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WTFriday: Atlus Takes on Third Wave Feminism

Posted by Bob Mackey

Note to readers: WTFriday is a weekly feature where I find something stupid about video games and get you to laugh until it goes away. Please try to forget this is what I normally do every day of the week.

Remember Super Princess Peach? It was a lighthearted little platformer for the DS that featured some equally lighthearted sexism. I'm not about to write a thesis on the game--though in my self-serving academic life, that'd be just the thing to propel me to the top--but there's something to be said about the choice to make irrational mood swings Peach's weapon of choice. I like to think that the game contained little, collectable bottles of Pamprin until someone with some sense intervened.

RPG factory Atlus looks like they're ready to tread this same ground with their upcoming DS RPG titled My World, My Way. Known as The World Revolves Around Me in Japan (title translated, of course), My World, My Way confirms that Japan can only identify two kind of women: the kindly anemic lass, and the unbridled bitch. From what the official web site is telling me (Warning: it will make your mouse pointer all sparkly and stuff), MWMW is about a spoiled princess--obviously, hypersexualized and preteen--turned adventurer who uses something called "Pout Points" to control the world around her. Methinks someone on the development team had a nasty breakup.

There's something about this game that just doesn't sit right with me, aside from the obvious. It could be MWMW's info page, which is linked from a button that reads "This stuff looks complicated. Explain!" Kinda seems like the new "Math class is tough!" Barbie-speak of this decade. But in trying my best to think of MWMW's real danger, it finally dawned on me: young, anime-interested males may be playing a game far outside of their demographic, simply because it's Japanese and an RPG. And even worse, they could be tainted with an image of the opposite sex that is unhealthy for those looking to shed their virginity.

So, what to do? I'll let Morbo field this one:

STUPID HUMANS WOMEN DO NOT WORK THAT WAY

+ DIGG

+ DEL.ICIO.US

+ REDDIT

Posted Nov 14 2008, 06:30 PM

Filed under: ds, feminism, sexism, bob mackey, wtfriday, my world my way, rpg atlus

Comments

parish said:

"Japan can only identify two kind of women: the kindly anemic lass, and the unbridled bitch"

You're wrong! In fact, Japan actually has THREE female archetypes: Yandere, the former; tsundere, the latter; and yamato nadeshiko, which is the ideal woman (i.e. meek, modest, and above all properly Japanese).

November 14, 2008 6:59 PM

Bob Mackey said:

So is the fourth type of woman the man?

November 14, 2008 7:30 PM

parish said:

Yes, if by "man" you mean "Shinji."

November 14, 2008 8:01 PM

Ian said:

Oh, poor Shinji. :D

November 14, 2008 10:24 PM

Amber Ahlborn said:

Ahh Morbo, he makes everything better.

November 17, 2008 1:00 AM

Demaar said:

Oh man, the only thing better than this game is the comments this article is getting!

November 17, 2008 8:29 AM

About Bob Mackey

For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.

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