths in the Forest
Secret Paths in the Forest
Secret Paths in the Forest is a puzzle game that was developed and published by Purple Moon and released in 1997. It is the first game in the Secret Paths series by release order, which is set approximately one year before the Rockett series and two years before The Starfire Soccer Challenge, which...
and quickly became one of the most recognizable titles in connection with the beginning of the 1990s surge of girl-oriented computer games, the others including McKenzie & Co
McKenzie & Co
McKenzie & Co. was an full-motion video CD-ROM dating sim game released by Her Interactive in 1995,designed to be played by girls. It was available for Windows 3.1/Windows 95 and Mac OS....
and Barbie Fashion Designer.
Story
15-year-old red-headed Judith "Rockett" Movado arrives at her first day of grade eight at Whistling Pines Jr. High, clearly unfamiliar with anything that goes on around her. The loudspeaker spouts a greeting, and she begins her day meeting the sweet, soft-spoken Jessie Marbella. The choices that the player makes from here on determine the revelation of certain plot points and whether or not certain events transpire, but the game always uses this basic framework: Rockett and Jessie become separated, and she goes to her lockerLocker
Locker may refer to:* Locker , various kinds of storage compartment or container* Footlocker , a storage box* In nautical usage, a "locker" may be a storage place that in other environments would not be referred to as a locker, such as cupboards on board ships for keeping stores, anchor lockers,...
, only to have Whitney Weiss, member of the elite clique
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
"The Ones," criticise her plain-looking outfit, which happens to be uncannily similar to that of another girl. Whitney is driven off by not wanting to be seen with another approaching student, Mavis Wartella-Depew, a nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
y psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
; if Rockett chooses to help her open her locker, a choice reinforced by the canon of later games, Mavis gives her a mystical "elf rune" whose magic needs to be recharged.
Rockett goes to homeroom
Homeroom
Homeroom or advisory is the classroom session in which a teacher records attendance and makes announcements. It can also be called Registration or Planning Period...
, where Whitney sits by her; challenged as to why, the blonde explains that her friend Nicole Whittaker is spreading (true, though she denies it) rumours that Whitney went miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
ing with the dorky Arnold Zeitbaum, who harbours an unrequited crush
Puppy love
Puppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...
on her. The homeroom teacher Mr. Baldus calls Rockett up to the front of the room to introduce herself. Afterwards, Jessie gives Rockett a note explaining the main social groups of the school, the major two being the Ones (Nicole, Whitney and Stephanie Hollis) and an equally elite trio, the fun-loving, secretive Cool Sagittarius
Sagittarius (astrology)
Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 240th and 269th degree of celestial longitude...
Girls (CSGs). Rockett proceeds to the cafeteria, where she catches the girl who is dressed like her glaring at her and has a bad run-in with obnoxious, disgusting Bill Pill, head of food services. After figuring out where to sit (the choices being the Ones' table, with Jessie and kind guitar player Ruben Rosales, or by herself), Rockett eats and goes off to art class.
In art class, Rockett meets the girl with the similar outfit, Dana St. Clair, who has taken an instant dislike to Rockett. However, Dana's friends Nakili Abuto and Miko Kajiyama, fellow CSGs, like Rockett on the spot and tell Dana that she is overreacting. Rockett doodles a Sagittarius symbol on scrap paper, which piques the interest of the CSGs, but then the art teacher arrives. He decides to wax poetic about the conflict between Rockett and Dana, gives Rockett a tie-dye
Tie-dye
Tie-dye is a process of resist dyeing textiles or clothing which is made from knit or woven fabric, usually cotton; typically using bright colors. It is a modern version of traditional dyeing methods used in many cultures throughout the world. "Tie-dye" can also describe the resulting pattern or an...
d shirt from the paint shirt bin so they will not be wearing the same outfit, and appoints her head of the yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
committee, much to Miko's dismay.
Rockett leaves art class and is complimented by Nicole on her shirt and appointed as her replacement walking companion, as Whitney has walked off on Nicole for spreading the mini-golf rumour. In the women's washroom, Rockett finds a group notebook that contains extremely private and sensitive information about a group that is either the Ones or the CSGs; Rockett figures out which, but the owner is not revealed to the player until the third game. She becomes privy to a confrontation between Miko, Dana and Mavis, clears things up temporarily, and looks into the mirror for help. Rockett's best friend from her old school, Meg O'Riley, appears in the mirror and gives her advice, and Rockett ends her day optimistic about the year.
Gameplay
The Rockett series acts like a typical visual novelVisual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
, with one major exception: there are no subtitles for the speech. In School, at any time, the player can click Rockett's backpack
Backpack
A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
and is able to see the contents of the bag in detail, pager
Pager
A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call...
messages from other characters, and the contents of the lockers of three random characters. This is in contrast to the later games, which replaced the backpack with the Hidden Hallway. The Hidden Hallway was an exact, though green-tinted, replica of the eighth-grade hallway, apparently a magical creation much like the Secret Paths treehouse and lighthouse, which could also be accessed at any time and returned from with no time having passed. The game also had a scrapbook
Scrapbook
Scrapbook can refer to:* Scrapbooking, the process of making a scrapbook* Scrapbook , a Mac OS application* Scrapbook , a Switchblade Symphony album* Scrapbook * ScrapBook, a Firefox extension...
feature in which the player could press the camera icon at certain moments during the story and have a small screen capture of that part appear in Rockett's scrapbook.
Criticisms
Though the game was generally praised as a step in the right direction for girl gamers and recognition of their rights, some reviewers felt it sent the message that girls could not play "regular" games ("action games") or other games not specifically targeted toward them. However, all Rockett and Secret Paths games were based on more than four years of intensive research and testing with girls within the targeted demographic and were designed in accordance with the preferences revealed by this prior research, as well as testing concurrent with production.Rockett's New School was occasionally criticised for having the characters worry about fashion crises and having racially stereotyped characters such as Miko, the Japanese super-student. But the series also addressed numerous relevant issues, such as physical disability
Physical disability
A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....
, parental abuse, and other subjects. Also, with deeper involvement in the gameplay and accessing of the secret information revealed in the Hidden Hallway, players were able to discover a greater depth and diversity among the characters.