'Fat Princess' video game stirs up heavy debate

Any game with the 'princess' character archetype in a game will always get feminist blood boiling. She's portrayed as too beautiful, which encourages an unrealistic body image...or her dependance on a male figure suggests that women can't do anything without a man, or the situation presented here. Heck, if this game was called 'Fat Prince,' with complete gender reversals (Fat prince, female soldiers), feminists would scream about how it forces women into a subservient role to male figures. (Despite the fact that the male soldiers do the same thing in FPrincess).

The red soldiers have captured the blue princess, and the blues want her back. The reds obviously don't want to hurt or impose on the princess, since there are far more economical ways to restrain someone than just feeding them cake. The blues clearly value their princess, otherwise they wouldn't bother rescuing her. I honestly don't see where all this "ZOMG F@ H8" stuff is coming from.

Also note: The character and concept designer was ***female.***

((EDIT: In the spirit of thoroughness, here's my source concerning the designer. http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/so-it-begins-feminist-gamers-decry-sonys-fat-princess/ ))

Honestly, not going to draw myself into a flame war with feminists, but seriously, lighten up. There are far better things to be working towards than this. You know, the 'choose your battles' mantra. Equal pay, womens rights, sexual slavery, education etc... Those aren't all that important when faced with the obvious affront to all overweight women out there, that 'Fat Princess' poses. I think you should honestly read into the game a bit...because I do believe that YOU the player, are the one who actually feeds this princess, as well as holding off adversaries. The game doesn't force the beleaguered Princess onto a treadmill, it doesn't force her to work out, it doesn't force her to perform aerobics. Let's seriously sit back and take stock of what's important here...and understand also that there's a HUGE weight problem inside the United States, and Europe. It's not like it's another vogue magazine that perpetually brow beats you into thinking your a slug, and that no man will ever want you because you're repugnant. It's a video game...and one with a pretty low production cost at that. Get a grip.

Morne

Honestly, not going to draw myself into a flame war with feminists, but seriously, lighten up. There are far better things to be working towards than this. You know, the 'choose your battles' mantra. Equal pay, womens rights, sexual slavery, education etc... Those aren't all that important when faced with the obvious affront to all overweight women out there, that 'Fat Princess' poses. I think you should honestly read into the game a bit...because I do believe that YOU the player, are the one who actually feeds this princess, as well as holding off adversaries. The game doesn't force the beleaguered Princess onto a treadmill, it doesn't force her to work out, it doesn't force her to perform aerobics. Let's seriously sit back and take stock of what's important here...and understand also that there's a HUGE weight problem inside the United States, and Europe. It's not like it's another vogue magazine that perpetually brow beats you into thinking your a slug, and that no man will ever want you because you're repugnant. It's a video game...and one with a pretty low production cost at that. Get a grip.

Morne

With obesity at it's all time high, I think something as graphic as this cannot hurt. Lighten up.

I find this game more amusing than offending. I am a woman and I am overweight and not one thing bothers me about this game. In fact when I first read the title I giggled and thought to myself, "I would try this game." I think it is crazy for people to get so offended at a game that is clearly just wanting the viewer to have some visual fun! Let's get over the social issues of this and choose better battles. Like B Murphy stated in his/her post there are far better battles to be fought in the name of women and overweight persons. As far as this game being offensive, I think not.

Ams

get a grip, it's only a game. these feminists must be living fat, dumb and charmed lives if this is all they have to worry about. fight for our environment, people losing their homes, jobs. patricia is right - lighten up - oh, and what about "ugly betty". it's okay to be ugly but not fat. i'm not a gamer but i thought the fat princess was cute and will be loved by most gamers.

To answer the question, I really can't tell from the brief videoclip. It looked like a cross between Ms. Packman and Zelda, two games I loved. But I'd have to see more before I could really pass judgment. And honestly, I'm not really that into video games.

If she were a skinny princess they'd complain. Actually, that sounds funny, make a game with a starlet skinny princess *cough*paris*cough*lindsay*cough*nicole* and the object is to kidnap her and feed her - now THAT is funny!

