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[EdwardTivrusky]

Why does the EU logo look so shitty compared to the US one ?

The EU cover is closer to the Japanese cover, maybe it's another step away from japan to make it palatable to Americans? I don't think any of the covers look 'good' though.

 

[thesurfshop19]

Wow. Finally caught up on the Nintendo Direct for this one. Totally out of left field, and I love it.

I echo the sentiments of others who wish the game were more inclusive. Nintendo is generally broadly appealing across age and gender, so they will need to be part of the industry leadership when it comes to sexual orientation. Maybe next time.

 

[d+pad]

If these concerns and how they're presented discourage future Japanese games from being localized I will be upset.

So, I guess he and others like him should keep their mouths shut from now on so you can have some peace of mind?

I have to say, this kind of attitude is *really* starting to piss me off. Those of us who would like to see LGBT relationships included in games like this have every right to express our feelings however we see fit, just as you have the same right, Owlowiscious. So, don't go expecting us to keep our feelings to ourselves just because they make you uncomfortable for whatever reason.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

So, I guess he and others like him should keep their mouths shut from now on so you can have some peace of mind?

I have to say, this kind of attitude is *really* starting to piss me off. Those of us who would like to see LGBT relationships included in games like this have every right to express our feelings however we see fit, just as you have the same right, Owlowiscious. So, don't go expecting us to keep our feelings to ourselves just because they make you uncomfortable for whatever reason.

Vote with your wallet, buy the sims

 

[d+pad]

Vote with your wallet, buy the sims

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

 

[AcademicSaucer]

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

i really doubt we are getting a sequel to this game anytime soon , maybe in nintendo's next system

 

[blitzwolf215]

Adpotion in Japan is pretty much a completely different thing than in the west in the first place. I don't even remember ever having thought about gay couples adopting in Japan since it's already (IMO) pretty messed-up how hard it is just to place kids with adoptive hetero couples. Most kids without parents (or with parents who don't want to raise them) just grow up in orphanages, especially if their biological parents are still alive and legally their parents. Here's some reading material:

Japan Times - Japan's forgotten children, Cultural and legal hurdles block path to child adoptions in Japan

Holy shit that sounds like a clusterfuck.

 

[kubus]

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

100% agreed.

Although it doesn't affect me personally, I hope that for the LBGT community some change can be made. It may be too late to change this particular game (unless they patch it in) but that doesn't mean that it's too late to convince Nintendo to add this option to other games (not even neccessarily Tomodachi games).

That being said I hope negativity won't overshadow this release and it becomes a controversial game. Nintendo took a huge gamble by localizing this game (localisation started two years ago with different versions being made) and I can imagine they've invested a lot of money in this franchise. I sincerely hope it does well because the West finally get to experience such a wacky "Japanese-y" game and it would be a shame if the release would become a PR disaster. Of course they could've prevented that by including a same-sex relationship option from the start, but, yeah.

tl;dr: definitely let it be known at Nintendo that they should include LBGT relationships but I hope that doesn't result in a boycotting campaign and a pr disaster for Nintendo.

 

[Labrys]

At this point I honestly wouldn't mind if the game somehow bombed, although I doubt that'll happen. I've seen enough "THAT GUY IS CHASING CORNFLAKES I WENT AND PREORDERD!!!!" to throw me off that.

 

[d+pad]

i really doubt we are getting a sequel to this game anytime soon , maybe in nintendo's next system

Oh, I didn't mean to imply a sequel would come out for the 3DS. No way is that going to happen. I was talking about the likely follow-up that will be released (in Japan, at least) for Nintendo's next handheld.

 

[Owlowiscious]

So, I guess he and others like him should keep their mouths shut from now on so you can have some peace of mind?

I have to say, this kind of attitude is *really* starting to piss me off. Those of us who would like to see LGBT relationships included in games like this have every right to express our feelings however we see fit, just as you have the same right, Owlowiscious. So, don't go expecting us to keep our feelings to ourselves just because they make you uncomfortable for whatever reason.

It's teetering on boths sides of this very thick line.

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

This looks helpful and might help progress LGBT relationships in games.

At this point I honestly wouldn't mind if the game somehow bombed, although I doubt that'll happen. I've seen enough "THAT GUY IS CHASING CORNFLAKES I WENT AND PREORDERD!!!!" to throw me off that.

This looks like two steps back.

 

[Labrys]

This looks like two steps back.

I dunno, it'd be nice for something noninclusive not to gain recognition. For once. Or maybe I'm being bitter, but I dunno.

