Dad Hacks "Donkey Kong" - Now Pauline Rescues Mario 262
H_Fisher writes "What do you do when your daughter wants the girl to be the hero of your old video game? If you're Mike Mika, you hack the game ROM to reverse the roles. He even changed the 'M' at the top of the screen to a 'P.'"
Out of the woodwork (Score:0, Insightful)
It's another article with something cool, vaguely mentioning something about gender biases, that ignites comments across game industry websites spewing reactionary sexist bullshit. Even as innocent and heart-warming as this story is, primitive individuals with no understanding of privilege can't help but attack the father and even the 3 year old, if you can believe it.
Are other industries as bad, or is the gaming industry one of the worst?
Re:Gender roles (Score:2, Insightful)
He did it so his daughter could play as the character she wanted to play. Not as some feminist statement.
Re:Out of the woodwork (Score:5, Insightful)
Are other industries as bad, or is the gaming industry one of the worst?
Everyone's this bad. Nobody RTFA's and understands that Dad took a request from his kid and decided to go all-out on it. They all think it's a political-social-economic-whatever sort of statement. Dad isn't out to make a statement. He's out to love his kid.
My guess, with absolutely no statistics to back it up, is that many of the attackers are not parents themselves and simply do understand that such a selfless, political-message-free love exists.
Re:Gender roles (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not have those things? Maybe his daughter likes them? Just because they're traditionally female, doesn't mean they're inferior.
Re:Gender roles (Score:5, Insightful)
Let the haters hate, and the lovers love. We know who's who by their comments.
If your daughter wanted it all princessy, and you loved her, you'd do it too. Remember (if you RTFA), she asked to play as not-Mario; we don't know what more she said beyond that. If my son asked for an elephant in the game, I'd make peanuts for him to use. And a little feather because of Dumbo.
Got my man-card, and my dad-card, and nobody's pulling either of them.
Re:Out of the woodwork (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree. Fuck the comments about sexism. This is 100% a dad doing something because he loves his daughter and was able to do something cool because she wanted something different.
Re:Why is this necessary? (Score:3, Insightful)
He said "that aren't sex objects"
While things like Zero-suit Samus can certainly be considered a bit of fan service, I wouldn't consider most of her outings as putting her in the sex-object position. I don't know if the GPP would agree.
Meanwhile, on the flip side, Lara Croft *definitely* is, except in her latest game (written by the excellent Rhianna Pratchett) where she's actually written like a real human being.
Re:Why is this necessary? (Score:5, Insightful)
You seriously think Lara Croft isn't a sex object? [google.com].
Parenting (Score:5, Insightful)
Parenting - you're doing it right!
And? (Score:5, Insightful)
Since I have no reason to hate you with a passion, I won't suggest you watch Twilight but aren't the males in that drivel just as much sex objects?
What really is the difference between Lara Croft and Fabian? Don't know who he is? Google it and you will find he is a model who appears on countless romance novel covers and NOT because he is a novelist.
Sex... wasn't really all that much a part of the original Tomb Raider. yes, she had big polygons, which most of the time you don't see since the camera is behind her. Meanwhile the women in Planescape: Torment had FAR bigger tits but nobody complained about that. Because part of the reason to have big tits in low-rez games was so the tits would be visible at all.
In Israel right now there is a law banning thin models. To protect the feelings of the whales. Because the only thin women are freaks who don't eat of course, not just a normal percentage of women who just happen to not overeat and have a natural slender built. To protect one groups feelings, another group is excluded. For every a-cup girl supposedly offended by doubt D Lara, there is a double D girl offended by every small titted heroine. Can't girls with big busts be heroes or are they condemned like blondes to always be stupid whores?
