Beyond the Blackbox: A Response
Earlier this year, Ms. Jaime Lee Kirtz wrote an article called “Beyond the Blackbox: Repurposing ROM Hacking for Feminist Hacking/ Making Practices,” published in issue no. 13 of Ada New Media. (link: https://adanewmedia.org/2018/05/issue13-kirtz/) While I’m not familiar with the publication itself, I’m always surprised to see any mention of ROM hacking outside the wacky tubes we call the Internet.
Now, I’m sure many of you are expecting me to tear into the article and go on the attack; but really I’m not. Now, it’s been a while since I was in college and reading peer-reviewed texts, so the extremely verbose writing style is a bit difficult for me to comprehend. The fact that political musings on the philosophical nature of feminism are constantly included makes comprehension even more of a challenge, at least for me. But that being said, I do appreciate that Dr. Floppy and Popehentai were quoted and given at least a somewhat fair shake considering the publication’s nature.
I do want to challenge the writer’s interpretation that women are unwelcome in ROM hacking, or that the very nature of ROM hacking is anti-female. While I do, to some extent, agree with Dr. Floppy that the very nature of ROM hacking itself may not appeal to women; however, I do not think that women as a whole would find the hobby to be unenjoyable. Hacking, whether it be ROMs or any other media, is a subculture to begin with. As the article implies, hacking itself generally has a negative connotation in society, thanks to a poor representation in pop culture. So, it’s no wonder that few men, and many fewer women, become a part of a hacking community.
All that being said, I really do wish that more women and girls took part in ROM hacking. In fact, I wish that more folks in general took part in ROM hacking! As in any creative medium, there is no greater joy than planning a project, putting in the effort, and seeing the final result to completion. With ROM hacking, the end result is a playable game, customized to your own wants and specifications.
For me, one of the greatest joys of my life was seeing the completion of “Donner Party,” a group-effort ROM hack that I had a small part in its completion. That hack’s second level was completed by Bobbie Doll Blue, a first-time female ROM hacker who is still a part of the BHDN community today. It’s a great level, and an amazing effort for any hacker - even moreso for a first-timer!
I do wonder what the article’s author would think of our site’s current plans for upcoming ROM hacks. “Subway the 13th” is set to have half of the playable characters be women; and “Donner Party 2″ is planned to have Agent Felicia King as a player character in one level (the level I’m currently planning, tentatively titled “F.U.C.King Wet!”).
While I can’t address any potential feminist concerns about the other two female characters in “Subway the 13th,” Felicia King is a character of my own creation who is set to appear in both hacks. I won’t go into detail describing her here, both to save space and to avoid potential spoilers. But in short, she’s a character who’s strong in spirit and in body, and also quite attractive. She’s a tough action heroine, inspired by my own favorite heroines - such as Lara Croft, Samus Aran, and Nikita. While she’ll face great challenges in both hacks, and can potentially take a lot of damage (depending on how good a player is at the controls), Felicia King will likely be one of the most powerful player characters in both games.
Of course, there’s a great deal that can be said about this topic, so I will leave it here for now. In closing, I do wish to stress that I do not want to rail on or make fun of the article. While my blog is certainly no peer-reviewed journal, I have intended this to be an honest and respectful response to the article in question. If any of you readers decide to contact the original publication, or post your own thoughts here or elsewhere, I would encourage you to be constructive in your criticism and avoid abusive language. That sort of posting is not helpful to anyone, and only serves to drive people away from our hobby.
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