- What does it mean to play that game as a feminist? What critiques do you have of the game?
Super Smash Bros has eighty five characters overall and out of those, only 14 of them are female characters which is only sixteen percent of the overall characters. Playing characters such as Princess Peach and Isabelle involves thinking critically about their representation and challenging traditional gender norms. Out of those few female characters, most align with the stereotypical societal expectations of women to be gentle, nurturing characters in need of savior’s help. This perpetuates narrow views of how female characters should look like and behave. Female characters also don’t have a significant role in the narrative and backstory as opposed to their male counterparts, making them seem less important and as a side character to support the male characters.
Princess Peach is a classic representation of a damsel-in-distress who’s in need of men’s help. This can inadvertently send messages to young girls about their helplessness and lack of agency over their own life and challenges.
On the other hand, Isabelle from Animal Crossing is reimagined to be a warrior in Super Smash Bros. Although she was portrayed as a caring, nurturing character in Animal Crossing, she’s portrayed as a fierce fighter in Super Smash Bros, challenging pre-confined gender norms about women’s strength and stereotypical nurturing characteristics.
- How does it intertwine feminist theories? How can utilizing feminist perspectives improve the game?
Utilizing intersectional feminist theories, Super Smash Bros needs more female characters from very diverse backgrounds such as different body types, dressing style, race, ethnicity, etc. to make little girls feel seen and represented across the world. They need to add more backstory and main character narratives to the female character beyond just stereotypical portrayal as the pretty princess or nurturing caretaker.
The creator of Super Smash Bros needs to empower the female characters as strong, independent women who have agency and power over their own lives and dreams. This will challenge traditional gender norms with more multifaceted portrayal of female characters. For instance, Princess Peach can be made self-sufficient and a strong, independent woman who can fight for herself and has missions to save the world or fulfill her big dreams instead of portraying her as a helpful, passive damsel-in-distress. She can be a heroic fighter as well instead of waiting around for others to save her, highlighting her strength, personal agency and empowerment.
By incorporating these feminist perspective, Super Smash Bros can become a more inclusive and representative gaming community, engaging even more diverse players as they feel seen and represented.
