In 2013, I created “Your Princess Is In Another Castle” inspired by #1ReasonToBe. It was an ambitious project for a school assignment. Still, aspects about the project were lingering and eating away at me. There was more work that needed to be done.
The Reconstruction of “Your Princess Is In Another Castle”
“Your Princess Is In Another Castle” never truly felt complete. I wanted to add more color. Plus, at the time, I favored the obscurity of the message that served as a background for the series. Now, it has become more apparent that the message doesn’t need ambiguity. The message needs be loud and clear. It always needed to be this way.
It is surprising to me when I discuss this with my colleagues how often they claim, “It doesn’t affect me. I just want to play games.”
I renamed it to “Princess Is In Another Castle,” because the pronoun was never needed. First, the pronoun never existed in the original dialogue originating from Super Mario Bros. Second, it is a message that affects everyone, and the use of the word “your” suggests it only applies to a select group.
The Ongoing Dialogue about Women in Games
The discussion involving women in games has seen some significant activity as of late and I wanted to incorporate that into the piece.
Women game developers, critics, and their supporters have received unfathomable amounts of harassment. It has spread into debates about the ethics of gaming journalism and the reclamation or denouncement of “gamers.” With every twist and turn, it is important not to lose sight of the issue which generated these offshoot discussions.
Women game developers, critics, and their supporters have received unfathomable amounts of harassment.
Outside of 1ReasonWhy and 1ReasonToBe were new terms and phrases being tossed around such as “GamerGate” and “NotYourShield.” Specifically, these two new expressions are rooted in hate and harassment campaigns against women, but have become a prevalent part of the dialogue. Therefore, it was important to include them and to capture this moment in the game industry’s history.
The Message Behind “Princess Is In Another Castle”
It is surprising to me when I discuss this with my colleagues how often they claim, “It doesn’t affect me. I just want to play games.”
The truth of the matter is that this does affect everyone. It helps men just as much as it helps women. It helps us to strive for equality and better our society. No one should be subject to the abuse that has occurred these past couple of weeks in the gaming space. It is wrong and action needs to be taken.
Diversity and criticism is needed for the evolution of the industry and for games to mature as a medium.
Now games are more mainstream than ever before and the audience has expanded to be worldwide and include a growing representation of all sorts of people. Within the U.S., women now make up nearly half of all video game players. This new, expanded audience is the future of gaming media . Games should be created by and be for everyone.
Diversity and criticism is needed for the evolution of the industry and for games to mature as a medium. “Princess Is In Another Castle” is a catalyst designed to inform, educate, and raise awareness.