In video games there are many controversial characters but none more so than that of the transgender. In Japan where many video games originate being a transvestite, or what they call a “New-half”, is not as big of an issue as it is over here in America. When games are being translated for the American and English markets transvestite characters are usually changed to full fledge women or men as to not spark up any issues for the characters being Transgender. In video games many times it is easy to cover up a fact a character is a transgender because the characters usually look a normal women or man and it’s easy to cover up the fact.
Transvestite characters go back far into the world of video games. One of the most popular and well known is Birdo. Birdo is a dinosaur with a funnel shaped nose; she likes to wear purple eye makeup and a red bow on her head. In the original Super Mario Bros 2 this is Birdo’s character description in the games manual “Birdo thinks he is a girl and likes to be called Birdetta He likes to wear a bow on his head and shoot eggs from his mouth.” Today the fact that Birdo is male is usually covered up when the Mario games are translated. Whereas in Japan Birdo is named Catherine and has always been transgender and is still to this day one.
Poison like Birdo is also a Transvestite but unlike Birdo she is a human. Poison was originally conceived as a female thug in Capcom’s Final Fight Series. Unlike Birdo who stayed a transvestite in her original game Poison was flat out replaced with a completely new character. When Final Fight was ported over to the Sega CD the censorship was less harsh. It only lengthened her shorts and shirt and hid her cleavage. Poison became the single most popular character from the Final Fight series because of the controversy on her gender. Poison has been shown to have a very feminine body even wearing a bikini in one of her games, which spark up controversy on what gender she truly is. Today in her most current game appearance after a long hiatus her real gender is never brought up other than her being portrayed as a natural born female and certain quotes from the characters mentioning she acted manly.
These kinds of characters teach us many lessons. They teach us to be tolerant of people who are different. They also teach us to accept people for who they are and not what they used to be but who they want to be and are now. Many of them just want to be accepted for who they are which is why changing them when games are translated is a bad idea. The children who play games should learn there are people like this and many other people who are “different” and learn to accept the different from the norm people because like Lady Gaga’s hit song says “I was born this way.”
Well was it good? This is a paper for my English class.
WTF Happend to the punctuations? why are they black diamond question marks?
Transvestite characters go back far into the world of video games. One of the most popular and well known is Birdo. Birdo is a dinosaur with a funnel shaped nose; she likes to wear purple eye makeup and a red bow on her head. In the original Super Mario Bros 2 this is Birdo’s character description in the games manual “Birdo thinks he is a girl and likes to be called Birdetta He likes to wear a bow on his head and shoot eggs from his mouth.” Today the fact that Birdo is male is usually covered up when the Mario games are translated. Whereas in Japan Birdo is named Catherine and has always been transgender and is still to this day one.
Poison like Birdo is also a Transvestite but unlike Birdo she is a human. Poison was originally conceived as a female thug in Capcom’s Final Fight Series. Unlike Birdo who stayed a transvestite in her original game Poison was flat out replaced with a completely new character. When Final Fight was ported over to the Sega CD the censorship was less harsh. It only lengthened her shorts and shirt and hid her cleavage. Poison became the single most popular character from the Final Fight series because of the controversy on her gender. Poison has been shown to have a very feminine body even wearing a bikini in one of her games, which spark up controversy on what gender she truly is. Today in her most current game appearance after a long hiatus her real gender is never brought up other than her being portrayed as a natural born female and certain quotes from the characters mentioning she acted manly.
These kinds of characters teach us many lessons. They teach us to be tolerant of people who are different. They also teach us to accept people for who they are and not what they used to be but who they want to be and are now. Many of them just want to be accepted for who they are which is why changing them when games are translated is a bad idea. The children who play games should learn there are people like this and many other people who are “different” and learn to accept the different from the norm people because like Lady Gaga’s hit song says “I was born this way.”
Well was it good? This is a paper for my English class.
WTF Happend to the punctuations? why are they black diamond question marks?