Whatever happens happens at this point, I guess.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I dunno, it'd be nice for something noninclusive not to gain recognition. For once. Or maybe I'm being bitter, but I dunno.

Whatever happens happens at this point, I guess.

I don't think that you're being bitter but this kind of reminds me a bit of when people were rooting for Phoenix Wright 5 to bomb in the hopes that Nintendo would update its archaic digital rights system and Capcom would stop releasing localized games digital only.

While the issues at the heart of the matter are very different I think that the end result in both cases would be that the publishers would think these games simply don't sell well in the west rather than looking deeper at why the games weren't successful.

 

[Platy]

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

Make lots of crossdressing miis to marry so that it look like a gay paradise

 

[Tyeforce]

Interesting reading in the thread about the whole gay Mii marriage thing and I'm glad it's mostly been a reasonable discussion so far on both sides. Gonna ramble here, so excuse length in advance (har) and if you think this is derailing the thread from talking about the game, well, this seems to be a major talking point about the game and until more information comes from Nintendo all the other topics seem to be covered as well.

I think we're at a watershed point now where Nintendo being a family-friendly company doesn't matter, and the fact that kids might be playing doesn't matter, to the argument of whether or not to include Miis of the same gender dating in a game. Those being reasons to keep gay content out of things are from a time when the concept of being gay was diametrically opposed to the concept of family life. It's 2014. There are gay couples and gay families everywhere in the two main markets we're talking about here, North America and Europe, and despite it being an uncomfortable line of thought for some people, children are not inherently straight, nor a separate species from the gay adults in our societies. Some kids are or will be gay. They have a right to see media that tells them they are not freaks and that what they feel is a part of the broader human experience as well as what they see all the time with hetero couples.

The more games come out that let you simulate your life, or let you play as a character with enough agency given to you in the area of relationships that many people will treat them as an avatar of themselves and want to make the same decisions they themselves would (e.g. Mass Effect), the less of a niche discussion this becomes. As an earlier poster said, my existence as a gay person and my desire to reflect my real life (my male partner) in a game like this is not social commentary or being PC or being political. It's my life. Don't put "your life" on the box if there's gonna be a honking great implied asterisk that says your life in some corporate-conservative filtered version of what that means.

Some people have asked for perspective on what Japanese people think about all this. I lived in Japan for some years and had a reasonably fulfilling gay life there. I would say that Japan is a place where a (what one might call) conservative view on society and the role of the family prevails. Your role in Japanese society is to get married and have children. Not fulfilling this role, be it because you're a woman who wants a career, a gay person, or a person of any gender who isn't interested in making that life for yourself, positions you as something of an outsider. In that sense gay people are not singled out as a destructive force against society in the same way (some) conservative demagogues do in the west. You don't get that "think of the children" attitude.

However, the vast majority of gay people keep their sexuality to themselves. Being out at the office is almost unheard of. It may sound horrible but I don't think most gay people necessarily feel oppressed by this on a day to day basis. Japan is not a country shaped by a history of organised religion, and the associated repression of sex and sexuality in all its forms, in the same way many Western countries are. There is no real concept of homosexuality as a sin or something you're going to hell for, and most people would be hard pressed to tell you what was wrong with it other than the fact that you aren't like most people (conformity is a virtue there) and you won't have a family, which is a shame. Many people view it as something you do rather than something you are, which was the prevailing attitude in the west as well until relatively recently. I found people in Japan would say things like "I didn't know you were into that", as if it was someone confessing a fetish or a sexual peccadillo rather than their entire orientation, but they would also say "does that mean you want to be a woman?".

There is a prevailing template of gender roles in Japan and being gay puts you outside that system (just as being a working mother does, or an at-home dad), hence the tendency to try to understand homosexuality in those terms: man loves men does not compute, man must somehow deep down be like a woman, or aspire to being one on some level. I'd say this is why there is also a huge tendency to conflate homosexuality with transgenderism and transvestism, which leads us to one of the key points: being gay may be a political hot topic in the west sometimes, but in Japan it's usually the focus of comedy. A man liking men is just weird and something to laugh at.

Anyway to get back to some kind of point, I honestly think the time has come to ask Nintendo why this isn't in their game. Not in some belligerent hostile campaign, but in plain and simple terms that are honestly asking for an answer to the question. Not because we'll like the answer - chances are a truly honest answer would come down to social conservatism in the Japanese Nintendo office and fiscal/public relations concerns in the western ones - but because making them think about the question is one way for the audience to force an internal conversation that might start us down a path to a positive resolution on this issue.

