The game I chose is Monument Valley, created by ustwo. It is a mobile puzzle game available on iOS and Android platforms, with a target audience age of 7+. The game mainly targets casual players, puzzle fans, and players interested in artistic or relaxing experiences rather than competitive gameplay. Unlike many puzzle games that focus heavily on speed, difficulty, or punishment, Monument Valley creates a slower and more relaxed experience through impossible 3D architecture, visual storytelling, and quiet exploration.
Playing Monument Valley as a feminist means recognizing how the game rejects many traditional ideas about what puzzle games are “supposed” to be. Feminism and games are not opposites, but instead can work together to create new forms of play that are more inclusive, thoughtful, and disruptive of gaming norms. Feminism is about questioning systems and rethinking structures of power. Monument Valley reflects this idea by refusing many of the dominant design conventions of mainstream gaming culture, especially those tied to competition, violence, and masculine power fantasies.
One of the most feminist aspects of Monument Valley is its focus on empathy and quiet emotional storytelling instead of domination. The player controls Princess Ida, a silent female character who moves through dreamlike architecture. Unlike many female characters in games, Ida is not sexualized, hyperviolent, or written mainly as a romantic object. Her design is simple, modest, and symbolic. This matters because many mainstream games still rely on exaggerated female bodies or male-centered narratives. Historically, games have been designed for masculine audiences, but Monument Valley expands what games are capable of being.
The mechanics of the game involve rotating, clicking, and dragging structures while manipulating perspective to create new pathways. This creates a dynamic focused on experimentation rather than punishment. There are almost no fail states, timers, or enemies in the game. Instead, the game produces aesthetic feelings of calmness, relaxation, and wonder. Many other puzzle games challenge players through mastery, difficult obstacles, or intellectual dominance, often relying on numbers, combat, or character-based challenges. In comparison, Monument Valley challenges players through imagination, impossible architecture, and perspective-based puzzles. The game’s puzzles are designed to be visually enjoyable rather than centered around masculine achievement systems or aggressive competition. Even the soundtrack and visual design support this softer approach to play, making the overall experience feel meditative rather than aggressive. Overall, Monument Valley redefines what puzzle games can be by creating a peaceful and emotionally engaging experience that values creativity, exploration, and reflection over domination and punishment.
One interesting detail in Monument Valley is that the game describes the world as a former valley of men, and there are many black crow-like figures that scream at the player and block Ida’s path whenever she gets too close. I think these crows can be interpreted as a metaphor for male-dominated gaming spaces or societies that reject outsiders and discourage women from entering. This connects strongly to Shira Chess’s discussion in Play Like a Feminist, where she explains how gaming culture has historically excluded women and resisted change. The behavior of the crows reflects the history of men trying to exclude female players.
However, the ending changes this symbolism in an important way. At the end of the game, the black crows transform into colorful birds with wings and peacefully fly away. I interpret this as a metaphor for equality and transformation. Instead of remaining divided or hostile, the characters become visually similar and free, suggesting a future where differences between women and men are no longer treated as barriers. The game presents the possibility of harmony and coexistence rather than conflict or domination.
At the same time, Monument Valley is not perfect from a feminist perspective. One critique is that the game presents feminism mostly through symbolism, aesthetics, and emotional tone rather than directly addressing deeper systems of inequality. Although the game centers a female protagonist and creates a peaceful alternative to many masculine gaming traditions, it does not strongly explore intersectionality, identity, or social structures in explicit ways. Shira Chess argues that feminism is not only about representation, but also about questioning larger systems of power and asking, “Who gets to define play?” Monument Valley expands the definition of play stylistically by rejecting violence and competition, but it stops short of fully confronting social inequalities or challenging them directly.
Monument Valley changed how I think about accessibility and inclusivity in games. Before playing it, I often associated “good puzzle” with challenge, competition, or skill mastery. However, Monument Valley showed me that games can also create meaningful experiences through calmness, emotional storytelling, and visual exploration. The game challenged the assumption that softer forms of play are less valuable, which connects closely to feminist critiques of traditional gaming culture.
Overall, Monument Valley succeeds as a feminist-inspired game because it creates a gentler and more inclusive style of play while symbolically critiquing exclusion and dominance. Even though its feminist themes are subtle rather than openly political, the game still encourages players to imagine a more equal and compassionate world through its mechanics, visuals, and narrative design.
