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[Sendou]

Both are ridiculous, clearly and yet the AC example is seen as okay. Nobody started petitions or boycotted that game. That's what irks me a bit. Stand against all forms of exclusion, not just those that affect you personally.

I have seen people complaining about it more than once. In addition to that wouldn't it make more sense that people are more keen to stand for things that affect them personally. If you were going to "stand against all forms of exclusion" I'm afraid you wouldn't have time for anything else.

 

[BriBri]

Possible? Certainly. A good idea? Probably not.

Also, it doesn't matter if you control your NPC or not. It's your Mii, so it's your decision. You can't decide for other Miis.

What an absurd thing to say. So every gay person playing the game has the sexuality decided for their Mii but for a gay person to decide the sexuality for any other Mii is 'probably not a good idea'?

 

[kubus]

Possible? Certainly. A good idea? Probably not.

Also, it doesn't matter if you control your NPC or not. It's your Mii, so it's your decision. You can't decide for other Miis.

Why not?

This sort of thing is also possible in The Sims, which is way more explicit with some things, and also allows you to make Sims based on your friends and family. If that was also "asking for trouble", I haven't seen the "trouble".

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

I have seen people complaining about it more than once. In addition to that wouldn't it make more sense that people are more keen to stand for things that affect them personally. If you were going to "stand against all forms of exclusion" I'm afraid you wouldn't have time for anything else.

What if the whole development staff are straight and when asked why same sex relationships are excluded they replied 'well
none of us are gay so it didn't matter to us' that would be okay would it?

 

[Tomohawk]

Well standing in the sun for countless hours to get darker skin, temporarily, is as acceptable a compromise as setting a male Mii to female so two male (looking) Mii's can get it on.

Both are ridiculous, clearly and yet the AC example is seen as okay. Nobody started petitions or boycotted that game. That's what irks me a bit. Stand against all forms of exclusion, not just those that affect you personally.

Alot of people didnt like that you couldnt change skin color in animal crossing but even if they didn't its a bit silly to get irked when people are trying to create positive change.

 

[also]

Possible? Certainly. A good idea? Probably not.

Also, it doesn't matter if you control your NPC or not. It's your Mii, so it's your decision. You can't decide for other Miis.

What makes sexuality so different to from any other personality attribute?
You can change the race of any character, form ''incestuous'' relationships, recreate horrible human beings (how long until someone makes a Hitler Mii and chronicles his persecution of other ''jew'' Miis?), but gay relationships are somehow taboo? Give me a break.

 

[Sendou]

What if the whole development staff are straight and when asked why same sex relationships are excluded they replied 'well
none of us are gay so it didn't matter to us' that would be okay would it?

Nope. Here's an alternative version of your post:

What if the whole development staff are males and when asked why option to make your character female is excluded they replied 'well
none of us are female so it didn't matter to us' that would be okay would it?

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

Nope. Here's an alternative version of your post:

So you agree that it's beneficial to care about things that may not affect you directly...?

Then you may see where I'm coming from where I'm having trouble not seeing hints of hypocrisy over how this specific issue makes Nintendo especially backwards but not being able to be black in something like Fire Emblem for example was seemingly okay.

 

[Sendou]

So you agree that it's beneficial to care about things that may not affect you directly...?

Then you may see where I'm coming from where I'm having trouble not seeing hints of hypocrisy over how this specific issue makes Nintendo especially backwards but not being able to be black in something like Fire Emblem for example was seemingly okay.

I guess I missed your point. I still don't see it.

What I mean is that of course everyone should be realizing the problem with not being able to pick your skin color in avatar driven game but you don't necessarily raise fuss about it if it doesn't involve you. It may be because your skin color is already represented in the game as default or well you don't play videogames and don't care much. It's not hypocrisy to be louder about issues that affect you directly. It's hypocrisy if you change your stance depending on whether if affects you personally or not.

