Tampon Run creators, Andy & Sophie, present a new way to look at menstruation!

By now, you’ve probably heard of Tampon Run. It’s a video game developed by two New York City high school students, Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser. They recently attended Girls Who Code camp and made the game as their final project. After posting it to the web, Tampon Run took off on social media for its ease of play and its empowering message.

The intro sequence to the game speaks all you need to know: “The taboo that surrounds [menstruation] teaches women that a normal and natural bodily function is embarrassing and crude. Tampon Run is a way of discussing the taboo in an accessible way. Instead of holding a gun, the runner holds tampons, and instead of shooting enemies, the runner throws tampons at them.”

The game’s objective also plays on a menstruation theme: Don’t run out of tampons! The controls are simple – a few keyboard buttons – and it’s very easy to understand. Though the controls are simple, Tampon Run is still a challenge! You always have a small supply of tampons — and jumping for tampon boxes usually only occurs at the same time you need to be shooting enemies. The enemies are either stationary or running at you, often quite fast.  It’s easy to overuse the shoot button and dwindle your tampon supply, especially when multiple enemies begin running at you.  The game ends when you run out of tampons, adding the challenge of constantly monitoring your usage.

Overall, Tampon Run is a fun, simple, and still challenging game – good for that need-a-break or marathon-competition gameplay with friends. In the spirit of Candy Crush or an old favorite of mine, Lemonade Stand, it’s a game that all ages can enjoy and continually challenges you with faster and more enemies (and an ever-dwindling stock of tampon boxes!).

Have you played Tampon Run? Share your review – or high score! – in the comments!

-Tiffany Rhoades
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.