No one is forcing anyone to play this game, or even look at it.

So, "Napoleon, if you don't like it, you can leave!"

:-P

Has no one ever heard of marketing? Bad publicity is still more publicity than this game would get any other way. If you piss enough people off, it at least gets the game's name out there and gets people to think, "I wonder what all the fuss is about. I'll have to try this game to see what the big deal is." The more people complain about it, the more people will try it.

Has no one heard of marketing? Even bad publicity is good for this game which no one would probably even hear of otherwise. If you piss enough people off, it at least gets the game noticed. It makes people want to get it just to see what the big deal is. Stop falling for such easy tactics. You feminists and obesity whiners are doing exactly what they want you to do-- get noticed. (Sorry for the double post. Didn't think the first one went through.)

I agree with those who say "lighten up." I myself am not the slenderest of people, but I take no offense to this game. The concept of the game and the game graphics look like fun, so I am going to try it out. It is funny that the first person to be publicly offended is someone who obviously has an issue with their weight and to you, I say, lighten up and love yourself as fat as you may be. You may or may not lose the weight but you should be comfortable with yourself enough to laugh at yourself a little and acknowledge that there are plenty of plump people out there who are loved by many. So loosen those girdles and play the game, have a little fun, it's just a game for goodness sakes! I don't feel like my womanly rights are being abused because of a silly video game. What is wrong with this oversensitive world these days?

First of all . . . there is nothing wrong with the term "Princess" being in the title . . . It's a fact that the word "Princess" has been emblazened in rhinestone of every color on little girls' (er . . . mini-feminists) t-shirts in teeny bopper stores all over America and no one bats an eye or references the self-indulgent, ego stroking destruction being instilled into our kids this day in age, thereby turning them into spoiled brats with a sense of entitlement that rivals the size of the solar system . . . Of course no one thinks to criticize that, because they are little GIRLS (in case you missed it the first time . . . "mini-feminists"). Also, isn't Juicy Couture's logo a crown?? (Thereby implying that you're a princess too if you buy Juicy) . . . And last I heard, Cinderella is still on the shelves of the local bookstores, so Princesses haven't been attacked by the PC movement . . . yet.

Next, let's just call a spade a spade . . . IF YOU EAT CAKE, YOU GET FAT! You can look at this two ways . . . 1) as the fact of life it is, and/or 2) given that fat-acceptance is all the rage in the latest form of political correctness run amok, then view this as an ode to the portly population everywhere.

Isn't feeding some poor girl with a sweet tooth better than gunning her down with machine guns and watching her blood squirt everywhere??? What message is a game like THAT conveying???

This is all in good fun and the feminists have ruined as much for women as any good they've ever done . . . so give me a break!!! I am thrilled the game is getting so much publicity. I'd sooner let my kid play this than grand theft auto . . . All GAMES have ridiculous premises . . . it's supposed to be LIGHT and HUMOROUS!!! Get a grip women!!!

I'm both and yet, this game didn't offend me. I also sort of chuckled. But I do not like generalizations about feminists or people that are overweight. This was a few people. A few feminists who are always completely overreacting to any real or perceived slight. There's one in every crowd. Also, having done a pretty informal poll of my co-workers, some thin, some medium and some thick, no one was offended by the fact that the princess is "Fat". This street goes both ways. The few who make their living by being righteously indignant and outraged over every little thing..and the few people who feel the need to be equally outraged at the original outrage and put them in their place.

These comments are like deja vu. "Complain about something important!" Um, this happens all the time, it just doesn't happen to catch the eye of the major media outlets. People don't choose their battles, they pick every battle, this just happens to be the one that media outlets decided to hang onto, probably because of their absurd obsession with fat people. I suppose anger over wage disparities and misogyny in the presidential race etc. aren't cool enough to make headlines.

No one has to lighten up, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Go ahead and disagree, but by trying to shut up the dissent, you only prove their point. The nasty comments regarding "the feminists must be fat lolz!" do nothing but prove the point that fat stereotypes hurt people.

