Have they? On a corporate basis, sure. Have they done frozen with two gay princes? This is kind of what Nintendo is being asked to do here. I'm sure Nintendo wants to avoid any sort of controversy. I'd also not be surprised if Nintendo offered employees same sex benefits.
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Nintendo on Gay Marriage and Tomodachi Life
- Thread starter Nothing1016
- Start date
Interesting. Seems to pretty much fully back up what I said on page 1.
Do you mean like open/polyamorous relationships If so, I agree. No reason not to include those either since many people don't live in a binary sexual relationship and shouldn't have to be forced into playing one.
However, if I were a Nintendo shareholder I wouldn't want them to go out on a limb on this. Let people vote with their dollars.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
Man they're trying so hard to side-step the issue, but I don't think it's possible to have a neutral stance here.
That crap stills pisses me off at worse and extremely annoys me at the least. To the point that I find it hard to play Animal Crossing: New Leaf as much as I want to because I've never been able to darken the skin of my character after having the game since launch. At least in City Folk I could have the Mii mask so I could play as my Mii with the skin tone I wanted. Can't even do that with New Leaf. For a game where I play "me" I want the character to look like me. That's an important aspect that I think many take for granted. It's why I can see myself getting significantly more play out of Tomodachi Life. Unless it also has a shoe I have to look forward to dropping.
I highly doubt that allowing same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life would cause any controversy, at least in the U.S. We have gay characters in film and TV, like Kurt on Glee. We have openly gay athletes, celebrities, politicians, and so on. We're rapidly becoming more and more accepting of homosexuality. There's still a good chunk of stubborn bigots, but I doubt they'd notice some little video game. And if it did somehow blow up, it would probably be better for business than anything. Would bring some free attention to millions of LGBT Americans who otherwise might not even be aware of Tomodachi Life.
Blackthorn
"hello?" "this is vagina"
Semantic wriggling doesn't remove it from the genre it quite clearly is a part of and the experience the player intends to have. Providing more player options can only enrich the entertainment value of this game, whether they label it a lifestyle sim or not.
I know you're trying to explain Nintendo's reasoning here, the thing is I find that reasoning somewhere between neglectful and offensive.
And now who's projecting?
No, it is pretty possible to have a neutral stance. Nintendo's stance is, 'We never considered it would be an issue'. That's about as neutral as it gets.
Perhaps, I just want to believe that Tyeforce way is better. Instead of pitchforks we try to go with reason and some form of ethics. I'm really burned out on fighting this.
Finally got the company to send some racist/sexist people to a seminar and a 5 day education course after nearly a years long personal talk with them. Fun thing they where quicker to accept that foreigners, women and homosexuals was human as well and deserved the same kind of respect when their work was threatened ;_;
From what I understand the marketing is all about you and the people you know. Obviously there going to say its not a life sim to avoid controversy.
You as a human being don't know what the right answer is, or you don't know how Nintendo feels about it?
That because another company doesn't do something means it's okay for you not to? Seriously all these arguments are TERRIBLE. As a society, we're getting better about support for the LGBT community, but this type of rationalization is really piss poor to say the least.
And_Gignac
Member
Lol. Nintendo cannot change the views of their main buyers. Nintendo is already on a difficult situation, and alienating more of their core audience would be non intelligent.
I don't think this is true. But Nintendo's not doing the right thing regardless.
Mushroomer25
Member
Through a workaround that some people may find offensive, but yeah. You could make Reggie and Iwata have babies.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Idk what Nintendo feels.. of course I know. A whole corporation with plenty heads..they dont know.
Blackthorn
"hello?" "this is vagina"
On what basis can you suggest that Nintendo's core audience are homophobic?
T
thepotatoman
Unconfirmed Member
Maybe, but that's exactly what people are suggesting when they're saying that they can't do this because parents might be upset.
if it helps, seems sims was rated for teens, this is rated for everyone. Also a question, how much do you aid the formation of relationships? kinda key difference if its out of your hands (in parents eyes).
edit: the animal crossing one is the weird one, shoulda campaigned that.
edit: the animal crossing one is the weird one, shoulda campaigned that.
You're suggesting parents would only be upset if they're bigots, but that's not true. Some parents are perfectly accepting but just want to introduce their children to certain concepts on their own terms.
I mean Japan is ahead of the US and other countries in some ways and behind in others:
Wikipedia said:
EA has been vocal in the past and they're an American company so I'm wondering what the hesitance is here.
If the Sims is rated for teens because of LGBT support then the ESRB is even more fucked than I thought possible :jnc.
Pretty sure you can still wear a Mii Mask in New Leaf.
QuickSilverD
Member
if I'm understanding this correctly it is not "2 male characters" getting married and having a baby but "a male character and a female character in drag", correct?
Hi! Just want to point out something important we missed in the initial posting of this story: We spoke to Trinen about this last April, not today. We updated the article to include that context.
EmCeeGramr
Member
What the fuck am I reading.
Yes, exactly, it's a bit offensive to imply that they are one and the same.
Do you mean to tell me not every gay person is Nathan Lane in "The Birdcage?" :-O
T
thepotatoman
Unconfirmed Member
If that's the problem then I guess they should take pregnancy out of the game too, since you don't want kids asking potentially adult questions about adult concepts. What type of concepts are there possible there to be worried about?
