Should princess Zelda be less damsel-prone in future games?

[Spirit]

Nintendo love kidnapping their women, i guess the damsel thing sells....

Anyway, while Zelda isn't as bad as Peach (who is now usually kidnapped before the game's title actually shows) she still has a few abductions under her belt. Still though she has spent at least one game as a ninja (before being kidnapped) and helped heal Midna and helped Link with what he needed to know (before being kidnapped)...

Though she isn't in every game and even though she isn't always kidnapped (I'm not sure if Spirit Tracks counts since it was her lifeless corpse that got stolen...) do you think Zelda should be less damsel-prone and more active?

Now, i dont mean active as in let her be constantly following Link around or being integral to gameplay, i mean perhaps more exposition driven, or being a character you could go to now and again (like Granny in Wind Waker) for some exclusive items or hints?

Giving her a more active role like that may stunt the kidnappings...

What say you, would you like Zelda to be less damsel-prone and more of an active character?
Or does rescuing princesses just do it for you? (Hey its why we play Nintendo right?)

 

[Iridescence]

Yes, Nintendo should really move on. Miyamoto pretty much set a formula to Nintendo's games in the 80's and 90's. It's a double edged sword. While it assured their success, it also has resulted in them being really hesistant toward revising the formula when needed.

Perhaps saving the damsel was an innovative plot back in the original Donkey Kong, and perhaps it was an innovative plot in original Super Mario Bros. game. And he decided to include it in the first Legend of Zelda game as well. Gaming was young at that point, and games didnt have the kind of storytelling we expect from it today.

But Donkey Kong has been doing new things, and even Super Mario has relied a little less on saving Princess Peach. Yet, Zelda still uses this archaic plot point.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Yes

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

If Peach can be playable in Mario, I see no reason why Zelda can't be playable in Zelda. In fact, I love the idea of playing as Zelda, so long as she looks like Zelda, and not like a cheap knock off of Link, so I say yes. Give her a new role, make her be more involved. I mean after all the she's the rightful holder of the ToW, that's a pretty big deal. Likewise, unlike the terrible idea of changing Link, all playing as Zelda does is benefit the players and the series. It's a win-win idea and it actually solves problems without creating unnecessary controversy and spite between the fans.

 

[DoomDash]

Well let me first state I have no problem with her having a more active roll, and not being the damsel in distress. But since we are on the topic, I wanted to explain the biological theory, which is based on plenty of factual evidence as to why the damsel in distress is so appealing, specifically to men (but also to women to a less obvious extent).

Basically boy rescues/protects girl/women/children has been ingrained into brains perhaps since the beginning of humanity. It's socially acceptable for men to put less value on their own lives, which generally meant the role of the protector, the rescuer, the solider, or the self sacrificer fell onto the male. This is common through out history, and I'm sure everyone has heard "women and children first" when it comes to survival situations. I'm sure some of you are aware of some of the basic reasoning behind this, but in case you are not, let me sum it up for you.

The societies that thrived the best always had these gender rolls, because losing the female population basically meant certain doom. The more females/children you have the quicker you repopulate. It only takes 1 lucky male as they say to basically repopulate, since there is basically 0 down time to their reproductive cycle and they can be with as many mates as possible.

Where does this leave us now in a world with the population at 7 billion people? Well, with a lot less necessary gender roles. My point is that on a subconscious level men and women biologically will understand or sympathize with damsels in distress. This does not mean our ability to reason cannot easily override our subconscious desire to thrive, so if you don't logically understand the appeal, that just means your ability to reason overrides your instinctive nature.

However after saying all that, I don't like when people demonize the damsel in distress, because at one point in time it was necessary for humanity to thrive, and if crap ever hit the fan, it could be necessary again.

Anyway that's kind of a rant that most people probably weren't expecting on this topic.

 

[Emma]

I actually don't mind the damsel mechanic in general. Unlike what some critics say, there is nothing wrong with it. However, ANY mechanic can be overused and it may be getting overused in Zelda. Too much of anything gets boring. Trying something else can be necessary to keep things interesting. I actually want something more like..... Final Fantasy XIII-2. Say what you will about how it's not the best FF, that's not the point. What I mean is there being two protagonists you can swap between playing at all times. That's what I want. I want a game you play through it with both Link and Zelda as active protagonists that travel together and work together that you can switch direct control to either one at any time. That also means that it should work find for two-player co-op.

 

[CrimsonCavalier]

I would like to see Zelda get a more prominent role, sure. Not because the damsel-in-distress thing is sexist or any of that nonsense. Mostly because I feel that Zelda, the character, has developed into a more interesting, deep character as the series as progressed, and at this point, I think it's time that she have a more prominent role as a character.

The damsel-in-distress is tried-and-true, and is fine with me. However, like other have said, any mechanic can get old, and I do think that for the series, it is time for Zelda to branch out.

IN FACT: I wouldn't hate a Zelda game in which Zelda is the main playable character. I wouldn't mind a game in which you have to switch between Zelda and Link (a la Resident Evil Zero), or even parts of the game where you take control of Zelda (a la Command Melody/Resident Evil 2), OR OR even two quests, where you have to play as both Zelda AND Link in order to get the full story (again, a la Resident Evil).

 

[DoomDash]

I would like to see Zelda get a more prominent role, sure. Not because the damsel-in-distress thing is sexist or any of that nonsense. Mostly because I feel that Zelda, the character, has developed into a more interesting, deep character as the series as progressed, and at this point, I think it's time that she have a more prominent role as a character.

The damsel-in-distress is tried-and-true, and is fine with me. However, like other have said, any mechanic can get old, and I do think that for the series, it is time for Zelda to branch out.