'Nintendo' is not a monolithic entity. We can be 100% sure that producers, translators, testers and others at both NOA and NOE (and let's be fair, some at NCL as well) were aware, upset and vocal (perhaps not at NCL) about the heteronormative version of life portrayed in this game, and those would not just have been LGBT people but straight people (what some call allies) who think equal representation of a diverse spectrum of sexuality in media is a right for everyone, whether or not they're personally affected.

Let's not lash out and blame just yet, but instead question and engage. The #Miiquality hashtag might be a good place to start, as public campaigns are harder to ignore than private letter-writing or effort-free petition website clicking. But to come back to my opening statement, I feel this is a watershed moment. It's one of those times when you finally say, actually, no, I won't be told this is a non-issue or that I should be happy I can find a crappy workaround in the game, or it's the inevitable product of the intersection of Japanese and big-company thinking, or I should be satisfied being gay isn't making me worse off in my life in other ways anymore and complaining about representation in a game is a first-world problem (which it surely is). The time for straight-talking (as it were) on this issue is now.

Fantastic post! I agree completely. Let me know if you'd be interested in helping me start some kind of movement, by the way. I've made an (at the moment, unpublished) Facebook page for Miiquality, but I have no content to post yet. I'm brainstorming ideas of how to spread the awareness of this issue in a positive and non-political way.

Also, I'm completely against boycotting the game. That will do more harm than good, I believe. The less sales the game gets, the less incentive Nintendo has to make an update or localize future sequels. I will buy the game day one for sure. I may not be able to fully enjoy it, but I'll buy it in hopes that someday I may be able to.

 

[blitzwolf215]

Game is available for preorder at Amazon finally, since yesterday apparently. The Direct is over 400,000 views now, cool

 

[Owlowiscious]

Game is available for preorder at Amazon finally, since yesterday apparently. The Direct is over 400,000 views now, cool

pfffffffffffffft like animal crossing, this thing is going digital to be on my 3ds forever

 

[Hindl]

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

This would be great, but unfortunately it seems that LGBT representation isn't as important in Japan as it is in the West. I really hope Nintendo would come around with it so everyone can feel happy and comfortable playing this game. Hopefully NoA could put some pressure on NCL for this, or even have the Treehouse add in LGBT relationships and characters if NCL don't see the reason to do it.

 

[-Horizon-]

Game is available for preorder at Amazon finally, since yesterday apparently. The Direct is over 400,000 views now, cool

I said wow. I want this to succeed.

 

[Wrathie83]

The Direct is over 400,000 views now, cool

I swear this wasn't because I kept watching it *looks shifty*.

 

[Labrys]

checked out the #miiquality tag, found this piece of shit website and article

i dunno if the guy is trolling or not but boy is he an asshole. "Fascist militant gay movement", seriously? he also linked to this thread so idk but all i know is that he's very outspoken on matters he's not personally involved in and feels the need to comment.

 

[Kinsei]

checked out the #miiquality tag, found this piece of shit website and article

i dunno if the guy is trolling or not but boy is he an asshole. "Fascist militant gay movement", seriously? he also linked to this thread so idk but all i know is that he's very outspoken on matters he's not personally involved in and feels the need to comment.

Ludwig is regularly ostracized from places because of his political views. However, he's still not banned from Miiverse, so follow him at NNID PrinceOfKoopas. You'll be glad you did.

I'm pretty sure that line confirms that it's a joke. Or, at least I really hope so. That entire site feels like a joke.

 

[Owlowiscious]

Didn't read the article no comment on that but

I'm pretty sure that line confirms that it's a joke. Or, at least I really hope so. That entire site feels like a joke.

Ludwig Von KoopaApril 17, 2014 at 11:59 PM

The footer isn't true anymore.

lol

 

[Tortimer]

I'm actually taking this surprising (not really) route: buying the NA version of the game + doing everything I can (a blog post or two plus a bunch of tweets) to make NoA aware of the fact that people would like to see LGBT relationships included in this or future games.

That said, if the sequel to Tomodachi Life is localized and doesn't include LGBT relationships, there's no way in hell I'll buy the game. Plus, it would probably put me off of Nintendo and its systems/games for a good long while.

It's 2014, Nintendo ... get with the program!

I could be jumping into this late, but I can kind of understand Nintendo's hesitancy to have LGBT themes in their games. First, LGBT visibility is very low in Japan compared to America. I've heard some people attribute it to their reserved culture and Western influences that caused homosexuality to be viewed negatively in Japan for a period of time.

