Misogyny and Video Games

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I play plenty of video games, from Destiny 2 to Enter the Gungeon. I'd like to say I play a variety of video games but After watching this video by Anita Sarkeesian, it was put into perspective for me how much the "Damsel in Distress" trope is used in video games. Because I mainly play games like Fortnite and Minecraft, games that don't really have much story, I guess I never realized how big of an issue this is. Thinking of the main criminals like the Mario series and the Legend of Zelda series, I guess it never really occurred to me the misogyny in their story lines. It had sort of been normalized to me. The issue has certainly got more attention recently but I think it needs to be addressed more. Just because the games are fun with the issues present doesn't make it an excuse. I personally think that having Peach or Zelda as the main character in some games. Even after playing the fantastic Breath of the Wild, the most recent Legend of Zelda game, I think it would be great to have Zelda as a playable character in the second one, since it's been confirmed with a trailer that there will be a sequel. Overall, though the gameply isn't affected by the misogyny and the games are still good, and even sometimes great games, the issue still needs to be erased. Zelda, Peach, and all the other so called "damsels" deserve their own games.

Comments

  1. I came to basically the same realization after thinking about the games that I've played and watching that video. I knew this trope was common, but I didn't realize the effect that it had on me. I'm curious if you think that this has affected your mindset, because it has definately affected me negatively. I enjoy movies and books more when they end with the main charecter getting with their love interest. The concept of women as reward has taken some root in may brain because the trope is everywhere. I'm curious if you feel similarly.

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