Mario has stomped through galaxies and soared above the clouds to rescue Princess Peach no less than three dozen times over the last 20 years.
But has he ever stopped to consider if the dumb broad is worth the trouble?
This year, the annual Penny Arcade Expo hosted a panel of women from all over the gaming industry for a discussion of women’s issues in gaming, including gender roles in video games and the difficulties of breaking into an industry that is primarily a “boys’ club.”
Linsey Mudrock of the development studio ArenaNet succinctly articulated her dissatisfaction with the traditional “save the princess” archetype.
Obsidian’s Annie Carlson: Nobody likes “luggage” characters that are too stupid to live. All characters need to have something ”“ some really good reason why they’re weak and something really redeeming, like good AI.
ArenaNet’s Linsey Mudrock: F@*k Princess Peach.
Characters such as Peach may cast women as helpless, but do deliberately designed eye candy like SoulCalibur’s Ivy and Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft earn women any more respect? And what of Samus Aran, who until recently has consistently hidden her sex?
Ladies, forget equal pay…how about equal play?