HERE IS THE SECRET
Every personality you see in the media, is a role. Doesn't matter whether you like said role or not. It is a role. Every actor acts a role defined by the writer. Media can NEVER show reality (which is why people who take 1984 as a prophecy as such idiots) because the writer WROTE everything as if he/she was god. A personality is self-destructive or succesful because the writer made it to be like that. In Far Cry 3 and the new Tomb Raider the "hero" goes from a snivelling coward to lean mean well adjusted killing machine because that was what the writers put in the plot. A different writer could just as easily have written a plot showing how both lapse into insanity. When backdraft was made, fire departments around the world saw an increase in volunteers and Pretty Woman has been claimed to have caused an increase in girls thinking prostitution always has an happy ending... for the girl. Mind you, the postman always ring twice didn't see more people wanting to be postman. Because the writers made on proffesion seem heroic while the other... wasn't. And many movies have shown hookers in bad light. The role an actor plays is not real.
REAL people are often WAY more complex then can be put in a 1.5 hour movie. Lara Croft breasts are often the joke of back pains... and? This is well known among women and those who live in the same world as them. Breast reduction surgery does exist and STILL women with small breasts want to be sultry big bossomed and big breasted women want to be slender and cute. And men want big cocks despite most women not particularly liking to be stretched to wide or to deep while men with actual big penisses wish that girls wouldn't run out the door when they get naked. We all want what we can't have because SURELY the grass is greener on the other side, so we all climb the fence and never wonder why so many people are climbing the other way.
BUT it is NOT the media's fault, it is our own.
Take publicity shots for say Star Wars. You can probably find some of Carry Fisher in her metal bikini and say "fan service". That is because all the pictures of Harrison Ford strutting it, don't appeal to YOU. But they ARE fanservice to a LOT of women. You drooled over Leia, they drooled over Han. Or Luke. Or Obi-Wan... women are weird or Jabba... my gf picked me after all.
You might think that a Lord of the Rings does not have much fanservice but just search the net. So... does that make the characters sex symbols? YES! Just not to you, but if SOMEONE drools over it, it is a sex symbol.
Sex sells, it always has done and both genders lap it up.
Sexism is only seeing it in one gender. Note the Israeli law on thin models ONLY applies to females. Because everyone knows bulemia
Multilevel win (Score:0, Insightful)
This is a win on so many levels.
I'd wager that first and foremost this dad did this without any ulterior motives. He simply made a lovely gift to his beloved daughter.
But he did more than that, whether he intended to or not.
He implicitly stated (to his daughter) that he, as a man, is perfectly ok with a woman rescuing a man. He may not even have done this consciously. His daughter may not even consciously see or understand this message. But he makes a nice example.
He also showed his daughter, that it is possible to change the "current state of affairs".
And yes, all of this would be a non-news if not 97% (made up on the spot, but probably not far from the truth) of all games reinforced the stereotype of the female damsel in distress with the male hero - or the sex-objectified heroine
Re: What do you do? (Score:5, Insightful)
He hasn't actually released the modified game and big gaming corporations don't give a fuck about a dad hacking a 30 year old game this way to make his daughter happy. To "squash" this, a corp needs to spend more money than it's worth, so they're not going to do a thing about it. Simple as that.
Re:Should Have Gone All The Way (Score:2, Insightful)
Your article is pretty old. I don't think the risk is as high as you state, but I don't doubt that there are risks.
As far as the desire to cut your wrist, was it due to suicidal ideation or due to a desire for self injury? Suicidal ideation often occurs in people that self injure, but they are very different disorders. Self-injury is usually due to a desire to make a situation feel real (stop dissociation) or to counter stressful or painful thoughts. Self-injury is actually a coping mechanism, though a very bad one. Suicidal ideation is more of a problem solving type of behavior. But if you felt that you were compelled to cut your wrists to kill yourself (not as a problem solving behavior), then that would be neither self-injury nor suicidal ideation, but psychosis.
