Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Damsel in Distress part 3

The dude abides

In the third “Damsel in Distress” portion of Tropes vs Women in Video Games, Anita Sarkeesian looks at the “ironic sexism” that has accompanied retro sensibilities being in vogue and looks at the reversal of the “damsel” trope, explaining why its not problematic in the same manner.

The video makes pretty straight forward and non-controversial claims in its 25 minutes, but I’ll leave the seething internet community to nitpick the minute bits that offend it and then extrapolate from there the series’ cogency and validity. You can find a list of the video’s references, among other information, here.

I was glad to see Sarkeesian shine some positive light on a few excellent titles in her discourse, including Where is my Heart?, which I reviewed and loved two years ago, Thomas Was Alone, Beyond Good and Evil, and more. Full list of games used, including a spoiler list, below. 

The wait between part two and part three of Tropes vs Women in Video Games was about a month less than the wait between part one and part two. I wonder if these will start coming in a bit more feminist frequently. I would say it’s hard for a series to pick up steam if it doesn’t have a regular enough release schedule, but, then again, this series doesn’t seem to be lacking for publicity what with all the fervor it invokes. Maybe the cooling off period is useful.

Those with spoilers are marked with an asterisk (*)

Super Princess Peach (2006)
Balloon Kid (1990)
Kya: Dark Lineage (2003)
Primal (2003)
* Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
Aquaria (2007)
Spelunky (2012)
Donkey King: Pauline Edition (2013)
Wind Waker: Gender Pronoun Mod (2012)
Zelda Starring Zelda (2013)
Gish (2004)
* Castle Crashers (2008)
* Eversion (2008)
Machinarium (2009)
Super Meat Boy (2010)
Frobot (2010)
I Must Run (2010)
Flying Hamster (2010)
Rochard (2011)
Sideway: New York (2011)
Zack Zero (2012)
Bean’s Quest (2012)
Hotline Miami (2012)
Labyrinth Legends (2012)
Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves (2013)
Gunman Clive (2013)
DLC Quest (2013)
The Other Brothers (2013)
Fist Puncher (2013)
Fightback (2013)
Tiny Thief (2013)
Knightmare Tower (2013)
Guacamelee (2013)
Adventures of Lolo (1989)
Cloudberry Kingdom (2013)
Hoard (2010)
Dokuro (2012)
Fat Princess (2009)
Fez (2012)
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (2011)
Where is my Heart? (2011)
Rayman Origins (2011)
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2011)
* Earthworm Jim (1994)
* The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
* Braid (2008)
Thomas Was Alone (2012)
Donkey Kong (1981)