That MSNBC article was disgustingly one-sided and poorly written. It did not encapsulate the argument at all. Not that I ever expect much from the mainstream media anymore.

Melissa writes about all kinds of important feminist issues - this was a odd-ball post she made one day off the cuff that she didn't rate as than important an issue in the grand scheme of things. It was the DOOFY GAMERBOYZ that made it a big thing and acted like she was on some sort of rampage. The people on the rampage are those gamerboyz. Oh, no! Someone critiqued a game concept! Woe is you!

The game idea is stupid and demeaning to everyone - men and women, thin and fat. It deserved to be flipped off. Get over it.

Oh, yeah - your article sucked, too. Nice giggling about how demeaning the game title is. I think the writer proved the point about how it discriminates by "chuckling" about it. Rude.

Just to clear the air here, I am a feminist. I have read the article and the points and counterpoints against this game.
Yes, to all the gamers out there, it is just a game. So is the Grand Theft Auto series where a lot of women are made subjects of violence and exploitation. Is this game a type of GTA or any other violent game against women? Yes and no.
The design of it is cute and cuddly with a mild form of violence to it. I think this is probably the first point of offense for this game is that it looks like it could be targeted for children. It is just like any other role playing game where you have to switch between characters in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the game which is rescuing the princess. This could be said of the hundreds of video games out there.
I am not offended by the fact that the princess is fat or that she is a woman that is in need of rescue. These are the two things that gamers think that feminists are offended by which may be the case for some feminists, but not for myself. To me, this whole issue is not about body image. The fact that offends and really disturbs me is the concept of the princess being overfed. If you think about it, it is a form of torture. For all of you gamers out there, if you ever watched the movie 'Se7en' and seen what happened to the guy who fell under gluttony you might understand my point. Yes, I know, they are not force feeding the princess until she explodes, but stuffing her until she cannot move is still just as disturbing.
In real life, this is an actual occurrence that happens in Africa. Girls are force fed to gain weight so they can become objects of beauty. For your enjoyment, you can get more information on it by googling Mauritania and force feeding. I know that this game is not real life, but it does have a real life element to it if you have an understanding of some cultural practices that happen in the world.
I agree with electrasteph that this game really should not have been put out there in the first place. I do agree with some of the gamers on the thought that there are better things for feminists to focus their efforts on, but there does need to be more awareness out there though of what is being placed on the market for entertainment so people can make the best choices for themselves and their families. I hope that the stir that this game is causing will make people more aware of how women are being portrayed in some of these video games.

Just to clear the air here, I am a feminist. I have read the article and the points and counterpoints against this game.
Yes, to all the gamers out there, it is just a game. So is the Grand Theft Auto series where a lot of women are made subjects of violence and exploitation. Is this game a type of GTA or any other violent game against women? Yes and no.
The design of it is cute and cuddly with a mild form of violence to it. I think this is probably the first point of offense for this game is that it looks like it could be targeted for children. It is just like any other role playing game where you have to switch between characters in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the game which is rescuing the princess. This could be said of the hundreds of video games out there.
I am not offended by the fact that the princess is fat or that she is a woman that is in need of rescue. These are the two things that gamers think that feminists are offended by which may be the case for some feminists, but not for myself. To me, this whole issue is not about body image. The fact that offends and really disturbs me is the concept of the princess being overfed. If you think about it, it is a form of torture. For all of you gamers out there, if you ever watched the movie 'Se7en' and seen what happened to the guy who fell under gluttony you might understand my point. Yes, I know, they are not force feeding the princess until she explodes, but stuffing her until she cannot move is still just as disturbing.
In real life, this is an actual occurrence that happens in Africa. Girls are force fed to gain weight so they can become objects of beauty. For your enjoyment, you can get more information on it by googling Mauritania and force feeding. I know that this game is not real life, but it does have a real life element to it if you have an understanding of some cultural practices that happen in the world.
I agree with electrasteph that this game really should not have been put out there in the first place. I do agree with some of the gamers on the thought that there are better things for feminists to focus their efforts on, but there does need to be more awareness out there though of what is being placed on the market for entertainment so people can make the best choices for themselves and their families. I hope that the stir that this game is causing will make people more aware of how women are being portrayed in some of these video games.

