3. Nintendo would benefit
While Microsoft and Sony target men ages 18 – 35 with games like Halo, Gears of War, Uncharted, and Killzone, Nintendo's mandate has always been family friendly games which target a wider demographic. This doesn't mean Nintendo appeals to women respectfully, but it does mean Nintendo is the most capable of the Big Three to affect gender equality in games.
Last year, the Electronic Software Association revealed 47 percent of the gaming demographic is female in the United States. Nintendo wants these women buying its hardware. Advertisements on American television featuring Beyonce, Sarah Hyland, and gold medalist Gabby Douglas for games like Rhythm Heaven, Sparkle Snapshots 3D, and Style Savvy: Trendsetters shows Nintendo's desire for female business.
Not only would changing the gender of one of the most recognizable characters in gaming be a great step towards gender equality, it would show female gamers that women can rescue princesses from megalomaniac gingers as well. In other words, Nintendo would show proper respect towards female gamers, instead of arguably offensive celebrity cameos, “girl-themed” shovelware, and pink DS Lites.
2. Ganondorf is symbolic of a patriarchal society
Ganondorf, the red headed and green skinned antagonist in most Zelda titles, features a history and background rife with patriarchal symbolism. For one, the man is the King of the Gerudo, a tribe of women introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Once every 100 years, the otherwise allfemale tribe produces a single man to claim his male birthright as their ruler.
Similarly, Ganondorf's goal to rule Hyrule consists of imprisoning the one woman in power, and he achieves this in each Zelda game in which he makes an appearance. In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf forces Zelda to hide her identity as a man called Sheik. As Sheik, Zelda assists Link throughout his quest, but once Sheik reveals her gender and identity, Ganon immediately whisks her away to be imprisoned.
It's almost too easy to draw parallels between real world patriarchy and Ganondorf. He even turns into a murderous, gigantic pig. A simple gender swap would make all this sexist symbolism more apparent, thus adding an extra layer of depth to The Legend of Zelda's otherwise shallow narrative.
1. The women in Zelda react to change, not cause it
Sexism and gender equality isn't a one-way fight. Many people have this image of women fighting against all men to cause change, but many men identify as feminist or otherwise in favor of gender equality. It's important both genders work together, and we see Zelda working together with Link to topple Ganondorf's tyranny in nearly every game all three appear in.
If men and women need to work together, Link shouldn't need a gender swap, right? Not quite. For the most part, the women of the Zelda universe react to situations caused by two males: Ganondorf and Link. As the antagonist, Ganondorf causes Hyrule to change and Link fixes it. Along the way, Zelda helps in some situations and battles, but for the most part she rests somewhere in the middle, idle as
Link and Ganondorf—two men—vie for control. It's not just Zelda, either: Midna requires Link to stop Zant and Ganondorf in Twilight Princess, Link saves Malon's ranch from Ingo in Ocarina of Time, and Link rescues his sister from Ganondorf's Forsaken Fortress in Wind Waker.
In other words, the woman in question is rarely in power over her situation, and this imagery, reinforced in many games, isn’t a good thing. Link has been, and will probably always be, the playercontrolled protagonist. If Nintendo wants to treat its female fanbase with more respect, create nongameplay related change in one of its most storied and stagnant franchises, and stop reinforcing negative symbolism, then The Hero of Hyrule should become The Heroine of Hyrule next time around.
Think about it: if Link were a woman in the next Zelda game, the story could focus on two women uniting the forces of courage and wisdom to take down “the man” and his powerful patriarchy. Okay–maybe that’s a bit much, but the point is clear.
Image credits: Edli / arkazain
