Monument Valley II is a mobile puzzle game developed by Ustwo Games for players of ages 8 and up. In Monument Valley II, you play as a mother, Ro, and her daughter as they navigate through the geometric puzzle landscape to pass on Ro’s legacy to her daughter.
“What does it mean to play that game as a feminist? What critiques do you have of the game? How does it intertwine feminist theories (or other theories mentioned in the book), or fail to do so? If it fails to do so, discuss how utilizing feminist perspectives could improve the game.”
Analysis:
As we discussed in class and in the reading, some women may come home from a long day of their full-time job to their “second shift” as the caregiver of the home. This cycle of managing the emotional labor of other people may be extended for some women gamers as they clock in for their “third shift” as a mother of virtual sims or the chef of a virtual kitchen. When developing games with a feminist lens, it’s important to understand that a woman is still human outside of her roles as a wife and mother.
Monument Valley II does a phenomenal job of creating an emotional narrative between Ro and her daughter without Ro sacrificing her identity to manage the emotional labor of raising her daughter. Rather, the game makes it explicitly clear that Ro is on her own journey that centers herself and her needs. For example, the player solves each of the initial puzzles to witness Ro teach her daughter how to navigate the monument puzzle landscape, only for Ro to send her daughter away to embark on a transformative coming-of-age journey. This scene leads us to pivotal moments that highlight Ro’s identity as a person, outside of her role as a mother.
In the cutscene immediately after Ro’s daughter is sent away, she’s met with a message that her journey isn’t over yet—she’s to learn what it means to let go of her daughter for the sake of her growth. Then, the player spends the next couple of chapters navigating Ro’s past, visiting her friends, and learning that Ro was also sent away by her mother when it was time for her to grow up. This reveals a cyclical relationship between the mother/daughter roles of this game’s world and is also a reflection of generational cycles between mothers and daughters in the real world. Narratively, Monument Valley II centers around feminist perspectives on motherhood and generational cycles, while also focusing on showcasing powerful examples of strong mothers whose emotional caregiving is both a source of strength and personal growth.
[Screenshots (in order): Ro’s journey continues beyond her role as a mother, Ro’s daughter is sent away by Ro, A young Ro is sent away by her mother]
MDA:
Now that we’ve discussed how the narrative of the game embeds feminist perspectives into the story and theme, let’s focus on how it embeds feminist perspectives through the nature of the gameplay. Each chapter is a different monument puzzle where the player manipulates the environment to give Ro or her daughter a clear way through the puzzle. The gameplay mechanics focus solely on the satisfying feeling of shifting puzzles into place, instead of focusing on time management or emotional caregiving as is typically associated with Ro’s role as a mother. So, women playing this game are able to enjoy the narrative between the mother/daughter duo without being expected to raise a virtual daughter. This approach to feminist storytelling without reinforcing familial gender roles centers women gamers as they are, gamers!
