The cute route
March 30, 2009 8:48 am GamesI may be in the minority here, but I’m a sucker for video games starring “cute” protagonists. Okay, so I’m not going to rush out and buy the latest Hello Kitty adventure, but games such as the Kirby, LocoRoco, and Starfy series, and even shameless corporate merchandising like Boing! Docomodake DS are great fun.
“Come play with us! We only want to eat your skin.”
As long as they’re quality games, does it really matter what they look like? So what if they’re not mind-numbingly difficult? (Though some can be, like the hidden stars in Super Mario Galaxy.) Even if they’re on the moderate to easy side, they’re just fun to play, and that’s all any game should boil down to. And with a majority of games these days utilizing a practically monochromatic color scheme alongside grumpy, foulmouthed protagonists, titles with bright colors and happy characters are a welcome breath of fresh air.
I realize that 99% of those “hardcore gamer” losers are against me on this one. I’m guessing the cause is that ridiculous “digital machismo” angle, where any male gamer worth his salt wouldn’t be caught dead playing a “cute” game, as it somehow calls his heterosexuality into question. Personally, I fail to see any correlation between graphic violence, a color palette composed of grays and browns, and the player’s sexual preferences, but what do I know? I’m just an educated adult. (Ironically, many of those “hardcore gamers” are at the forefront of the “bromosexual” movement, which makes any calling out of cute games as “gay” even more hilarious.) Here’s a tip, kids: playing cute games is not only fun, it scores you points with the ladies. Case and point: my girlfriend and I are both rabid LocoRoco fans. (You think she gives a shit about something like Halo 3?)
As I’ve mentioned in the past, the whole anti-cute game thing is a another example of irony, as many “hardcore gamers” grew up playing brightly-colored games like the Mario and Sonic series. I don’t what turned these douchebags around to bash such fond childhood memories. Games get continually watered down into a grim ‘n’ gritty boring mess, but the cute platformers and such are quite literally the light at the end of the tunnel.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:14 PM
I know exactly what you mean, for I am a “cute” fan as well. I’m a fan of “mascot” characters in anime particularly. There’s also my plushy collection.
As far as video games I have that fall into that category, there’s the Katamari Damacy series, Noby Noby Boy (those also covers the bizarre angle, but that’s another story), Rhapsody, Cooking Mama, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron, and I think you could probably include Harvest Moon and Rayman: Raving Rabbids as well.
But you’re right, sometimes you just want to play something brightly colored and fun, and there’s no harm in that!