 

[wsippel]

What an absurd thing to say. So every gay person playing the game has the sexuality decided for their Mii but for a gay person to decide the sexuality for any other Mii is 'probably not a good idea'?

Exactly. And there's nothing absurd about it. The problem is that you would end up with gay Miis of straight real people, Miis they've created and shared with you, and with the social network integration, this is far more likely to offend or annoy those people either directly or indirectly, which could ultimately cause problems for the player as well, and it could potentially hurt Nintendo's reputation. Society simply isn't there yet. Therefore, it's much safer not to include this option. That's all I'm saying, really.

 

[Taker666]

I know it's not ideal..but if you're a gay male couldn't you simply select the gender of a character to be female and then design it to look male?

I believe the Mii maker uses all the same facial features (including beards etc) for females as they do for males.

 

[BriBri]

Exactly. And there's nothing absurd about it. The problem is that you would end up with gay Miis of straight real people, Miis they've created and shared with you, and with the social network integration, this is far more likely to offend or annoy those people either directly or indirectly, which could ultimately cause problems for the player as well, and it could potentially hurt Nintendo's reputation. Society simply isn't there yet. Therefore, it's much safer not to include this option. That's all I'm saying, really.

So in other words appease people with masculinity issues.

I know it's not ideal..but if you're a gay male couldn't you simply select the gender of a character to be female and then design it to look male?

I believe the Mii maker uses all the same facial features (including beards etc) for females as they do for males.

What an insulting (but technically logical) solution.

 

[wsippel]

So in other words appease people with masculinity issues.

I'm not a fan of oversimplifications, but that's essentially what it boils down to, yes. Well, it's one part of it.

 

[Jonnyram]

Honestly gob-smacked that they left "Tomodachi" in the title. What a weird world we live in.

 

[RiggyRob]

Honestly gob-smacked that they left "Tomodachi" in the title. What a weird world we live in.

No weirder than having a console called Wii or a massively popular franchise called Pokémon IMO. I'm glad they kept the Tomodachi name, it keeps the sense of Japanese quirkiness that you just wouldn't get if it was called Mii Life or something.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Honestly gob-smacked that they left "Tomodachi" in the title. What a weird world we live in.

Sounds quirky and title-y. They probably left it to add some flavour.

 

[Platy]

so ... you can or you can't date a male mii ? =P

 

[CitrusStorm]

Honestly gob-smacked that they left "Tomodachi" in the title. What a weird world we live in.

My Friends' Lives just doesn't have the same "huh?" impact as leaving a word untranslated does.

It's like the One Piece fandom and nakama, only in this case Nintendo's not assigning some BS magical meaning to the word and are correct about what it means.

 

[Phazon]

Here is the English transcript of a couple of questions I asked Sakamoto via mail

- A lot of people will probably compare Tomodachi Life to the Animal Crossing series, but the game is actually very different. Can you tell us some big differences between these two games?


Mr Sakamoto: We’re often told that the gameplay of the Animal Crossing series and Tomodachi Life are similar, but I think they are different. In fact we intentionally differentiated the gameplay of Tomodachi Life so that it won’t be similar to that of Animal Crossing.



We wanted to make a game where users would communicate about the game outside of its gameplay, as triggered by its gameplay (inside). So the games offer different surprises, different game styles, and ultimately different entertainment.

I want consumers to understand that these two games are completely different, can you help me to deliver this message to your audience?





- Tomodachi Collection: New Life has a lot of content that was aimed at the Japanese people. Did you change a lot of things for the western release of the game (as Tomodachi Life) and can you give us a couple of examples of how you've tried to adapt it to the western market?


Mr Takahashi: We made a range of changes for Europe: the way the Tomodachi [KL1] speak, so not only the voice synthesiser, but we changed the dialogue and phrases used; we changed the animations and gestures, so Tomodachi act like Europeans when they walk and move; the types of songs available in the concert hall; the seasonal events on the island; the currency is also changed to either Euros, British Pound Sterling or Australian Dollars depending on the country setting in each console; and we also adjusted the price of items, food, clothes and interiors so that they matched each market.



