Deep, dark goblins are out, and all things sparkles and rhinestones are in. In Infinity Nikki, I dress my character in copious ruffles, sheer layered silk pastels, and various outfits perfect for the most glamorous of Disney princesses. Even the towns in the game, with their adorable cottages and overgrown flowers and vines, effuse a sort of coziness and “cottagecore” aesthetic I’ve seen popularized by women on social media sites like Tumblr and TikTok.
Because of details like these, I’d say Infinity Nikki leans into what I’d associate with traditionally feminine or “high femme” aesthetics and fashion. And while it’s fine to say that this game could be aimed at a female audience, that certainly has not stopped a wide variety of people from playing it. Since Infold Games released Infinity Nikki on Dec. 5, the largest subreddit for the game has become the platform for a new — and fascinating — debate on gender and video games.
The conversation started more or less like this: After the developers released Infinity Nikki, several self-identified men posted on the subreddit saying that they have been playing and enjoying the game. Although these posts vary in wording and tone — some seem to be much more lighthearted than others — each one more or less touches on the fact that grown men are out here playing a girly dress-up game. One person posted, “Jesus, finally a manly game. Having a blast,” and another said, “I’m a 35 year old man. […] This game is so much better than I could have hoped. Absolutely in love!”
When I saw one of these posts for the first time, I thought it was a sweet way for men to celebrate a dress-up game and their more feminine side. I think that’s because it feels like gender norms are being enforced more than they ever have been. Recently, we’ve seen the continual targeting of people who are perceived as challenging gender norms. The past decade has seen the emergence of several masculine subcultures, like “sigma males” and cryptocurrency tech bros. I had to live through a period where somehow Harry Styles wearing a dress became the most debated and analyzed cultural event on the internet.
But as other members of the subreddit have pointed out, these posts can also have the complete opposite effect. One message — which has now become the most upvoted post on the entire subreddit — took issue with the posts where men flexed their love of Infinity Nikki.
“The instant a girl game becomes popular it becomes ‘i’m a 25 year old man and i love this game’ [and] ‘hope nobody knows i play this game for girls,’” IntrinsicCarp said on Reddit. “This game does not deserve to be relegated to your dirty little secret, even as a joke.”
Another responded, “It was nice to see the first 2 times, but not after the 29th of the same post…”
Rather than normalize the fact that men can, and do, enjoy activities typically seen as feminine, posts like these can perpetuate the idea that it’s somehow remarkable that men dare to like a dress-up game. What’s more is that women have long played what some might categorize as masculine games.
“You don’t see us saying ‘tee hee i’m playing red dead redemption how shameful’. Please grow up and just play the game for girls without acting this way,” IntrinsicCarp said.
Infinity Nikki has inspired some men to celebrate their feminine side and others to bring attention to potential pitfalls of those kinds of posts. I’ve seen people comment on everything from representation in Infinity Nikki to women who celebrate the game for how it empowers women to express themselves in whichever way they want. At the end of the day, Infinity Nikki is the kind of game that allows its players to dress up in any way — whether that prioritizes looks that are cute, sexy, adventurous, or something else entirely. Whatever style each person embraces is up to them.
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