In any case, there aren't really many great alternatives. This is partially because it costs too much to do research for new drugs and partially because ethical guidelines prevent testing on the people that actually need the drugs. If you have ever had suicidal ideation or self injured, you will be excluded from a trial. If you have a severe mental illness (which can include major depression) you will be excluded. Thus, only the least depressed patients are tested. It is sort of like being pregnant--nobody will test drugs on you due to ethical concerns. In the end, these drug companies have to get statistically significant findings when they test their drugs on the least depressed people. To say that is hard, is an understatement. So they do lots of tricks to get their drugs approved. But there really is no certainty that those drugs will help with the people that need them most because they have never been tested on those same people. Only after the drugs are prescribed en masse can scientists really determine the impact.
Re:Parenting (Score:5, Insightful)
She's fucking three years old, dipshit.
At that age, I think it's okay to just show her it's possible to get what you want if you work for it. You don't have to make her do it herself!
Re:Out of the woodwork (Score:4, Insightful)
This dad did what feminists can't be arsed to do, he worked long hours past midnight to change a game so it was more of her daughter's liking, instead of bitching about it for years without doing anything.
It would have been a better story if her daughter made the hack herself instead of having to manipulate a man to get her wish, but that can be excused by her little age.
Re:Why is this necessary? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Parenting (Score:4, Insightful)
My parents didn't teach me programming until I was eight, and I didn't even begin to do anything really useful with it until I was a teenager. I used it to hack ATARI games (for the ATARI home computer), sure, but that's at eight years old.
The girl in the story is three years old. So you aren't even really setting a fair standard.
What's worse, you're completely ignoring the gender-politics and DIY lessons learned. If you think there's no difference between Shigeru Miyamoto getting the job done and "Dad" getting the job done, then maybe Shigeru Miyamoto's your dad. Well, aside from you, most children (since they learn from their parents' example) would realize the connection: the game doesn't have to be made by a toy maker, it can be modified by "Dad" -- and that means it can eventually be modified by the child.
Re:Out of the woodwork (Score:4, Insightful)
The whole point of this story is to stir up the sexism shrieker shitstorm. You take that aspect out, and there's no reason for it to be posted.
It would just be a combination of headlines: "This dad loves his daughter" (Also not newsworthy to anyone other than the gender warriors) and "Guy does something only marginally more complicated than hex editing 'File Manager' title bar to display 'File Mangler'"
Re:And? (Score:2, Insightful)
Oh god, this is the same bullshit that willfully blind sexists like bleating about over and over again.
The problem with sexism in our nerdy community is that we think that we're above it, so we spend a lot of time trying to justify the unjustifiable, or pin the blame back on women somehow, or claim that 'both sides got it'. It's not true, and you're too smart to claim ignorance.
The Hulk or Superman aren't FEMALE sex fantasies, they're MALE power fantasies. The reason why men look the way they do in media--including Han Solo, incidentally--is because that's what sells TO MEN. For a long time, Men were effectively the only people spending large amounts of money, and they were the only demographic that mattered. (And, in a terrible twist of irony, when women claim to like comics or video games despite the shitty way they're generally portrayed, they get called 'fake nerds' or 'attention whores'.)
You think Tomb Raider was somehow NOT marketed to men? You think the overt sexualisation of Cortana over the progression of Halo wasn't for the hetero men? Why the fuck does an AI need tits like that anyway?
This is a classic example of a false equivalence. You're claiming a molehill is a mountain. Here's a comic strip for you that boils it down much faster than I can: http://www.shortpacked.com/2011/comic/book-13/05-the-death-of-snkrs/falseequivalence/ [shortpacked.com]
The fact that there are now emerging some shows and movies that women can go to and get a bit of a sexy fix isn't a justification for the last 30 years of sexist video games. Anita Sarkeesian (who received death and rape threats for starting a kickstarter so she could make a video series about this sort of thing) just released her first video. Go watch it.
http://tropesversuswomen.tumblr.com/ [tumblr.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X6p5AZp7r_Q [youtube.com]
Sex sells, yes. Sex and gender are deeply ingrained in our culture, yes. It doesn't mean that a bad or stilted view of sexuality is embedded in our culture. It doesn't mean we shouldn't change it.