All this is because we want players to form a deep relationship with their alter-ego Tomodachi who are Europeans, so we needed the Mii to act like Europeans.





- Aside from clothes and interiors, it looks like food will be an important aspect in the game. Could you explain to us what was the reasoning behind that?


Mr Sakamoto: One of the fun things you can do in the game is to pick food that the real-life person, who the Tomodachi are based on, would like. In this manner, it creates another topic to communicate (outside of the game) if their preferences happen to match. It is also amusing to hold favourite food in front of Tomodachi and see their reactions. Once players know their Tomodachis’ favourite food, they can also show their funny reactions to anyone anywhere. We also added over 60 food items specific to the European market in Tomodachi Life.





- Will Tomodachi Life make use of StreetPass? If so, what kind of functions or benefits will we get when encountering other people by StreetPass?


Mr Sakamoto and Mr Takahashi: Yes, Tomodachi Life will make use of StreetPass.



We may have mentioned that your alter-egos can fall in love, but on top of that in Tomodachi Life, they can get married and have children.



In the game, just like in real-life, child Tomodachi grow up and leave home… So depending on the player’s choice, he can let the grown-up child of two Tomodachi be independent and go travelling to other Tomodachi Life players’ islands via StreetPass. On occasion children write letters home with stories of their adventures and even temporarily come home with souvenirs for the player.





- There's also SpotPass for the Nintendo 3DS. Will you make use of that function too? It looks like a great way to distribute small kinds of DLC?


Mr Takahashi: SpotPass will be used in Tomodachi Life to distribute two costumes (or hats) each month. There is no other DLC or AOC in Tomodachi Life.





- Are there any specific goals in this game? Is there any kind of end goal at all?


Mr Sakamoto: As the game does not dictate a clear gameplay objective to begin with, there is no goal in the game. But this doesn’t mean there is nothing to do in the game.



The basic objective for the player is to interact and take care of Mii characters (Tomodachi) and make them happy, and in doing so make yourself happy.



For the completionist player, there is a lot to collect such as clothing, treasure and food. For some players, even though Tomodachi act with their own free will, they like to somehow try to bring certain Tomodachi together and try to make them fall in love. Another goal might be to figure out which food is a Tomodachi’s favourite.



Effectively, the player finds his own goal in the many things you can do in Tomodachi Life.





- Earlier this year Mr Eguchi told us that there were a lot of women involved in the development of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Was that also the case for Tomodachi Life? How did the involvement of women change particular aspects of the game?


Mr Sakamoto: About a quarter of the development team for Tomodachi Life consisted of female staff. We also found it helpful to have ideas coming from a woman’s perspective, such as for the unique humour, to make Tomodachi Life more colourful and likable. We also appreciated their input on the fashion for the Tomodachi, as we wanted it to be as appealing as real clothing.





- Finally I have a question for Mr Sakamoto as we all know you've been the great mind behind the Metroid and WarioWare franchises. Will we see any kind of Metroid/WarioWare hints in Tomodachi Life?


Mr Sakamoto: There are Nintendo surprises in Tomodachi Life, such as past hardware from Nintendo and also there are some interiors for apartments that are Nintendo-themed.



In terms of game design, it is difficult to find common points among the franchises you’ve mentioned, as they are all very different types of game. However, I would be grateful if players would find our game philosophy as a common element in all our games, which is that “anyone who comes into contact with our the games enjoy it to the full”.

[KL1]Please note that Mr Sakamoto and Mr Takahashi have been referring to the Mii in Tomodachi Life as "Tomodachi" as they have a voice and personality, to different them from Mii avatar system.

We have used this word throughout this interview for clarity.

