Crash Bandicoot: Misogyny and mayhem- jkin263

Crash Bandicoot, one of the most popular and well known adventure games on PlayStation and one of the best well known. However, when I look back at the first Crash Bandicoot game I cannot help but notice the subtle sexism that is in video games. In 1999, when I was a child of five years old I had no idea what words like “sexist” or “racist” meant. However, what is disturbing is that with video games like Crash Bandicoot children are being exposed to gender stereotypes from an early age. Now I know what you’re all thinking. “Crash Bandicoot?  How could that possibly be sexist?” Here’s how. Firstly the main protagonist and antagonists of the original Crash Bandicoot are of course the protagonist Crash and the antagonists Dr Neo Cortex who is a psychopathic scientist along with his disturbed assistant Dr Nitrus Brio. Notice anything yet? As with all action genres and most video games the leaders or the one’s with authority are males, but the one without any power is of course Crash’s girlfriend ‘Tawna’. Essentially what the game is doing is establishing the male ‘Crash’ as the hero and leader of the good side whereas his girlfriend is the one left defenceless and in need of help. This would be fine if there were other female characters that were strong in the game, but there aren’t. As a matter of fact ‘Tawna’ is the only female character in the whole game! Children playing video games without even realising it are being exposed to a society that thinks of men as superior to women by their strength, and Crash Bandicoot follows this formula. Yes these characters are fictional bandicoots but their obvious reference to a misogynistic culture is troubling. But ‘Tawna’ being the damsel in distress is not the only worrying aspect about her character. She wears provocative clothing and has no lines. None! What does this say about how society works? Women are meant to be stared at for their looks? They aren’t meant to speak?. Clearly this game represents misogyny in general society where men are strong and powerful, women are good looking, silent and weak. Yes, again the sexism in this game is subtle, but sometimes subtle can be the most powerful and influential on shaping views.

 Jordyn King

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