Also, Nintendo primarily targets younger audiences with their video games. Seeing how having LGBT characters and themes in a video game is still controversial but excluding them is not, it makes sense that they would err on the side of not including that content.

Honestly, the gaming industry is behind in a number of ways--strong female leads, racial diversity, characters that don't fit within a gender binary, people with disabilities, and the list goes on. Really, a few of those aren't controversial at all, but they are still rare sites in video games.

I can't imagine Nintendo taking a risk and including "controversial" themes in their video games until those themes are no longer "controversial."

 

[Qtwentyseven]

It seems like the only reason they took out the gay biz, was because it'd be kinda weird for Miis of people who are straight in real life to be off going on dates with each other, & professing their love for one another..

As far as I can tell, that stuff just happens. The game seems to be about seeing all sorts of weird stuff going on. Having that stuff in there would be a bit much.

 

[Mask]

I might get this. It reminds me of that old Gamecube (I think?) tech demo, where Iwata and Reggie were playing piano. Is it just weird stuff over and over?

On an unrelated note, when I was looking at the Download Exclusives section of the eShop, the UK is FINALLY getting Cave Story! Only took about 2 years. 1st of May according to the eshop.

 

[Labrys]

It seems like the only reason they took out the gay biz, was because it'd be kinda weird for Miis of people who are straight in real life to be off going on dates with each other, & professing their love for one another..

As far as I can tell, that stuff just happens. The game seems to be about seeing all sorts of weird stuff going on. Having that stuff in there would be a bit much.

With that though, wouldn't it be weird having Miis of people who are gay in real life going offand having heterosexual relationships in game? It goes both ways.

 

[maxcriden]

I'm pretty sure that line confirms that it's a joke. Or, at least I really hope so. That entire site feels like a joke.

Unfortunately I think I've heard of this site before and IIRC it's real.

 

[Tomohawk]

i really doubt we are getting a sequel to this game anytime soon , maybe in nintendo's next system

Tomodachi collection sold well in Japan i think its safe to say its going to get a sequel in a couple of years.

 

[Danchi]

Tomodachi collection sold well in Japan i think its safe to say its going to get a sequel in a couple of years.

It's one of Nintendo's evergreen titles (ala Mario Kart, Animal Crossing) that just sell and sell through the console's lifespan. There was a four year gap between this and the original game and if that was the case again we'd likely be talking about Nintendo's next handheld.

 

[Joqu]

checked out the #miiquality tag, found this piece of shit website and article

i dunno if the guy is trolling or not but boy is he an asshole. "Fascist militant gay movement", seriously? he also linked to this thread so idk but all i know is that he's very outspoken on matters he's not personally involved in and feels the need to comment.

Pretty sure that guy is (used to be?) a gaffer. I definitely remember there being some sort of outing about it.

 

[Tomohawk]

checked out the #miiquality tag, found this piece of shit website and article

i dunno if the guy is trolling or not but boy is he an asshole. "Fascist militant gay movement", seriously? he also linked to this thread so idk but all i know is that he's very outspoken on matters he's not personally involved in and feels the need to comment.

Sounds like hes saying i'm literally hitler.

 

[Mpl90]

I've seen amount of views mentioned. Well, since I had intention to do this for some time...

As of April 18th, 2014, 20:49 GMT

General Directs in 2012

Nintendo Direct 2.22.12 - 375,482
Nintendo Direct 6.21.12 - 470,671
Nintendo Direct 10.25.12 - 94,032
Nintendo Direct 12.5.12 - 102,619

Special Directs in 2012

Nintendo Direct Pre E3 2012 - 1,016,420
Wii U Preview Presentation (a little cheating, but, elsewhere, it was a Direct, so...) - 282,589
Nintendo Direct Mini - NSMB2 - 473,402
Nintendo Direct Mini: NSMB2 - 11.27.12 - 70,168

General Directs in 2013

Nintendo Direct: Wii U Games - 387,667
Nintendo Direct 2.14.2013 - 338,757
Nintendo Direct 4.17.2013 - 318,905
Nintendo Direct 5.17.13 - 220,598
Nintendo Direct 8.7.13 - 219,918
Nintendo Direct 10.1.13 - 222,975
Nintendo Direct 11.13.13 - 236,812
Nintendo Direct 12.18.13 - 337,376