The original interview in Dutch can be found here http://3ds.4gamers.be/specials/35507/1/Tomodachi-Life-interview-met-Yoshio-Sakamoto (if you liked it, a hit/visit would be much appreciated, but that's your choice)

I hope some of you guys found some answers to be interesting at least

 

[pje122]

Could I play this offline or does it really need to be online for it to be worth it?

 

[Platy]

LOOKS LIKE Same sex marriage was not an option at all ....

http://candycrushcopeland.tumblr.co...xplains-why-it-patched-same-sex-relationships

And there was a glitch relating to importing the characters from the DS version that made some MALE same sex relationship happens (no lesbian relationships).

But aparently you CAN dress girl miis in male clothing and vice versa, so that might help with the "feel of 60 fps homosexual marriage"

 

[Lee Chaolan]

What a great trailer.

 

[kubus]

Could I play this offline or does it really need to be online for it to be worth it?

There is no online, so you're good.

 

[maxcriden]

Not sure if this was already covered, but since we're on this topic I'm just curious--how tolerant and accepting are Japanese people of homosexuality?

 

[Komo]

Mr Takahashi: We made a range of changes for Europe: the way the Tomodachi [KL1] speak, so not only the voice synthesiser, but we changed the dialogue and phrases used; we changed the animations and gestures, so Tomodachi act like Europeans when they walk and move; the types of songs available in the concert hall; the seasonal events on the island; the currency is also changed to either Euros, British Pound Sterling or Australian Dollars depending on the country setting in each console; and we also adjusted the price of items, food, clothes and interiors so that they matched each market.

This is a cool feature, and I should be excited but I'm not.
If anything, I'm reconsidering pre-ordering now. :\

 

[Pikawil]

The Direct was already on crack, but it needed more crack.

 

[MyBodyisReady]

Well I don't know how many other games include them. Not many in my experience. To limit yourself to just those types of games, that must exclude 99%. I don't think you should look at Nintendo for social commentary, I don't think they thought about it.

I didn't play Mass Effect but that's one game.

My relationship with other men and my status as a homosexual are not social commentary. It's my life. This is why same sex relationships should be a part of this game. If I truly want to live out my fantasy relationships with friends and celebrities why can I not do it how I want to do it? It's not social commentary.

 

[Koppai]

let me know when it's up for preorder, day 1!

 

[d+pad]

Nintendo may not be able to change the game in time for launch, but it's still very possible that they could put out an update for the game in the future. They've done plenty of updates like this for Nintendo 3DS games before, whether it's just a simple bug fix (Mario Kart 7, Pokémon X & Y, etc.) or a full blown update with new features and content (Style Savvy: Trendsetters, Steel Diver: Sub Wars), so it's very possible that they might do it for Tomodachi Life.

Hey there, Tyeforce! I hope you don't mind, but I just used your brilliant #miiquality idea in a tweet I sent to Nintendo of America. I gave you credit for the idea in the follow-up tweet (would've done so in the original one, but there wasn't enough room) but I wanted to let you know here, too, as I don't know your twitter handle. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if someone from NOA responds or not. I'm going to guess not, but who knows?

 

[TnK]

I am buying this game as soon as I can. Games like these is why I loved the DS so much before (ouendan, tingle, etc.)

The direct was hilarious, and this looks like incredible fun. Can't wait.

 

[Linkhero1]

I have no idea what this game is.

I don't know if I want to buy it or not.

The images in this thread are hilarious.

 

[Omnii-chan]

Nintendo referencing memes about the company, their staff and acknowledging the Virtual Boys existence?

Am I high or did Nintendo just do a whole bunch of things I never thought possible from them?

I hope the game is as substantial as it seems, because this could be a winner for Nintendo. Their own little Facebook that is wacky and actually fun to use. It could be a big thing if enough people end up knowing about it.

 

[Somnid]

Nintendo referencing memes about the company, their staff and acknowledging the Virtual Boys existence?

North American NDs pretty much are required to have a "my body" joke in them. Since NDs are web-based I think Nintendo intentionally does certain things so that people share them or make gifs and memes.

