The Gender Politics of Harvest Moon
I’ve been roasted by Germaine Greer, and even I THINK I have a mausoleum of bones to pick with this game…
Now Harvest Moon is a video game, right? Hardly Anime related? WRONG! The game has an Anime aesthetic, so deal with it.
First of all, a whole lot of study I had to do for masculinity and gender spawned this insomniac raving, so listen up and you’ll like it:
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town remains one of my favorite video games of all time, despite the fact that it’s hard as tack and I’ve never finished it. What I have noticed about the game is that there’s a lot of stereotypical gender messages in it. One of these is that if you buy women lots of presents, it will get them to like you. I have never got this to work in this game. Usually I’m giving present after present in the game with no results, not even a Blue Heart or anything that hints at my being able to date these women. (just like in real life for me, *sob* this is what happens when a nerd gets lonely, he retreats into video games) This presents a socio-economic patriarchal hegemony that presents women as property that can be bought with gifts, and if you don’t have the resources to do this, you lose out. The Scarface rule is present, as much as I hate to admit it in this game: “First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women”.
And what’s the deal with all these bozo guys you have to compete with? one of them is an Emo wearing khaki, and he’s like something straight out of The Catcher In The Rye. However under that coat he’s probably got an army knife which he’ll use to stab you. And Rick the Chicken Farmer is almost incestously protective of his sister Popuri’s honour, never once liking the guy who dates his sis in the summer if you don’t step in and nab her yourself.
Apart from Mary the Librarian girl, none of the other girls have permanent jobs, they just do minor help while the manly guys do their trade and earn all the money. This is why I like Mary a lot better than the other girls, she’s useful. She’s the only one in the town who knows about books, and all the rest are just assistants of some sort. And what’s with the end goal of marriage that Harvest Moon always throws in your face, can’t there be any feminists in this game? Or gay people? Not one of the men in the game is gay, and there’s a distinct heterosexual matrix which dominates gameplay as you try and steal other guys potential fiances from them. Man, if this is is what a man is expected to do, even in a video game, what do today’s generation have to encourage diversity?
I have this game. But haven’t finished it either.
I already finished the PS1’s version though, Harvest Moon: Back To Nature.
Good memories. I miss those memories when I was playing the game.
Definitely one of my favorite games.
Setsukyies last blog post..Macriss Ace Frontier PV for PSP
I’m still trying to “finish” this game. Oh wait, can this game ever be completed in the first place?
Overall I enjoyed rearing chickens, planting vegetations and bathing in the sauna in the world of Harvest Moon.
Hynavians last blog post..Ikkitousen Great Guardians Episode 7 & 8 – Bye Bye Kan’u Unchou?
“Not one of the men in the game is gay”
THANK GOD. There is no need to have faggots in games too, i can perfectly well live without them promoting their perversity here (no, not diversity, perversity).
If you want girl power in your harvest moon experience then just pick up one of the games that has you play as a girl. Then the tables turn.
Warpshadows last blog post..Anifanatikku: Inu Yasha volumes 1-10
Nice concept for this post. You say that there’s a present-giving dynamic, but surely if – as you say yourself – giving presents has never seemed to work the game for you, there’s a different message: that Woman’s
cold, unyieldingheart won’t melt, however many presents you shower Her with?IKnights last blog post..HoiHoi-san: The Joy of Merchandise
@ karry: Cause all gay people are perverse and generalizing is awesome and not ignorant at all.
Also, what Warpshadow said – there are Harvest Moon games where you play as girl =]
I’ve replayed this dozens of times on the Playstation but have never exceeded 3 years in any of the play through. Apparently new events unfold when your mandate is up, but I wasn’t bothered.
Shins last blog post..Renai Blogger Revolution
A gay Harvest moon wouldn’t work since you can’t have babies, right? Have they introduced an orphanage in the game so you can skip the giving presents to girls who probably wouldn’t really like them anyhow thing?
I decided I needed a backup of the game so I got the ROM for HM:FOMT. Somehow it’s a lot easier to manage with 999,999,999 gold up your sleeve. I only use money cheats because anything else takes away from the gameplay.
Oh Mary, your Librarian glasses girl moe will soon be mine!
Anyway, now for the replies to comments:
@Setsukyie: there was HM on PS1? Must have been neato.
@Hynavian: You posted rules for being a female ninja blogger yet you didn’t make any cracks at how patriarchal hegemonical this game is? (is hegemonical even a word?) But hey, if a girl likes the game that’s fine. Less being bashed by women’s liberationists at the expense of my being a man.
@karry: I’m sorry, but since I have actual gay friends I can’t say anything against them online in case they might see my blog and get offended. It’s one thing to say “oh I have gay friends” but it’s supporting those gay friends that counts. One of the reasons why I think Harvest Moon needs more diversity is that seems to be centered on wooing women and getting them to have your babies. Having gay characters in Harvest Moon might not be your cup of tea, and what fujoshi women want isn’t my concern, but I just want certain people I know of certain orientations to have better role models in video games. And why would perversion need to be part of the game play? They don’t even show heterosexual characters getting busy in Harvest Moon, all the same it would probably be just an alternate gameplay choice for it to work properly.
@Warpshadow: That sounds interesting, but how does that game system work? Do you have to give boys presents like in other HM games? Because I don’t think flowers and ribbons is going to wash with any guy I’d want to get hitched to if I was a girl. Sensitive I can deal with, but no SNAGs (SNAG = Sensitive New Age Guy, one of the most evil media inventions since Newscorp.).
@IKnight: Further inquiry has revealed that a Mineral Town girl can’t resist guys with 999.999,999 Gold. I ain’t saying she a gold digger, but she ain’t messing with no broke… farmer…
@tealoverroma: Now that’s a market they haven’t tapped yet, games for transgender people. Not just that, but lonely guys who want to know how a woman’s mind works without having to be one.
@Shin: I’ve had to restart the game several times because that khaki wearing bastard stole my girl. Go back home you Caulfield wannabe!
@issa-sa: Yeah, the closest thing we ever got to a gay Harvest Moon was Brokeback Mountain…
new gay manga…
Wow, now you would tell me what that has to do with free anime hentai porn….
I think same analysis
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