Playing with Fire: Trouble in Super Macho World? - Gonzalo Frasca
The game’s Japanese TV ad focuses on the use of emotions as powers by showing close-up animations of Princess Peach going through the game’s four different emotional states. Click here to watch it on YouTube. However, the North American/ European TV ad is completely different. It makes absolutely no explicit reference to the emotional superpowers of the characters -all we see are princesses closing their eyes and burning some wood. Instead, it focuses on the Peach’s metamorphosis from damsel-in-distress into Mario’s savior. The ad features a filmed group of girls dressed as princesses in a boot camp, running through mud and crawling under barbed wire. This ad frames the game as the exact opposite of the original Japanese spot: it delivers a clear girl-power message. Click here to view the ad. The three main emotions (Rage, Joy and Gloom) are not mentioned in the ad. Instead, they are conveniently replaced by the effects that they produce (respectively, fire, wind and water). The voice-over states: “ Your mission: to use fire, wind and water to save Mario and Luigi.” A good example of Nintendo’s spin doctors at work.
Am I reading too much into this harmless game? After all, it’s just a game, right? If we are going to be serious about games, then we need to take them seriously first. While I am not crazy about Mario, I like the series, just like many millions of players around the world. Still, that is not an excuse for Nintendo to get away with reinforcing stereotypes on children’s minds. On the one hand, it is a blessing to find a game targeted at girls that is also top quality on a technical level: they are not that common. Additionally, it is good to see how the Princess switches roles with the male heroes after so many years of mainly being a decorative element in the series. What is shocking is that from all the possible design options available, the creators of this game had to frame the princess as an emotionally unstable person. The basic game actions in Super Princess Peach are moving, jumping (and smashing) and collecting. These are performed through the buttons and the gamepad. The available superpowers are being happy, sad and angry. Happiness helps Peach to float in the air (so she flies with the help of her umbrella); sadness makes her cry (so she can use her tears to water plants or put off fires) and anger helps her to set things into fire.
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