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[Skittzo0413]

"Here's a new popular thing! How do we write something controversial about it that's bound to get a lot of clicks??"

Sure seems like a pointless article. I'd argue there are far, far, FAR worse examples of sexism and gender politics in the app store that they are ignoring.

 

[MoogleWizard]

That's what you get for ignoring Daisy again!

 

[Onemic]

Id say their opinion is consistent only if they dont play Mario games in general...because this is literally in every Mario game minus Toadette.

They should also probably not let their kid play Zelda with that line of thinking since it also uses the same trope.

 

[Zomba13]

What about the millions of faceless toads that get traded around and used as currency? Obviously promoting slavery right?

 

[dugdug]

I almost always fall on the "SJW" side of arguments like this. All for gender politics being discussed, etc...but, I just don't see the actual harm in the Mario franchise.

Like, we should always strive for more diversity, and all, but, you need to pick your battles, and, I just don't feel like Mario is one worth fighting.

 

[MetalFreak]

Jesus wept...

 

[LordRaptor]

Should have bought GTA:SA instead and make a stand against oppressive social constructs about agism

 

[Bydobob]

This summarises what is so depressing about society today. Mario games are about as innocent as they come, refreshingly devoid of any subtext, and a ray of sunlight in this cruel, cynical world. God help us if we're now at a point where Mario offends people's sensibilities.

 

[Owensboro]

Alright, I'll bite on the damsel in distress trope being used as kind of a bummer, but the Toadette thing is grasping at straws. Last I checked, Toadette wasn't a hyper sexualized character who's only there to support her main squeeze.

 

[Kurdel]

I am not sure if shielding your children from these tropes is over parenting or lazy parenting.

Anyway, it's a just a waste of energy your kids will be exposed to Mario Bros eventually.

 

[OVDRobo]

I'm all for most things that people argue for when it comes to representation and equality, but in this case? Seriously, fuck off and find something actually worth being outraged over.

 

[The Citizen Kane of Games]

I don't understand... are games not allowed to have female characters being kidnapped anymore without it being regarded as sexist?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6p5AZp7r_Q

Or something

 

[John Kowalski]

Despite Nintendo's reputation of... having terrible gender politics? This is hardly a newfound reality of Ninty games.

 

[Dunkley]

I mean this doesn't really limit itself to Super Mario Run at all, but I feel the discussion about the Mario franchise and gender politics has been done to death at this point as Nintendo's stance on repeating that story setup never really changed.

The only notable example to be made next to Super Princess Peach, which I sadly never played and thus can't comment on how positive it is, is that Peach wasn't kidnapped in Super Mario 3D World, but at least as far as that is concerned, it doesn't really improve much either given instead you just got a bunch of fairies to be the damsel instead.

 

[Genryu]

Peach and Toadette become playable only after you complete certain tasks, which makes the women in the game feel like prizes. (To be fair, the same is true of a few male characters.)

Does this mean that paid DLC characters in video games are prostitutes?

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

The unlocking = prize kind of thing is kind of a stretch. The whole Peach constantly being kidnapped thing is pretty archaic and I don't know if anyone would really miss it if they stopped using that plot for the 160th time. Peach being playable in 3D World was great.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Super Mario Run

gender politics.

The authors were so preoccupied on whether or not they could that they never stopped to think if they should.

The princess is distress is not an inherently bad trope in fiction. In Mario (and Donkey Kong before it), it exists only as a superficial motivator to tell the player Mario = Good, Bowser = bad, you the player should overcome obstacles to vanquish the bad guy. There is no deeper story to be found in Mario fiction.

Mario has been consistently inclusive as a franchise, with playable female characters in nearly every spin-off franchise (Kart, Smash, RPG, numerous Mario Bros games), and Princess Peach has even had her own game where she saves Mario & gang!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Princess_Peach

Being inclusive means also being accepting of male protagonists in stereotypical (even fictional) gender roles - because it's part of the fabric of our society. Cutting yourself off (or cutting your children off) from all such instances is being close-minded and sexist to the other extreme.

 

[Manoko]

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

That poor 6 year old. "Daddy won't let me play that because of genner poly ticks"

Everything the guy says is tailored to fit his argument. The women are playable characters? They're unlocks so they are being treated as prizes. Oh and so are male characters mumble mumble hand wave. Peach doesn't get a kiss from Mario if you play as her. Betcha anything if she did, "the female character does all the work for validation from a male".

Someone send this guy Super Princess Peach for DS and melt his brain when he sees the sexism in that one

 

[ViolentP]

I was wondering when Nintendo was finally going to get hit with this as well.

 

[Cepheus]

Wow. I didn't think people actually thought this way about Mario games...

 

[Moofers]

Sorry but this comes off as "hot take" bullshit to me. Not everything needs to be 100% perfectly PC. If you can't handle the idea of your kids being exposed to a story where a cartoon man who squeaks and wah's like a child runs after a kidnapped princess then I think you need to reevaluate your life. This kind of thing is why angry morons elected Trump into office.

