Games Have Always Been Trans

This essay explores the critical relationships among trans studies, game studies, and the environmental humanities to evaluate trans ecological media. I center two distinct gaming sites: a board game, Wingspan, and a social media phenomenon, Bowsette, based on Nintendo's video game, Super Mario Bros. These media tacitly incorporate tranimality into their ludic matrices. Within Wingspan, trans reproduction (male birds laying eggs) becomes the skeleton key to success. As a trans femme icon, Bowsette emerges through fan art and social media to imagine a means for Mario's nemesis, Bowser, to transition into a romantic partner as a result of a mushroom super crown. The opportunity to play with trans birds, turtles, and fungi on digital and analog platforms makes evident that games have always been trans.