 

[AdanVC]

I totally support those of you who want same sex marriage on this game. But I honestly believe that option would not be available on this title... The game was finished more than a year ago and right now is just being localized for the West and the actual Devs of the game are probably working in other stuff now and they would not come back to this title unless they create an actual sequel and THERE is where they SHOULD add that option without excuses.

 

[d+pad]

I totally support those of you who want same sex marriage on this game. But I honestly believe that option would not be available on this title... The game was finished more than a year ago and right now is just being localized for the West and the actual Devs of the game are probably working in other stuff now and they would not come back to this title unless they create an actual sequel and THERE is where they SHOULD add that option without excuses.

That may or may not be true, but the fact is if we don't pressure them now, they're unlikely to add in the "option" should a sequel be made. Also, who's to say this potential sequel will even be released outside of Japan? I want it in this game, so I'm going to do whatever I can to let them know that now.

 

[BY2K]

 

[thefro]

It's happening... QOL device = VR confirmed?

 

[Nerokis]

Not sure if this was already covered, but since we're on this topic I'm just curious--how tolerant and accepting are Japanese people of homosexuality?

This has been an underemphasized point in the discussion. This survey was conducted slightly less than a year ago, but it should still be relevant. In general, I think the Japanese people are fairly tolerant of homosexuality, but that doesn't really translate into an acceptance of same-sex marriage. Among the 16 countries covered, Japan ranks at or near the bottom on the latter point. Particularly interesting is that very, very few people in Japan (the numbers go from 24% in Hungary, to 5% there) are completely sure they know a gay person.

 

[maxcriden]

This has been an underemphasized point in the discussion. This survey was conducted slightly less than a year ago, but it should still be relevant. In general, I think the Japanese people are fairly tolerant of homosexuality, but that doesn't really translate into an acceptance of same-sex marriage. Among the 16 countries covered, Japan ranks at or near the bottom on the latter point. Particularly interesting is that very, very few people in Japan (the numbers go from 24% in Hungary, to 5% there) are completely sure they know a gay person.

Thanks for the info Nerokis, I really appreciate it. That is interesting. So it's culturally tolerant, but maybe not evolved in practice? It sounds like in theory Japanese people are tolerant but they haven't been encountered gay people (that they know of) and haven't had to think about this is a more practical, concrete and personal issue.

d-pad, did you make a post on your site about this issue? I'd be interested to read it if so!

 

[Tomohawk]

This has been an underemphasized point in the discussion. This survey was conducted slightly less than a year ago, but it should still be relevant. In general, I think the Japanese people are fairly tolerant of homosexuality, but that doesn't really translate into an acceptance of same-sex marriage. Among the 16 countries covered, Japan ranks at or near the bottom on the latter point. Particularly interesting is that very, very few people in Japan (the numbers go from 24% in Hungary, to 5% there) are completely sure they know a gay person.

It would be cool if we saw which way certain age groups leaned in japan.

 

[d+pad]

Thanks for the info Nerokis, I really appreciate it. That is interesting. So it's culturally tolerant, but maybe not evolved in practice? It sounds like in theory Japanese people are tolerant but they haven't been encountered gay people (that they know of) and haven't had to think about this is a more practical, concrete and personal issue.

d-pad, did you make a post on your site about this issue? I'd be interested to read it if so!

Hey there, maxcriden! No, I haven't written about it on my blog yet. I mean, I've written about my general interest in Tomodachi Collection/Life, but not about how I feel about the probable lack of gay relationships within the localized version of the game.

To be honest, that fact only really hit me last night -- or, rather, it only hit me last night that I may not be as cool as I thought I would be with the fact that the game may force straight relationships on me and others like me.

