By: Ryan Seiler
Posted: August 19, 2012
For years
video games have been accused of harboring misogynistic points of view and
behavior. I would argue that this idea spawns from the overwhelming majority
males hold in gaming culture, and that many times the depiction of females
falls to those who cynically view gamers as sexually repressed pubescent boys
who view women as if they’re in an eighties teen comedy. But this only excuses
the majority of female game tropes, i.e. the sexy warrior with armor skimpier
than lingerie models. Other games aren’t meant to titillate male gamers,
instead they offer up an unrealistic or ignorant view of women. Just look at
every Bratz game, or dress-up social game. Hell, even the well meaning Cooking Mama had players questioning
whether or not it was a modern day Easy Bake Oven, teaching girls their role in
the kitchen.
Enter Super Princess Peach, this seemed like
the obvious next step for Nintendo; Yoshi got his own game, and so did Luigi,
all they really had left was Peach and Toad. And I don’t think Toad appeals to
quite as many demographics as Peach does– what with being a near genderless
mushroom with a face. Soon after the game’s release it was attacked for its
negative portrayal of Peach. Many claimed that the game was merely a
back-handed cash-in towards a female audience. But this is Nintendo. People
must be blowing things out of proportion – right?