Super Mario Brothers is Not Sexist

When I was kid and old enough to actually start playing video games realistically (rather than randomly hitting buttons hoping something would happen) Nintendo was king. Sure there were other systems eventually and I can even remember wanting some of the other systems at one point or another (yes back in the day Sonic the Hedgehog was so awesome that it could justify the purchase of an entire system) but Nintendo was the game system that I owned as well as the game system everyone else I knew owned. Thus, Nintendo was king and Mario games were their bread-and-butter.

I'm not going to debate the merits of Mario games as they stand up on their own accord; they are what they are and they are what they've always been so if you want to understand the game all you need to do is play one. No, my arguments will be more in defense of the story lines and imagery used in the games. You see, having a game series last that long and be that popular puts you in dangerous waters. Your stories become the foundation on which entire generations have built their lives or at least their subconscious understanding of the world. I am almost certain this wasn't the original intention but rather an emergent property of having so many games.

Some of you may already know where I'm going with this. I am not the first one to argue these points although my argument may not take the format you expect. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about I'm referencing gender roles and gender stereotypes. You see, the main story in the Mario Brothers games (or at least the story that most people seem to pick up on) is one that portrays woefully outdated stereotypes.

Here's the story as most would tell it: Princess peach is a fluffy, vapid headed girly girl who rules over a kingdom of strange little creatures in some parallel universe. One day, an evil villain named Bowser showed up out of nowhere and kidnapped the Princess. Mario, a hero who appears almost as out of nowhere as Bowser, must rescue the princess and save the day. Many people would also include details to this story that involve sexuality such as the fear that Bowser plans on raping the Princess and or the idea that Mario plans on having sex with the princess as well since he is saving her after all. Boil that one down to one sentence: men do important things, either heroic or villainous, and women are basically objects to be used for their entertainment.

Largely not good morals to be sending little kids right? It sure wouldn't be... if that were actually the story of the game. Only a few elements of that version of the story are actually true. Princess peach really is a princess, Bowser really did capture her, and Mario is trying to rescue her.

So the first problem is how Princess peach is described. Why is she typically described in such poor terms? The answer is heuristics; she is a woman in her late teens or early 20s, always seen wearing a pink dress, wears long blond hair, and is called "the Princess." The negative traits that are attached to peach are not actual traits she possesses but traits that critics have attached to her. "She's a blonde who wears a pink dress thus she must be stupid" speaks much more about the people who make the quote then about the game or the woman.

"Princess peach got kidnapped though so she must be incompetent, right?" Wrong! Take a closer look at who did the kidnapping. Based on the fact that Bowser looks like a turtle monster with horns and can shoot fire it seems pretty apparent that he is a cross between a Japanese turtle demon and a traditional European demon. So Bowser is two types of demon and has an army of crazy monsters. Even expert defenses wouldn't stand up to that.

"But there clearly are sexual connotations to this story, both Bowser and Mario are really just trying to give into the princess's metaphorical pants right?" Again, no. On the Bowser side of this equation, if he was simply trying to force himself upon the Princess then he had gone too far too much trouble. A full scale invasion is hardly a rational way to commit rape. No, a full scale invasion and kidnapping of a political figure really only makes sense if Bowser thought she was a serious threat. So Bowser kidnaps peach not because he views her as a sex object but because he views her as a strong rival who if not taken out of the picture would pose a serious threat to his plans to invade the mushroom kingdom. It seems likely the only reason she is kidnapped instead of simply killed is due to the fear of making her a martyr.

And what about Mario? Throw yourself into his shoes. You go about your normal day when suddenly you're magically transported into some alien world. There are two rival powers in this world, the legitimate authority whose people respect her rulership and consider her a just and fair leader and a terroristic invader who kidnaps people and is clearly demonic. You're obviously going to need help to get home so who are you going to try to help, the less than trustworthy demon or the legitimate authority in need of help?

And that's just the first game in the series! In the second game in the series Princess peach is a playable character... who can fly! And if you pay attention in the third game it becomes clear that the princess is actually acting like a real royal authority should; chasing down Bowser throughout her provinces like a cross between a diplomat and a military scout.

My basic point is pretty simple and if you haven't figured it out by now then you really need to pay more attention. The arguments that the super Mario Brothers games are sexist and provide negative gender role images is not only untrue but based more on the preconceptions of those who make the argument then on the game itself.