Special Directs in 2013

Pokémon Direct 1.8.2013 - 617,644
Nintendo Direct @E3 2013 - 1,660,510
Nintendo Direct Mini 7.18.13 - 187,636
The Wonderful 101 Direct 8.9.13 - 73,471
Pokémon Direct 9.4.13 - 304,982
Wii Fit U Direct 9.18.13 - 89,926
Nintendo Direct: 3DS Louvre Guide - 54,216

General Direct in 2014

Nintendo Direct 2.13.14 - 469,411

Special Directs in 2014

Super Smash Bros. Direct - 4.8.14 - 967,908
Tomodachi Life Direct 4.10.14 - 436,757

Only NA versions of Directs taken into account.
Compared to many other Directs, Tomodachi seems to be doing quite well!

 

[Qtwentyseven]

With that though, wouldn't it be weird having Miis of people who are gay in real life going offand having heterosexual relationships in game? It goes both ways.

Right, but I suppose it is a case of catering to the majority.

I don't know for sure, but if you have more control over that stuff, then I think it's kinda crummy that they took it out.

Unless they specifically made it a feature & had a gay/straight/bi stat, then I don't think they should bother.

 

[grim-tales]

I just watched some of the trailer



Those voices are so.. weird. (The announcer sounds like a robot). "I was like a coffee but you made me life creamy"
WTF XD

 

[grim-tales]

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

Pretty funny and shows the extent of customization

lmao xD

 

[BowieZ]

Incredible Direct! Surprised it wasn't gif'd already. However, it kinda lacks without Reggie's maniacal laughter. Highly reminiscent of the end to Thriller.

I wonder how many dreams are in this game; they seem really strange and fun.

This is hilarious even without the sound. It looks like he's going "Yeaaah. That was aaaaalll-right." lmao

 

[blitzwolf215]

The Direct is over 480,000 views now, but that little trailer that released the same day has over 650,000 views right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTHSY5GKKY

 

[Owlowiscious]

[i don't know why I thought the picture I posted here and edited out was real]

 

[watershed]

this isn't helping

I'm a little confused. Do you think that is his real account?

 

[Owlowiscious]

I'm a little confused. Do you think that is his real account?

Yes.... sigh. I'm just gonna delete my previous post. Funny pictures thread is not a place to find news.

 

[Amazeballs]

I'm a little confused. Do you think that is his real account?

The account is "@REALSHIGERUM" so it's an obvious fake.

 

[Broken Joystick]

Sounds like hes saying i'm literally hitler.

 

[Labrys]

^
to be honest with that guy's attitude (the one running the blog) i wouldn't be surprised if he thought the same thing

 

[Orniletter]

Hahaha, oh wow !

Yeah, the game about weird soap opera relationships with "All my curcuits"-esque twists and reveals is just about friendship and all dem pesky gays should better role play and just want pain in the ass.

I really hope this is a comedy blog, what an awful human beeing if it isn´t.

Edit: And I have to get beefcake Reggie on my Island .

 

[Tyeforce]

I said before that I was going to make a video for the #Miiquality thing, and here it is!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI0bXQvldwM

I'd really like for this movement to pick up and become noticed. You can help by spreading the word however you can! I've also created a few social network accounts for Miiquality that you can follow to stay connected and show your support as well.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miiquality
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miiquality
Tumblr: http://miiquality.tumblr.com


I'd like to make a thread about this, but I'm not sure if that would be okay or not. Would it be?

 

[maxcriden]

I said before that I was going to make a video for the #Miiquality thing, and here it is!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI0bXQvldwM

I'd really like for this movement to pick up and become noticed. You can help by spreading the word however you can! I've also created a few social network accounts for Miiquality that you can follow to stay connected and show your support as well.

Follow Miiquality to show support and stay updated!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miiquality
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Miiquality
Tumblr: http://miiquality.tumblr.com


I'd like to make a thread about this, but I'm not sure if that would be okay or not. Would it be?

You absolutely should. (Seriously!)

 

[deltatheta]

Yes, please make a thread about this. That was a great video.

 

[OmegaFax]

Nintendo needs to respond to this. This reminds me of the discussion over Fire Emblem: Awakening's lack of same sex marriage or even gender identity in the case of Birdo or Vivian from Paper Mario. More I think about it and scurry through some search results, kind of apparent Nintendo has a lot of hangups about this.

 

[Frolow]

I really doubt most of the people at Nintendo are anti-gay, but they sure as hell don't want all the bad PR they would get from places like FOX. It just writes itself "New Nintendo game let's your children marry gay people!"