Posted on 10/06/2013 12:00:19 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the release of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.” Critics frequently laud the Nintendo 64 title as the greatest video game ever. And yet the ways it deals with class, race, gender and animal rights are all deeply problematic.
Some readers may take criticism of “Ocarina” as dismissal of the game. But this isn’t the case. As Feminist Frequency blogger Anita Sarkeesian says, “Remember that it’s both possible and even necessary to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects.”
Because games’ technological capabilities have increased so rapidly since “Ocarina” was released, I suspect the title’s reputation is somewhat inflated due to nostalgia of critics of a certain age. But it’s a nostalgia I share. There is no game with which I have more fond memories. So criticism here should be interpreted as loyal opposition.
The game’s perspective on class issues can best be seen in its portrayal of the Kakariko carpenters and the wealthy family in the House of Skulltulla.
The relationship between the self-described “boss” of the carpenters and those he calls “my workers,” appears to be one of a guild member and apprentices or journeymen. The boss refers to himself as a master craftsman, and says the workers were hired by the royal family to improve the village. Karl Marx described this relationship as one of “oppressor and oppressed,” comparing it to that of “freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, (and) lord and serf.”
“Ocarina” portrays the apprentices or journeymen as lazy and shiftless, and the boss as the only one willing to work....
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
You’re absolutely right. This is a game, a FANTASY game. In the real world, women wouldn’t last long without male protection. Can you imagine most women going toe to toe in a sword fight with a man? There were very, very good reasons why men fought the wars and women stayed home to raise children. Sadly, men are simply more expendable than women, that is if you want to actually survive as a tribe, a village, or a country. Plus, women dying in droves on the battlefield wouldn’t have likely changed the outcomes much.
It’s entertaining to see a 105 lb woman take down a 230 lb man a la Lara Croft (if it wasn’t, then they wouldn’t make movies like that). I don’t doubt that woman are in fact better than men at many things, but man and woman complement each other. They aren’t really meant to be rivals in the first place. We go well together in more ways than one, and that’s the natural order of things.
It’s Salon...
Not to Bill Clinton is a cigar a cigar!! Ask Monica.
Betcha there are college courses out there (for Fill-In-the-Blank Studies courses) where this type of horsecrap is spewed - and someone is paying 500 smackers a credit hour for their Little Precious to take it.
The plane on the box isn’t an IL-2. The one on the yellow border is though.
Oh, I know. It’s a survey sim. The Soviet bird is a lend-lease Hurricane. You can fly any number of different aircraft depending upon what side you fly for.
It’s a game.
Socialists and Fascists hate fun.
Ocarina... wasn’t that some popular Latin dance for a while?
Tomb Raider is much more progressive. It has a large-breasted woman as an assertive heroine. And that’s always good. :)
Even her boobs aren’t as big as the one who wrote this article.
??
How does a game take a view?
Isn’t it based, loosely, on medieval times?
lol macarena ;-)
I haven’t heard that title (Leisure Suit Larry) in years. Silliness at its apex.
Wind Waker....Nintendo did a great job remastering this game...weeks of enjoyment so far.
Come and witness the violence in the system!!!
Yeah I already ordered it for the Wii U should be coming any day now, and the price isnt bad either considering its a Zelda game
“I’m being repressed! I’m being repressed!”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.