A few folks in the blogosphere seem to be pretty worked up about Fat Princess, a bloody (and fairly attractive) PSN game coming down the pike. Without going into too much detail, the game has players working to carry their beloved princess home across the battlefield, after she has been forced to eat a ton of stuff by the enemy, to make her… harder to rescue.
Apparently it’s ok to have a female character in your game, as long as she’s impossibly thin and wearing a skimpy outfit as she slices enemies to shreds. But put a few pounds on her and “look out Nancy!” We’ve got a scandal!
Give a self-righteous blogger a keyboard and a lack of any really compelling topics to cover and occasionally they spit out the most asinine things. Take, for instance, this quote. It inspired the backlash that follows.
Sony’s official teaser for Fat Princess:
Frantic and fun, Fat Princess pits two hordes of players against each other in comic medieval battle royale. Your goal is to rescue your beloved princess from the enemy dungeon. There’s a catch though: your adversary has been stuffing her with food to fatten her up and it’s going to take most of your army working together to carry her back across the battlefield.
In response to that incredibly inflammatory game description, and acting withot any further data, Melissa McEwan from Shakesville wrote an impressively sarcastic, though basis-devoid open letter to Sony in which she said (in part):
…but the only thing I can’t figure out is why anyone would want to rescue a fat princess in the first place, since everyone knows that fat girls are unlovable human garbage at whom any sensible bloke would sooner hurl invective than cast a longing glance.
What’s with the “longing glance” shit? What the hell does this game have to with heavy people being unloved? I’ve loved PLENTY of heavy people. Why just this week I thought about how much I missed Roseanne, and wondered what she’s up to. John Candy was a big fella…. Loved him… I digress.
Oh my God does this blogger need a chip-on-her-shoulder-ectomy or what? Who at Sony, or anywhere, ever said that there was anything wrong with being big? Actually the only person saying that contextually is Melissa. Her argument defeats her own credibility.
Seriously, the PRIZE in the game is the big gal. She’s the object of player efforts in the game. THEY LOVE THE FAT PRINCESS SO MUCH THEY FIGHT BATTLES TO RESCUE HER. SHE’S THE BOMB DIGGITY!
Yet you use the word FAT and Princess in the same title (extra demerits if they’re the only words in the title) and people want to start throwing their weight around.
Why can’t a character be big? People come in all sizes.
Why can’t a character be a big FEMALE? Don’t they deserve as much attention in video games as the waifish heroines wielding swords that weigh twice as much as they do? Would Fat PRINCE have drawn this ire? Hell no.
This is absurd. This isn’t a game about trashing fat people, its about saving a non-existent princess with a big appetite.
Melissa is using filament-thin blinders and an extremely self-centered agenda in her opposition of this game. Look how easily you can virtually eliminate ANY video game character from existence based on its propensity to offend SOMEONE. You don’t even really need to change her comments that much.
Here, let’s mildly rewrite her blog post a few times to demonstrate.
Mario:
…but the only thing I can’t figure out is why anyone would want to be rescued by a fat Italian plumber in the first place, since everyone knows that Italians are unlovable mobsters who kill people and bury them in cement.
Contrived? Sure! Just as contrived as Melissa’s argument.
Sonic The Hedgehog:
…but the only thing I can’t figure out is why anyone would want to play as a hedgehog in the first place, since everyone knows that hedgehogs are unlovable blue bastards at whom any sensible person would sooner hurl rings than control in a game.
Solid Snake:
……but the only thing I can’t figure out is why anyone would want to promote an old person in the first place, since everyone knows that old people are unlovable human garbage at whom any sensible person would sooner hurl laxative than use to fight evil.
So, you can’t use a heavy woman in a video game, unless it is a game designed to show how totally rad she is and clearly demonstrates that her extra weight is the result of a glandular issue or something?
Talk about an overreaction. Hell, my whole damned post is probably an over reaction to HER overreaction.
This whole goddamned court is out of order! It’s a game and *gasp* there’s a fat character in it. Isn’t there some OTHER cause out there a little more deserving of her passion and kick ass writing skill? (I’m serious. I’ve read her stuff all day and she is indeed a far more talented wordsmith than I.)
In any event, if you know Melissa, be sure to congratulate her saving Sony a ton of money in awareness marketing for Fat Princess.
