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By combining Asian-American cultural ethos with his own personal experiences, Gil manages to add to an already controversial topic. Did Team Ninja, a studio already infamous for their questionable depictions of women, transform the beloved Samus Aran from a gung-ho super soldier into a kowtowing subordinate? Gil informs us.
I don’t think Metroid: Other M is sexist. And no, I’m not a woman, but hear me out.
I'm ready to acknowledge that the evidence labeling Other M as a textbook example of sexist narrative in video games is compelling, but I disagree. I believe that this opinion, expressed by many, may stem from a cultural misunderstanding of the source material.
I don’t claim to be an expert on all things "Eastern," but I'm a Japanese-American immigrant raised with many of the conventional values of the motherland, most of which are relevant to understanding the Japanese-developed Metroid series.
Western culture -- and particularly American culture -- places significant weight on the 18th year of a person’s life. That’s the year someone legally becomes an adult: the year that, for better or for worse, an individual is given legal reign over all facets of their autonomous existence. As an Asian-American, I’ve always felt somewhat disconnected with this social paradigm. In the land of the free, I am legally recognized as equal to my parents and mentors. I reserve and enjoy the same rights and individual freedoms bestowed upon all American adults. Some see this as a privelege and are willing to protect it with fierce resolve. I, on the other hand, am unable to consider myself equal to my parents or older authority figures, despite being aware of my categorization as an adult
At first glance this may strike you as a self-esteem issue, but truthfully it’s a component of my upbringing. My parents taught me to respect them, elders, and other authority figures (teachers, coaches, ministers, etc.). I learned from a very young age that talking back or otherwise exhibiting an inability to submit to authority reflected negatively toward those who raised me and was a sign of immaturity and foolhardiness. I am my own man -- make no mistake about it -- but when it comes to people I greatly respect and admire, my childhood wiring definitely comes into play. Being “old enough” isn’t a definitive factor; I need to ear the right to call myself equal to them, with a proven ability to follow being a pivotal first step.
"Because I was so young when I lost both my parents, there's no question I saw Adam as
a father figure." -Samus Aran
Despite not being a woman, I empathized with Samus’s personal conflict in Other M. As an Asian-American raised with these strict values, finding peace between authority figures and my own identity is an obstacle that, even at the age of 25, I am still struggling with. For me, it’s not as simple as doing or saying what I want. The nagging sensation of dishonor and unwarranted disrespect toward those who have unfailingly provided help and guidance is often too overwhelming. This may strike some as extreme, or even archaic, but regardless of foreign opinion, these feelings are an ingrained element of my lifestyle.
This particular component of my culture has unfortunately led to a number of quarrels between my non-Asian girlfriend and I. It's clear that the culturally enforced reverence for authority figures is all too often misunderstood by people brought up in Western societies. And that’s what I think is going on here.
Two contrasting cultural methods seem to exist: the Western and Eastern versions. Americans often view Samus Aran as a woman fully capable of saving the universe without having to concede her abilities to a higher authority. The fact that she submits to a male superior in Metroid: Other M somehow makes the game sexist. My cultural upbringing suggests that Samus’s decision is more a common struggle experienced by both men and women to honor one’s mentor and prove one's own merit.
Yes, Samus has achieved many extraordinary things before the events of Metroid: Other M. To us, she may have already surpassed her mentor Adam Malkovich in terms of experience and ability. The goal, however, was to humanize Samus, and in Asian culture, the individual quest to achieve esteem and personhood from those you most greatly respect often seems unending. In her own eyes, Samus hasn't yet fulfilled that quest. Does that really mean the developers molded her into a coward? Perhaps the intent was that she be a humble student.
