6. Animal Crossing: City Folk — Shopping and Boutiques!

Animal Crossing: City Folk, along with the Wii Speak accessory, was primarily targeted at women, advertising mainly the shopping and designing aspect of the game along with other “feminine” activities, especially with this series of stiff commercials promoting the game amongst older female players. Both the US and UK ads were unnatural, saccharine, and promoted the game to women rather than all ages, focusing mainly on the social aspects of the game rather than the breadth of activities there were to complete within. Not only was this a strange decision, but it ended up not showcasing exactly all there was to do in the game aside from what would only appeal to female players.

7. Nintendo Girls’ Club

Nintendo’s YouTube channel may be geared toward the younger set like many of the other examples on this list, but the Nintendo Girls’ Club is offensive on a few different levels. The actresses chosen for the videos aren’t exactly relatable, and each “video” and “conversation” feels more like a paid commercial for Nintendo rather than a genuine attempt to connect with girls who enjoy gaming.

Some of the ideas that show host Jorgie discusses are painfully demeaning, given the fact that she’s talking about making the perfect dress rather than meaningful strategies and ideas that players of both genders are actually discussing. It’s frustrating to see such an entity with such reach assuming the best they can get away with is casting a well-known UK “bad girl” actress as a girl gamer when they could do so much more.

On the other hand, I get that Nintendo could very well be catering toward younger non-gamers with non-technical language and fluffy games. But why? Why use the same tired approach from back in the day when video games are so widely accepted these days as an activity for children of either sex?

8. Super Princess Peach

For some reason, Princess Peach is perennially viewed as a role model for young girl gamers. Because obviously, she’s a princess, and that must mean she’s got it all together, right? That actually couldn’t be further from the truth, since Peach can’t seem to save herself and is continually displaying less agency than a pet rock.