Side note: A lot of inbred douchebags have been using this opportunity to say some pretty hateful things about the gravitationally superior. If it happens here, you’re gone.
Big Girls…. You ARE BEAUTIFUL.
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) Video
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I am a fatass and although I’m a guy so it doesn’t matter as much but Chubby Chicks are ok too! I think it was more of a anorexic bulimic female who really just felt like downing all the Chubby Chicks.
That probably would just be part of the female free for all war. However, still though my point Chubby Chicks are ok… There is difference between obese people though (and I mean to the point it is obvious that they’re obese).
Oh and also I forgot to mention there is also a too skinny…
My Overreaction to your overreaction to her overreaction was a total overreaction…
What a bunch of bullshiz.
AND… I can’t wait to play this game, cuz it looks freaking awesome.
Anyone know release date? Or anything about how gameplay will work?
I think people read way to much into this, it’s just supposed to be a comical little game, and guess what? Fat can be funny, why do you think fat comedians talk about their weight and the crazy situations that come with it so much, because it gets laughs. Nobody hates fat chicks, this is almost as bad as when someone said RE5 was racist for black zombies.
Doc…………….. Bravo man…… I love this site. I’ve been coming to this site for about three months, and you’re rants keep getting funnier and funnier.
I’m with you one hundred percent. You’re analogies were priceless, and right on the money. Again, Bravo.
The comments on her post are closed….
check the update, posts on the update are open.
now i REALLY want to play fat princess …. and as i do im going to be singing “big girls you are beautiful”…. hell if this game has custom tracks i’ll be playing it.
i personally prefer Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” but yeah this game looks sweet. good analogies doc. i couldn’t agree with you more.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. After reading Melissa’s rant a few days ago, my immediate reaction was to write a very long email outlining all of her wrongness and throwing in a bit of free psychotherapy. But, being a fat princess, I got distracted by cake and my myriad suitors and never quite got around to it. Suffice it to say, my first impression of her was that she is a self-hating feminist and needs to develop a sense of humor. Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing what I never did.
I guess starving the princess until one dude could carry her wouldn’t have been a very fun game.
Lighten up!
They won’t let my comment go up.
After insulting me and giving no real thought provoking argument, they blocked me. How sad. I’ve been rejected by feminists. I guess I’m not a real woman.
Yeah, from what I can tell is if somebody actually puts up an intelligent argument they block you as opposed to argue back
You’re missing the point a bit though. In her defence the other games you list aren’t titled:
“Fat Italian Plumber”, “Old codger” or “Spiky Blue bastard”
No, they have a more generic game title, the fact they have to picked out the “Fat Princess” as a title is what I would possibly take exception to. Why can’t she just be a fat princess without drawing attention to the fact?
Perhaps it is a silly quibble and she has over reacted, I’m not going to dispute that. But Have you thought about why they feel it necessary to make such a big deal out of her size to start with?
They tried to make me cry. I guess I’ll just have to go back to talking to people who use their brains instead of just their Women’s Studies programming.
Since I was blocked, there are others taking up the fight for me. I lay my scepter at their feet and skip lightly to my next destination.
@Luffer
Because her size is part of the game mechanic. The bigger she gets the harder it is to win.
I’m going to start calling my self Fat Writer. The more I eat, the more difficult it will be to get me to leave my desk. My publisher would be hand feeding me if that were the case. And again, cheers to you Doc and a hearty huzzah.
you know what you should do? Join our forum community.
well the bottom line is Im buying this game, as it look quite good. If anyone is offended by this game then sue, Sony, the developer, and my self, for conjuring against your self-esteem.
If I were to join any community, it would be this one. I actually avoid all these bloggy things, but I couldn’t resist fighting with feminists.
Yeah this is the only forum I ever stuck with, if you join now you can make it to our PS3 gaming night.
all we ask guys is that you’re respectful in your comments. She’s certainly entitled to her opinion, no matter what we think.
Let’s keep it highbrow, if possible.
This game does look freakin’ awesome! It will make the most sarcastic of gamer nights.
For anyone that doesn’t think fat can be funny, I’ve got two words for you:
TRUFFLE SHUFFLE!
Feminists really piss me off.
Really.