I'm thinking I'll write up some thoughts on the subject early next week, though. If I do, I'll share a link to them here -- if my thoughts don't suck, I mean

Oh, and my two cents on Japan and gay acceptance: I'm far, FAR from an expert here, but everything I've ever read or been told about this subject leads me to believe that, in general, Japanese society has an odd/awkward relationship with the LGBTQ community. In some respects, LGBTQ people (or the idea of them, at least) are "accepted," but in other ways they're kind of ignored (in a "just don't put it in my face," kind of way, as far as I understand).

Hopefully someone with FAR more knowledge of the topic will correct me if I'm wrong, though, or share additional information that will help people understand how the subject is dealt with in that country...

 

[Owlowiscious]

I think for this specific game the best one can hope for is that Nintendo recreates the original glitch and don't patch it out. Then if people want to do the glitch for same sex relationships and pregnancy and a child, cool.

 

[rpmurphy]

LOOKS LIKE Same sex marriage was not an option at all ....

http://candycrushcopeland.tumblr.co...xplains-why-it-patched-same-sex-relationships

And there was a glitch relating to importing the characters from the DS version that made some MALE same sex relationship happens (no lesbian relationships).

But aparently you CAN dress girl miis in male clothing and vice versa, so that might help with the "feel of 60 fps homosexual marriage"

Yeah, the exact bugs were discussed before, but I think it didn't reach as many people as the other reports did. If Nintendo were to do same-sex marriage in the game, they need to program the functionality and the scenarios correctly. No one wants a game that glitches out and makes the game unplayable.

 

[Tyeforce]

Well, looks like same sex relationships aren't happening... =(
http://www.vg247.com/2014/04/11/tom...l-of-same-sex-marriage-explained-by-nintendo/

I won't have the time to start anything for a few days, but I encourage anyone and everyone to speak up on social networks with the hashtag #Miiquality and #TomodachiLife! There's still hope for an update... Or at the very least we can hope to change things for a potential sequel.

Hey there, Tyeforce! I hope you don't mind, but I just used your brilliant #miiquality idea in a tweet I sent to Nintendo of America. I gave you credit for the idea in the follow-up tweet (would've done so in the original one, but there wasn't enough room) but I wanted to let you know here, too, as I don't know your twitter handle. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if someone from NOA responds or not. I'm going to guess not, but who knows?

Thank you! My Twitter is @Tyeforce, but it's no big deal, you don't have to credit me for anything. We just need to get people talking!!

 

[d+pad]

Thank you! My Twitter is @Tyeforce, but it's no big deal, you don't have to credit me for anything. We just need to get people talking!!

Just started following you I'm thegaygamer on Twitter, BTW. Anyway, I def. wanted to credit you for the #miiquality idea, as I found it very cute, fun and unique. You deserve credit for it!

Anyway, it definitely got people talking earlier today, and a number of people have favorited and/or passed along my tweet, so here's hoping NOA at least pays attention and gives us and other minorities at least a bit of consideration moving forward.

 

[ShinRPGamer]

LOOKS LIKE Same sex marriage was not an option at all ....

http://candycrushcopeland.tumblr.co...xplains-why-it-patched-same-sex-relationships

And there was a glitch relating to importing the characters from the DS version that made some MALE same sex relationship happens (no lesbian relationships).

But aparently you CAN dress girl miis in male clothing and vice versa, so that might help with the "feel of 60 fps homosexual marriage"

Yeah this whole thing caused such a huge flame war on Nintendo Life, which is a very tame community in comparison to other places.

Honestly if it's a game-breaking bug that got patched then there's no real need to get too political about it.

 

[Penguin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZbEBGirjE

Pretty funny and shows the extent of customization

 

[Kinsei]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZbEBGirjE

Pretty funny and shows the extent of customization

Oh man, this game looks amazing. I am totally making Ripley and Xenomorph Mii's and making them neighbors.

 

[Shinta]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZbEBGirjE

Pretty funny and shows the extent of customization

This deserves it's own thread. Holy shit lol.

 

[Kyzon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZbEBGirjE

Pretty funny and shows the extent of customization

This was beautiful!