[FatboyRoberts]

The story:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/1...-a-sex-change/

The Details:

Dad has been playing Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker with his three-and-a-half year-old daughter. Dad says to himself "I'm not having my girl grow up thinking girls don't get to be the hero." Dad goes at Wind Waker with a hex editor, and changes all pronouns referring to Link from the masculine to the feminine. An example being:



The questions:

How viable is this as a solution to the problem of young girls having not too many games (comparably) in which girls represent the hero?

Will this introduce problems later when the girl discovers that she has the only version of Wind Waker in which Link is a girl?

Ultimately, is all the work worth it in order to be assured the girl does garner some semblance of self-worth from playing the game in this way? Is such an assurance via video game even possible?

[Bisnic]

She's 3 years old, why bother?

[Cameron122]

Ehh I think it was a cool thing for the dad to do.

[BocoDragon]

Just put in Beyond Good and Evil instead.

[Croc]

She's 3 years old, why bother?

"I'm not having my girl grow up thinking girls don't get to be the hero."

Young kids are impressionable and it gives her something to look up to.

I'd think it's awesome if I learned my dad did this.

[Smiles and Cries]

She's 3 years old, why bother?

every parent has some grand ideas of how to raise a child even at those really early stages

[Classic_Gs]

Ehh I think it was a cool thing for the dad to do.

Agreed. Very cool.

[JokerOfSpades]

For fuck's sake. Give her some Metroid games.

Seems overreactive. Especially considering she's 3 and probably hasn't questioned any of it yet. I can associate with any character regardless of gender or race. I dunno why people get so pressed about it.

Corollary: I would play and enjoy a Zelda game with a female Link. I really just don't care.

[Parakeetman]

As cute as that is, its really pointless.

Proper education should tell said child that just because some text on a screen says something does not mean its set in stone as a fact.

Less coddling I say.

[markot]

I think its great. Most girls pick girls to play as in pokemon. Would it be as popular if there was only a male choice?

[Eusis]

Well, there's Okami instead, but that might have some aspects not really desirable for a 3 year old anyway. Also I think both male and female pronouns were used with Amaterasu, though generally being regarded as the Sun Goddess pushes that to female.

Then there's the fact she's a wolf rather than a humanoid, so that's probably not the most ideal for positive gender reinforcement anyway.

[Dresden]

Don't see why not. Link was always a cross dressing girl anyways.

[bigdaddygamebot]

+1 for doing something like that for his daughter.

-1 for having his three and a half year old daughter playing Wind Waker.

[Cameron122]

Now if he modded it to make it where Link gets kidnapped, and his sister has to save him... That'd be badass.

[cj_iwakura]

Just give her Bayonetta. Trial by fire!

[Mailenstein]

Someone should do this with Super Mario Bros. lol. "Mario is in another castle."

[Inorigo]

Just put in Beyond Good and Evil instead.

My thoughts exactly. Editing WW? I dunno. It's just a really hack-kneed solution. As the OP points, he's ostensibly lied to his kid.

[Shambles]

What a stupid thread title.

[Kazerei]

Cool. Wind Waker is a great game for a 3.5-year-old, too.

[Choc]

+1 for doing something like that for his daughter. -1 for having his three and a half year old daughter playing Wind Waker.

Not playing. Watching

[nullset2]

Pointless without, you know, actually rewriting like, the story to make the pronoun change coherent and relevant and actually having the main playable character model be a girl instead of link, dude.

[Firestorm]

This is awesome.

[JordanN]

Seems pretty stupid. If I wanted a girl to feel like a hero, I would hand her a game that has a female hero.



<------ Shameless avatar quote.

[toddhunter]

Knowing three year olds;

assuming the three year old pays attention to the game longer than 20 seconds
assuming the three year old can read at a high enough level to make sense of the text changes
assuming the three year old cares about gender issues

Assuming all that? The three year old will probably want to watch him play a decent zelda game instead anyway.

[Dizzy-4U]

But can she read?

