blog #7

The moment I saw that we would be playing Super Mario 2 to analyze the gender roles represented by the characters, I knew it would be difficult for me to do so.

I look at the characters in terms of how easy they are for ME to control and utilize. I know that, from gaming experience, different people find different characters more preferable to use. This is a combination of your personal gaming style and the attributes of the characters.

I personally prefer to choose Princess Peach and Toad for Super Mario 2. Peach hovers for a long time which allows you to float over enemies and gaps. Toad is simply easy to control in all aspects, his legs don't flail wildly (like Luigi's) and he isn't as bulky as Mario.

ANYWAY, this aside. I feel the easiest way to analyze the characters is to go one by one.

Mario: Although Mario is shorter and bulkier than his brother (Luigi), he is the most distinguished character - even if for no other reason than his history with Donkey Kong and the fact that the games are named after him. He is FIRST in the lineup of character selection, indicating perhaps that he is the "leader of the pack". His character is relatively easy to use, although I find him to be a little slow moving.

Luigi: Mario's taller, more oblong brother. If you squished Luigi and put him in a red shirt, he would BE mario. But instead, he is the 'goofy' older brother. I say goofy because he flails his little legs all over the place and seems to be hypersensitive to all button movements. This seems to allude to the fact that males are either Alpha (dominante; Mario) or Omega (subordinate; Luigi).

Toad: Obviously not human, but rather some sort of mushroom which we have anthropomorphised. How often do we remember that Toad is not human? How often do we remember that Toad is not a toad? And why is he wearing pants and a vest but no shirt? Honestly, I feel that Toad is almost a-sexual. Neither male nor female. He is dressed in sort of an Aladdin-esque outfit, which is male but other than that I see no defineable gender qualities. But I sure like to choose him because he is small and agile and easy for me to control!

Princess Peach: Ok, well this one is just FULL of gender stereotypes. She is female. She is wearing pink. She has long hair. She is wearing a dress. She is a PRINCESS. She has a crown. For some reason, in this game, the Princess is not in distress but actually a player in the mission. However, her attire remains the same. Whether she is in her Castle, in the enemy's grip, fighting bad guys with vegetables, or just hanging out she is STILL wearing her pink dress, her hair is STILL groomed and she still looks good. This makes me think that perhaps the creators of the game are saying that females should look presentable and pretty regardless of the circumstance, which is simply not true!

I would also like to note that it DOES seem to take the Princess more effort to pick up the larger vegetable/items than the other characters. As if to say that being female represents a lack of strength.