Kim Kardashian: Hollywood & The Allure of Being A Celebrity

Written by Nadia Marissa, Class of 2014

Love her or hate her, Kim Kardashian has built herself an empire from which she can mint money constantly. A recent addition to this is her free-to-download game (available on both Android and iPhone), KIM KARDASHIAN: HOLLYWOOD. 

The premise is simple, you start at the bottom and crawl your way to the top by making appearances, modelling and walking the runaway. This is done by tapping a series of buttons to complete tasks, in order to fulfill your current goal. At first glance, it’s vapid and superfluous. So why is it that this game stands to make $200 million this year and has a five star rating on the app store? 

Some of Kim Kardashian's favourite outfits in the game!

You don’t have to look far into the human psyche to find the answer. Only a microscopic group of people have the luxury of luxury. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood allows you to experience the life of an elite where bicoastal flights are worth mere dollars and it’s okay to blow off $950 on this really nice tank top which is an absolutely necessary purchase, thank you very much. There are no credit card debts, utility bills to foot or taxes to pay in Kim Kardashian’s world. 

The media mogul has intelligently created a warped, idealised, and infinitely more glamorous version of adulthood within this small game. A twisted piece of reality which apparently, everyone wants. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a fashion shoot to complete.