 

[T.O.P]

Does this mean that paid DLC characters in video games are prostitutes?

This made me laugh

 

[Scrawnton]

2016

 

[wild wild rice]

People, especially princesses, get kidnapped by giant turtles all the time.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

This is especially funny when Nintendo makes appealing to women a priority, has tons of female consumers and loads of playable female characters in their recent games. Oh but Peach was kidnapped, so I guess it doesn't matter.

To be fair, I think it was more the inviting Mario over and pledging to bake him a cake that bothered the author more than the damsel in distress trope from my reading of it. That is pretty cringeworthy gender role stereotyping in products aimed at kids. It's not Easy Bake Oven and what not but still has that tone of even though she's a princess she's still baking cakes for a male plumber.

 

[LambdaTeos]

I thought toad and toadette were genderless...

 

[Skittzo0413]

People, especially princesses, get kidnapped by giant turtles all the time.

It's a fact of turtle biology really.

 

[Sarcastic Poster]

He does, but he says that it treats them like prizes for you to unlock

This part is the most ridiculous reach I've ever seen. Loads of Mario games have unlockable characters like Mario 64 DS, which are male. The author is projecting like fuck here.

 

[Dark Cloud]

Lmao what the hell society do I live in today. Who gives a damn??

 

[shinobi602]

 

[Schnozberry]

We've reached peak virtue signalling.

 

[Avixph]

Social justice warriors' aim at this point seem to be ruining everything that don't fit into the very limited "safe space" they produced.

It's crazy we've come to this point.
I agree the Mario franchise could be better on that front, but why would you judge it so harshly ?

What?

 

[maxcriden]

If Nintendo play their cards right parents everywhere could see Mario games as edgy, and then more kids would want to play them.

 

[AuthenticM]

It's all true, but I guess I personally don't care. I'm also male, full disclosure.

 

[lensoftruth]

Fuck me, I really need to get off this planet when stuff like this is even thought of as an issue. It's identitarism gone fucking mad!

 

[nicoga3000]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[MoogleWizard]

Does this mean that paid DLC characters in video games are prostitutes?

lol

 

[Inferno313]

Ain't got nothing on the game's problematic racial politics. The whole meta of this thing revolves around rounding up Toads of various colors so that you can then force them into segregated living quarters. Super Mario Run? More like Super Mario Apartheid.

 

[WrenchNinja]

3D World had the right idea. Not sure why they decided to go back to the same plot besides being a lame throwback. If not having Peach playable from the start, use Rosalina or something.

 

[Staf]

I'm all for more diversity in games in general. But you loose me when you start harping on game X for not being diverse enough.

 

[MisterHero]

I agree, Barbie should have a runner game.

 

[Manoko]

What?

Have we been living in the same world as of recently ?

Social justice warrior" (commonly abbreviated SJW) is a pejorative term for an individual promoting socially progressive views, including feminism, civil rights,multiculturalism, and identity politics. The accusation of being an SJW carries implications of pursuing personal validation rather than any deep-seated conviction, and being engaged in disingenuous social justice arguments or activism to raise personal reputation, also known as virtue signalling.

Basically what this article is.

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

To be fair, I think it was more the inviting Mario over and pledging to name him a cake that bothered the author more than the damsel in distress trope from my reading of it. That is pretty cringeworthy gender role stereotyping in products aimed at kids. It's not Easy Bake Oven and what not but still has that tone of even though she's a princess she's still baking cakes for a male plumber.

I always took those notes from Peach as a wink wink euphemism that kids wouldn't get. lol

 

[Yasumi]

Lefting so hard, they're careening back around to the right. Poor kid.

 

[Azerth]

Really stupid

 

[JoeM86]

3D World had the right idea. Not sure why they decided to go back to the same plot besides being a lame throwback. If not having Peach playable from the start, use Rosalina or something.

Only Mario was playable from the start. Every other character is unlocked

 

[maxcriden]

That poor 6 year old. "Daddy won't let me play that because of genner poly ticks"

Everything the guy says is tailored to fit his argument. The women are playable characters? They're unlocks so they are being treated as prizes. Oh and so are male characters mumble mumble hand wave. Peach doesn't get a kiss from Mario if you play as her. Betcha anything if she did, "the female character does all the work for validation from a male".

Someone send this guy Super Princess Peach for DS and melt his brain when he sees the sexism in that one

No sexism in that one. It's a deeply subversive critique of gender stereotype!

 

[Man God]

I agree. Done with the franchise until non white-washed Peach is saving a gender fluid muslim luigi from white supremissist bowser

Super Mario Bros. 2/USA.

 

[Koyuga]

Nintendo is an old-fashioned conservative japanese company. I don't expect them to progress to modern standards any time soon. It is disappointing, though.