Man, I'm probably wasting my breath, but I'm 100% sick of this BS. I'm a dude. I'm hetero and white and I have all the privileges afforded to me simply by being those things and I'm really irritated that I still have to see stuff like this that makes no sense and seems only to exist so you don't have to feel bad about your part in how shitty things still are for women, even just in the media (before we get to all the other feminist issues surrounding equality of pay, access to health services, work, etc., etc.)
Re:Out of the woodwork (Score:4, Insightful)
There IS sexism in games. To claim otherwise is to ignore the reality of the world.
What is great about this story is that this is how sexism ENDS. It's about little steps that fathers take for their daughters, mothers for their sons, and people for one another.
This is a feminist act because all it does is try to make a girl feel happy about the games that she plays, so that she doesn't feel excluded or lesser just because she's a girl. That's all that feminism is.
The guy wants what's best for his daughter and he's willing to go to lengths to achieve it. He was able to do something, so he did. If everyone else did the same, we wouldn't need feminism--equality would already be here.
Re:Why is this necessary? (Score:0, Insightful)
You seriously think Lara Croft isn't a sex object? [google.com].
Within the game world, Lara Croft is not a sex object, she is an empowered woman. Outside of the game, there are enough weirdos out there that everyone/thing becomes a sex object. Have you not heard of Rule 34?
Re:And? (Score:2, Insightful)
The Hulk or Superman aren't FEMALE sex fantasies, they're MALE power fantasies.
Except the GP didn't mention Hulk or Superman. I also think Han Solo is markedly different than the likes of Hulk or Superman, so I think it's disingenuous for you to lump them all together.
For a long time, Men were effectively the only people spending large amounts of money, and they were the only demographic that mattered.
That's because men were the ones EXPECTED to spend money. Being the bread winner and provider has been the traditional male role. Gender roles affects BOTH men and women.
(And, in a terrible twist of irony, when women claim to like comics or video games despite the shitty way they're generally portrayed, they get called 'fake nerds' or 'attention whores'.)
That's not irony. That's pointing out the truth. Liking something that portrays you like crap makes you a battered wife, not a nerd.
Real nerds would do the geeky thing and hack their own comics and video games (as is the case of TFS).
Anita Sarkeesian (who received death and rape threats for starting a kickstarter so she could make a video series about this sort of thing) just released her first video. Go watch it.
This AC did watch it, but this AC also watched responses to her videos, and I can't honestly say I'm impressed by her or her work.
As I said above, if women want more positive portrayals of women in video games, they can start their own game companies and make their own games (and some have done just that, I applaud them for their effort)
You know, take that power into your own hands, instead of sitting there making youtube videos complaining like some damsel in distress waiting for some (probably male) game developer to listen to your pleas and oblige you with a game that portrays women positively?
Likewise with the death and rape threats. In case you didn't know, Anita is quite keen at disabling comments and filtering out responses. She tries to block out the threats, but that only makes the trolls more motivated. Look up Streisand effect. I don't think she's stupid to not realize that, as she's smart enough to use these threats to garner sympathy - again, much like a damsel in distress
Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)
This post is a good example of blame shifting. By shifting the blame of sexism onto women who haven't made the non-sexist games, you think you can claim your hands are clean, right? So what do you say: "let the market decide! If sexism is bad then it will be uneconomical. We don't have to worry about that annoying subject called ethics." Heck, let's apply it in general. If LGBT people don't like negative portrayals in the media, they can just form their own media companies. If African Americans don't like racism, they can make their own media.
What a great idea...NOT!
Here's an alternate idea: assume that women are complete human beings and that sexism is wrong. And even if you are a man, realize that you probably have a sister, daughter, or niece who will see this sexist crap and see it as a red flag to stay in her assigned gender role...or else!
