I decided to play Super Smash Bros like a feminist by playing as Pyra and Mythra. Pyra and Mythra are combined as a busted DLC character that is completely unfair to play at a casual level with plenty of BS moves that can be spammed at your opponent(s). As not one but two sword-wielding female fighters, Pyra/Mythra provide representation for female characters in fighting games. Representation is important because it allows for more diverse and inclusive experiences for people of all genders who believe in female representation. Furthermore, Pyra/Mythra are no pushovers and allow players to control strong, capable female characters. This may give female players a greater sense of agency, as the female characters in this case are the protagonists and not just some side/background characters. As women are routinely reduced to just background characters or eye candy in many games even to this day, it is especially important that Pyra/Mythra defy this typecasting and are instead complex, full personalities in their own right who interact with each other and with the other characters in very human and realistic ways. Beyond being presented as real people, Pyra and Mythra boast an astonishing array of powers that they can use to fight others. Since these powers are so oppressive, it is easy to weave a feminist narrative by playing as them and standing up to and crushing the opposition, which may or may not consist of bigger, more muscular male characters. Using Pyra and Mythra to beat up someone like Ike, a very traditionally masculine character, challenges traditional masculine hegemonic archetypes by showing that women are just as capable, and can be many times more capable, than their male counterparts, even in traditionally male-dominated fields such as fighting. Through Super Smash Bros’ core mechanics of combat, I was able to create this feminist narrative, and as such, Super Smash Bros succeeded in being able to tell a good feminist story. As such, Super Smash Bros’s mechanics can be considered feminist mechanics when used in t he right way. Beyond the gameplay itself, I was able to create a welcoming, accessible entry point for feminists into the fighting game world by abstaining from engaging in the toxic gamer culture that dissuades many would-be feminist gamers. I did this by refraining from trash talking my opponents as I was pounding them into the ground as I usually do. Though trash talk is an essential and fun part of competitive games, and should absolutely be encouraged when everyone is comfortable with it, it is not appropriate for playing with new people or with other people around, as it might reinforce negative perceptions of gaming and gamers and turn would-be gamers away from the hobby, thus defeating the whole purpose of the book. Ultimately, the goal of “Play Like a Feminist” is to convince readers to spend more time playing as a tool of radical disruption, thus pulling more people into the conversation. I feel that my experience playing Super Smash Bros as Pyra/Mythra was productive towards this cause, as I demonstrated that female players and characters have a place within games too.