When people complain about games like the Grand Theft Auto series, I can somewhat understand where they're coming from, even if I don't agree with it. There's an aspect of realism that frightens people, because you're actually running around a fairly realistic city killing people. The controversy that surrounds Fat Princess baffles me though.

I put it into the same realm as Zelda and Mario. The cutesy graphics and fairly simple mechanics (at least, from what we've seen) remind me a lot more of those two than GTA. Comparing force feeding people in real life and what happens to the princesses throughout the game feels like comparing jumping on bad guys in Mario Bros to curb stomping someone in the real world. There just feels like a big disconnection there. The way the princess gains weight is so cartoony and silly that the comparison becomes lost on me. I mean, there's no realism to it. The camera doesn't close up to her face as she struggles to swallow a piece of cake, it just disappears and an extra point is added to an in-game tally that determines her weight.

I don't know, the concept of trying to rescue a princess who is gauging herself on cake (darn royalty) in a cartoony way with a gaggle of male and female soldiers arranged into different classes just sounds like a fun concept. At no point when I first heard about it did I think "man, this could potentially offend people".

Funny how a game called "Fat King" wouldn't sell as well.

I'm a female gamer and not offended. Matter of fact I am going to play it. Bad press good press is all the same.

Think the feminist and all easily offended really need to get a grip and grow up. Find some self esteem already.

It's a GAME, people! what about that game that hit the news recently that allows RPG players to step into the shoes of the two boys who shot up and killed fellow students and teachers at Columbine High School? I would think people would be up in arms more about THAT than a game about stuffing someone's face. Besides, where are all the feministic comments denouncing games that unnaturally depict women as long-legged, busty, muscled characters that strut around in outfits that in real life would be impossible to keep in place? It's like one of the previous posters said, pick your battles. I don't think this is all that big of one. Obesity is a problem in our country but so is the unnatural depiction of women in cartoons and games. Sexual slavery is still prevalent in our society as are wage issues. Alcoholism and drug use are even bigger problems with widespread impact. Domestic violence, homelessness, illegal immigration, flagging economy, skyrocketing fuel prices... The list goes on of social ills. Wouldn't it be great if all the energy expended towards attacking/defending a GAME be put towards something that actually matters in a more tangible and beneficial way? When its all said and done, which battles would you rather say you fought? Screaming about a game and its characteristics and how it can make people feel? Or something that could have a more lasting impact on people's lives like becoming an advocate against domestic violence or homelessness? Me? I'd pick the later. Games come and go, but touching one life in a positive, tangible way can have lasting impacts beyond this generation.

Okay -- here's what's missing in the conversation. There is a kind of abusive behavior in which a person, usually a man forms a relationship with someone, usually a woman, for the sole purpose of feeding her until she's so fat she is unable to get around and is totally dependent on him. The Feeder/Feedee relationship can be deadly. The problem with a game in which the princess is fed until she gets so fat she can't move is that it mirrors a REAL situation that is repeated far too often. Women who are involved with feeders sometimes just die and the feeder moves on to another victim. Other times, especially if the woman resists the feeder will leave her, and since she has become emotionally and physically dependent on him her life becomes overwhelming. While the game may be fun it was evidently (I HOPE) created in ignorance of the real situation in which some vulnerable and admittedly emotionally damaged women live. It's not funny if you are aware of how real women are the victims of this predatory behavior. It's not about feminists with no sense of humor, it's about real women who suffer from this sort of thing in real life.

would it be better if you had to starve the princess until she couldn't move?

BAHA! Anorexic Princess! There are so many - MUCH - funnier ideas than "Fat Princess". I personally don't mind the title, but they coulda done SO much more with the idea!