Sexism is a type of bigotry. I know our culture has made it seem less damaging than racism, but really it is just as damaging. Just because sexism is largely accepted does not make it right.
Here is a list of bigoted statements:
* If those n*****s want to play golf, they should just build their own golf club
* If those f**s want equal rights, they should move to San Francisco
* If those b*****s want to play our sexist games, they can start their own game companies
Yeah, I know, sexist video games aren't the greatest form of bigotry that exists. But it is a type of bigotry. And it should be resisted.
Re:And? (Score:2, Insightful)
This post is a good example of blame shifting. By shifting the blame of sexism onto women who haven't made the non-sexist games, you think you can claim your hands are clean, right?
My post has nothing to do with blame. My post is about responsibility and independence.
Have you seen Sarkeesian's new video? It's about damsels in distress - women who are portrayed as powerless, waiting for some male protagonist to rescue them from their problems.
By the same principle, I'm suggesting women to stop acting powerless and become independent (ie. their own game makers). Stop waiting for the existing male-dominated industry to address their problems.
Heck, let's apply it in general
No, let's not. My comment is for this specific issue, where the very complaint is that women are depicted as powerless, unable to solve their own problems.
What would you suppose we do? Legislate and forcefully shut down sexist video games and their makers? Who's going to do that? The MALE dominated government, with MALE dominated lawyers, executed by MALE dominated police? That kinda defeats the purpose
Here's an alternate idea: assume that women are complete human beings and that sexism is wrong.
That IS my idea! I assume women are complete human beings, capable of handling the responsibility of solving their own problems. Stop waiting for existing male-dominated game developers to change their minds (they are, as you said, just following the free market. You'll be waiting for a long time).
And even if you are a man, realize that you probably have a sister, daughter, or niece who will see this sexist crap and see it as a red flag to stay in her assigned gender role...or else!
Which is precisely why I encourage women to step OUTSIDE of their assigned roles, and become game developers and company owners.
Here is a list of bigoted statements:
* If those n*****s want to play golf, they should just build their own golf club
* If those f**s want equal rights, they should move to San Francisco
* If those b*****s want to play our sexist games, they can start their own game companies
Then it's a good thing I didn't make those statements.
I should note that all those groups (blacks, homosexuals, women) did in fact take matters into their own hands. Heard of MLK? Rosa Parks? The Civic Rights movement? Pride parades? Women's suffrage?
The people being oppressed themselves marched and protested. They put their own lives on the line to get their equality.
I'm simply suggesting today's feminists follow their mothers and sisters that came before them.
Yeah, I know, sexist video games aren't the greatest form of bigotry that exists. But it is a type of bigotry. And it should be resisted.
Sure! Now ask yourself: so how likely is it that the existing, male-dominated, free market minded game developers will start resisting?
Let's pretend for a moment that you are right, and I'm just blame shifting. Ok, so it's up to "me" to do something? But hey - I'm supposedly just a sexist bigot. Why would I do anything? You're leaving your (women's) fate into my hands, and you are painting me as the bad guy.
Ask yourself: would a bad guy care about you or the women?
Re:And? (Score:2, Insightful)
Stopped reading at Anita Sarkeesian. She's not only a fraud, but trollbaiter of the highest order. Check it out [youtube.com], she's the master of self-victimization.
Re:And? (Score:5, Insightful)
The Hulk or Superman aren't FEMALE sex fantasies, they're MALE power fantasies.
Oh, ok. That's not sexist at all then.
Hang on - I'm a man, and I don't fantasise about being muscle-bound and powerful. Stop fucking stereotyping me you sexist cunt.
(before we get to all the other feminist issues surrounding equality of pay, access to health services, work, etc., etc.)
..and life expectancy, retirement age on a state pension (in the UK), equality of childbirth time off work, custody and access to children following divorce, safety from assault, legalised workplace discrimination against me, etc., etc.
Don't fucking pretend it's all one-way traffic.
Trust me, I think equality's a fantastic ideal. I'd love to get some.