[markot]

Seems pretty stupid. If I wanted to Girl to feel like a hero, I would hand her game that has a female hero.

All 4?

[bigdaddygamebot]

Not playing. Watching

She shouldn't be watching it either.

There's parts at the beginning that would scare most three year olds.

She's three.

Knowing three year olds; assuming the three year old pays attention to the game longer than 20 seconds assuming the three year old can read at a high enough level to make sense of the text changes assuming the three year old cares about gender issues and

A thousand times this...

[Oni Link 666]

Can she even read?

[Kazerei]

I'm surprised there's so much criticism here. LOL you guys.

[rpmurphy]

I too, sometimes wonder what the game would be like if Zelda was a girl.

[BurritoBushido]

This is kind of awesome

[Eusis]

Pointless without, you know, actually rewriting like, the story to make the pronoun change coherent and relevant and actually having the main playable character model be a girl instead of link, dude.

I think he's banking on the design and voice making it sort of work. It helps Tetra looks as if she could be Link's brother.

[Bisnic]

every parent has some grand ideas of how to raise a child even at those really early stages

Still seems like a lot of trouble for something her daughter probably dont care about at this age, especially if she can't read or anything. I mean, there is no voice acting there.

If he cares that much, give her that Princess Peach game on the DS or something.

[JordanN]

All 4?

Do numbers seriously matter?

[JokerOfSpades]

I think its great. Most girls pick girls to play as in pokemon. Would it be as popular if there was only a male choice?

Yes, because while people choose characters that correspond to their own gender, I assure you that people only really give a shit about the Pokemon themselves. That's how it works.

If I had to play as a female character only it would not affect me at all.

[bigdaddygamebot]

I'm surprised there's so much criticism here. LOL you guys.

Clever...and his heart is in the right place.

His small child shouldn't be watching Wind Waker however.

[Chacranajxy]

Well, Link is a boy, so fucking... whatever.

[Croc]

You guys...he is playing the game WITH her, she is not playing it by herself.

He's probably reading this stuff off to her and making a point of it.

[Visualante2]

She'll probably grow up to hate gaming, because her father forced it down her throat. Just like I did.

edit. Also a lesbian.

[freddy]

Well, Link is a boy, so fucking... whatever.

But he looks like a girl.

[Eusis]

She'll probably grow up to hate gaming, because her father forced it down her throat. Just like I did.

Might be that she wants to watch him play, and he thought he'd use this to help teach her to read.

[Chacranajxy]

But he looks like a girl.

He's a boy.

[markot]

Do numbers seriously matter?

Of course. There need to be more 'strong' female leads in games, if only for some dame variety. MMOs are popular with women, because they can play as females. Not to over generalise, but men are main characters cause men prefer it, women are not being catered to. Would the next cod or what nots be as big as they are if you played as a female? When people have a choice they generally pick their own gender to play as. Why's the white male the standard? Because he is the main consumer and target audience.

[dickgumshoe]

Link's granny should have ask "Are you a boy or a girl"

[Ultimadrago]

I see no harm in this. In fact, it's pretty neat.

Assuming all that? The three year old will probably want to watch him play a decent zelda game instead anyway.

Why play a merely decent one when he's already playing one of the best?

[Choc]

Clever...and his heart is in the right place. His small child shouldn't be watching Wind Waker however.

whats so fuckin scary at the start of WW?

its a cartoon ffs

[hemo memo]

I blame the industry.

[Jotamide]

ITT: people who assume 3-year olds have no concept of the world around them.

[FatboyRoberts]

What a stupid thread title.

It's a paraphrase of the dad's own quote. Felt it summed up the the thrust of the article decently enough - it's also the subhead for the article itself.

(shrug) I'm sure if you come up with something way cooler a mod will switch it.

I think he's banking on the design and voice making it sort of work.

Yeah, Link is pretty androgynous in Wind Waker. If all the text is referring to him as a her, it's not much of a stretch at all to believe the main character is a girl, especially if that's your first exposure to the character.

[disap.ed]

So his 3 year old daughter is able to read? Congrats.