An advocate for parents is unsurprised but still disturbed that an old Mario game has been remade to feature a “transgender” character.
In 2004, Nintendo released “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” for the GameCube. The fantasy story adventure takes gamers on a quest filled with various missions and characters who “speak” via speech bubbles that appear on the screen.
In the original version, the Japanese company presented Vivian, a purple ghost-like character with a pink hat, as a male who identified as a female.
“Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother,” his speech bubble read. “Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”
In the 2004 version released in the U.S., those lines were reportedly removed from the game. But now, they are included in Nintendo’s remake for the Switch.
Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, says it is part of an unfortunate and growing trend “not just unique to videogames, but also more broadly [in] media and streaming content that is aged for everyone or for young children.”
Read more at American Family News.