No one did though. Everyone said it's an imperfect optional thing.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Idk but this all does not add up..was new leaf treated the same way when it was found you couldnt make a black person again? Sometimes you are represented sometimes you are not. I dont believe theres too much to this like politics.
It's been months and I haven't come across it yet if it is in the game.
And_Gignac
Member
Nintendo appeals to conservative-minded parents that are very picky when it comes to what kind of media their children can approach. Lets not forget that Nintendo is a Japanese company, and as such they have a more conservative approach to this kind of social commentary.
Hell, the most brightful, "progressive" and mainstream example of it is Persona 4, and yet you had a super desexualized "gay but not gay" character (Kanji) and a close to transgender male who takes the "right" decision by accepting herself as female.
It really saddens me -- and pisses me off -- that someone at Nintendo of America finally steps forward to say something about this issue ... and basically says nothing.
Also, if Trinnen and others at NOA want us to believe this isn't a "life sim" -- and as a result it doesn't have to acknowledge the existence of the LGBT community -- maybe they should reconsider the tagline that's being used to promote the North American version of the game: "Your Friends. Your Drama. Your Life."
Also, if Trinnen and others at NOA want us to believe this isn't a "life sim" -- and as a result it doesn't have to acknowledge the existence of the LGBT community -- maybe they should reconsider the tagline that's being used to promote the North American version of the game: "Your Friends. Your Drama. Your Life."
odd interpretation. I'm saying they can get away with it a bit easier because of it (targetting older demographic).
Cbajd5
Member
Many children's stories do take pregnancy out of it. Haven't you ever seen a stork? A lot of parents first discuss "the birds and the bees" with their kids when they're like, 8-10 years old.
Ahh so Nintendo hasn't actually responded to this yet? If I get that correctly and all the sites quoting you have it wrong?
Bony Manifesto
Member
I don't know about this. Nintendo are going to give you a non-answer if you ask them what time it is. It's just the way the company works - nobody below Iwata is authorised to say anything about anything. Which is fine (if frustrating) for most occasions, but this is a very particular question where a non-answer implies something pretty unsavoury. Ideally this needs to be something that gets escalated to the top, so they can figure out whether they're pro or anti homosexuality, because if they keep making these sorts of games with no options for homosexuality and dodging questions about it then they're going to end up in the 'anti' camp by default, which might not be what they want.
Nothing1016
Member
Okay thanks. I'll update the OP then to clarify.
Vermillion
Banned
Socially, I really do feel what you guys are saying... but looking at Nintendo's current image in the market and the like (and assuming that they'd like to keep that image), I really do support the non-answer. It's business. Cold, unfeeling business.
Mushroomer25
Member
Except in this case, you're clearly inferring things that are not intended by the artist. If Nintendo genuinely wanted to stop same-sex relationships in TL, they would've patched it to prevent such a thing. But instead, they just let it be. Because they don't have a stance either way - they're not caring about this issue because they're not going to spend the money on changing an extremely niche-market game for the US audience.
I don't think many people are saying Nintendo is deliberately making a political statement here. I think it's more like they designed the game a certain way and they should just come clean about it. Being transparent about these things certainly will garner good will to the hard core fans that clearly have something to say about this topic.
Blackthorn
"hello?" "this is vagina"
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
There was a thread here where the majority opinion was that it didn't matter that you couldn't have darker skin.
Both the New Leaf and Tomodachi Collection situations are representative of a general lack of thought on the part of NCL and NOA and an inability to understand their consumer base.
"Perfectly accepting" parents aren't going to get outraged because their child stumbled upon the ability to have their male character marry another male. It's not exactly a difficult thing for children to understand in the first place.
And what of the children who *are* gay, and have this game deny them the chance to explore the way they feel? I know for a fact that can be damaging. It indoctrinates the idea from an early age that they are abnormal.
Ahh yes AC I forgot. The default color is white. Yeah abonding this thread before I do something stupid.
Please just realise that being a Japanese company or whatever made up excuse is still wrong.
Else we can go back to having segregated drinking fountains and perhaps just put the women in Sunday school since more isn't necessary.
Please just realise that being a Japanese company or whatever made up excuse is still wrong.
Else we can go back to having segregated drinking fountains and perhaps just put the women in Sunday school since more isn't necessary.
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thepotatoman
Unconfirmed Member
That when two people love each other very much they get married and order a stork to drop a baby on their door step? I've heard of it, but that story actually works better to discribe how same sex couples get children than it does to describe what happens in pregnancy when the mother starts to get big, which does happen in this game.
And you didn't answer my question of what concept is there that a child would need to be shielded from, that can't be discribed by the simple fact that when two people love each other very much, they get married, and have/adopt children?
Some do take pregnancy out of it, but from what I have heard and seen, this game does not.
EDIT: However, I do want to stress that by giving ways to avoid sexual concepts before a child is ready, you're giving a damn good example as to why it should be easy to avoid those same concepts with same sex relationships. And because of that I still hold the only rational reason you don't want your child to be subject to same sex relationships is if you hate same sex relationships, and i would say hating same sex relationships by definition makes you a bigot.
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