IN FACT: I wouldn't hate a Zelda game in which Zelda is the main playable character. I wouldn't mind a game in which you have to switch between Zelda and Link (a la Resident Evil Zero), or even parts of the game where you take control of Zelda (a la Command Melody/Resident Evil 2), OR OR even two quests, where you have to play as both Zelda AND Link in order to get the full story (again, a la Resident Evil).

So what you're saying is.... play Resident Evil? I approve.

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

I would like to see Zelda get a more prominent role, sure. Not because the damsel-in-distress thing is sexist or any of that nonsense. Mostly because I feel that Zelda, the character, has developed into a more interesting, deep character as the series as progressed, and at this point, I think it's time that she have a more prominent role as a character.

The damsel-in-distress is tried-and-true, and is fine with me. However, like other have said, any mechanic can get old, and I do think that for the series, it is time for Zelda to branch out.

IN FACT: I wouldn't hate a Zelda game in which Zelda is the main playable character. I wouldn't mind a game in which you have to switch between Zelda and Link (a la Resident Evil Zero), or even parts of the game where you take control of Zelda (a la Command Melody/Resident Evil 2), OR OR even two quests, where you have to play as both Zelda AND Link in order to get the full story (again, a la Resident Evil).

All those ideas sound awesome, and I love for the games to implement any one of them, as unlike the idea of changing Link, a playable Zelda is actually good and isn't just wackadoodle Tumblr nonsense.

 

[Polychrome]

They've done both damsel and non-damsel roles for Zelda, so I don't think there's any sort of quota that needs to be filled. If anything, I think Zelda games are good to her character by giving her a "working in the background" role in most of the 3D games. If she becomes a "damsel" in any sense, it's usually toward the end as a trigger for the final boss fight.

The thing I've always liked about Zelda (in the 3d games at least) is that she is no Peach. Unlike Mario saving Peach in some fairytale romance, Link's role in saving Zelda usually stems from some other purpose. In OOT, he pretty much got dragged out of his old life and into the adventure. In Wind Waker he's off to save his sister. In TP he's off to save his existing girlfriend. (Who was implied to have had her own adventure off-screen, despite the fact that the story did make a bit of a damsel out of her.) In SS she made me think of a miko of sorts, and while they did pull a "Sleeping Beauty" with her character, I didn't really think of her as a damsel in distress.

And then Spirit Tracks comes along and Zelda's along for the ride. I have to say I loved that. Zelda herself was a barrel of fun, and as a semi-playable character, she fit into the story nicely. She was in the action the entire way through, but was probably one of the most damsel-ish of the bunch.

Zelda's role seems to change game by game, as the person of Zelda herself (and any relationship she may have with the hero) changes game by game. I'd love to have her as a truly playable character in an actual Zelda game for once, but I don't mind what Nintendo has done with her character so far.

 

[CrimsonCavalier]

All those ideas sound awesome, and I love for the games to implement any one of them, as unlike the idea of changing Link, a playable Zelda is actually good and isn't just wackadoodle Tumblr nonsense.

This. This and your sig. I don't get why people want to change things. For "equality"? It's stupid. Leave Link alone. Don't make him a girl. Don't make Thor a girl. That's SO STUPID. Don't make Bayonetto. Bayonetta is fine as a girl, we don't need Bayonetto to even things out. I can't STAND that sort of thinking.

 

[Iridescence]

I think that the damsel in distress trope is rooted in sexist attitudes. Does this mean Miyamoto is a misogynist for making games about kidnapped princesses? No. But it does mean he's reinforcing stereotypes that do nothing but create disadvantages for women.

I feel like anti-feminists tend to dramatize this. I'm not saying damsel in distress is the end of the world. There's a giant giant tree of inequality out there and the portrayal of women in games is one leaf of it.

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

This. This and your sig. I don't get why people want to change things. For "equality"? It's stupid. Leave Link alone. Don't make him a girl. Don't make Thor a girl. That's SO STUPID. Don't make Bayonetto. Bayonetta is fine as a girl, we don't need Bayonetto to even things out. I can't STAND that sort of thinking.

Thor from my understanding wasn't made a girl, or something I don't know it's hard to follow comic books. But yeah, there's no reason to change Link, it does nothing but make people mad.

A playable Zelda or Impa though would be great, as than you're actually playing as a female character with strengths and weaknesses, that's a sounds a lot funner to me than changing a character who is essentially an icon. Plus, it get's Zelda away from the damsel trope, which I think everyone can agree is old.

 

[InsomniacAttack]

I'm glad they made her a more active character is Skyward Sword, but I still had some trouble actually caring about her. I want to see Nintendo do something dynamic with her in the future. ST was a step in the right direction, but for every step forward, they take two backwards so I don't exactly have high hopes for the future.

 

[Djinn]

It would be nice to see a change but it seems like Nintendo is really in love with the old style fairy tale storytelling with the gallant knight rescuing the fair damsel in distress from the evil monster. They are not huge fans of change or shaking up the main narrative as it might take away from the game experience, and they have a similar policy of story not being nearly as important. So they keep on going with the overly simplistic storytelling in games since that's a "good enough" type of thing to them. Link is still an avatar, Zelda is still an end game goal, Ganondorf a boss monster.

I would love to see some changes to the storytelling but with the current group still in charge at Nintendo I highly doubt we will see any significant changes yet.

They are definitely doing more with her, ever since Tetra in WW at least. Zelda does help out a bit more often but usually still gets kidnapped at the end and is the end goal of the game. I suppose it's tradition at this point.