Nintendo Taken to Task for Abusing Damsel in Distress Trope

After a long and controversial wait, the first of Feminist Frequency's awaited Kickstarter videos has arrived, and in it host Anita Sarkeesian points the finger at Nintendo for its overuse of the "Damsel in Distress."

Fully-funded by an overwhelming amount of support on Kickstarter, the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series promised to explore the rote plot devices and patterns most commonly associated with female roles in video games. Though there was a great deal of internet backlash aimed at Ms. Sarkeesian, the series was developed without a hitch, with its first of many videos arriving on Thursday.

The video takes a look at the "Damsel in Distress" trope, and wastes little time acknowledging Nintendo's role in not just establishing the issue in games, but continuing to further its use even today. It's a pretty interesting account of how the trope has been used, with key examples of Princess Peach and even Pauline from Donkey Kong being taken to task.

More of the videos are due to arrive over the next few weeks and months, where Feminist Frequency will take an even closer look at this and many other tropes. Even if you happen to disagree with the opinions expressed in the videos, the ideas are strong, and are quite educational for those not immediately familiar with the gender roles games use.

You can watch the first installment below.