Tuesday, October 9, 2012

damsel in...distress??

I know we haven't quiiiite gotten to gender and gaming yet, but something we said in class the other day made me remember these phenomenal videos that College Humor did. They're about Peach and Zelda catching up, chatting about their lives and what they're doing when Mario and Link are off questing after them for like 90% of the games. (There's also a funny one in which all four characters are there and they try to one-up each other's boyfriends. Different vein, same idea.) I like stuff like this because not only does it look at game narratives from an interesting perspective; it also interrogates the "damsel in distress" archetype that early video games and sci fi movies were so drawn to. it gives these ladies some more agency. plus the actors are friggin hilarious.

On another note, I think this also ties into the idea of "para-text." Videos like these take an established universe and play with it, finding new ways to inhabit it and learning new ways to explore it or think about it.

3 comments:

  1. I've seen this video before! I find it hilariously insightful, and appreciate it's poking fun of common video game tropes, while still showing obvious love for the video games from whence the characters came.

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  2. Caty,

    I had not seen this video, and I love Zelda's point "it's not called the Legend of Link." And I LOVE how it plays with "being captured on purpose" and showing how smart these women can be in a gaming world that often portrays them as being helpless. Awesome.

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  3. This video was awesome! I'm glad it finally gave some credit to the women in classic video games and steers away from the "damsel in distress" stereotype, and instead portrays them as in total control.

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