Dad Hacks Donkey Kong So His Daughter Could Have a Playable Female Character

The disparity between male and female playable characters in video games isn’t news. However, the conversation surrounding the active inclusion of women in gaming is a relatively recent phenomenon.

There is a whole generation of young women just getting into gaming who stand to benefit from this discussion. Institutionalized feminism and traditional gender roles that dominate much of the  pop cultural landscape means that significant change will take time.

Until then, there are people who change the world a little bit at a time. Recently Mike Mika found a way to make a change for his three year old daughter that caught a whole lot of attention. When Mika noticed that his daughter was “a little bummed out” that there was no female character for her to play in Donkey Kong he went above and beyond staying up all night hacking the game to please his little gamer.

The hack that Mika created swapped  Mario with Pauline giving his daughter a female avatar to play with. In doing so he eliminated the “damsel in distress” trope, instead creating a more feminist narrative having Pauline be the actionable character saving her friend Mario.

So, Mike Mika – coolest dad ever? The DK Pauline patch is available for download here.

(via Ars Technica)