Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Why does it have straight marriage (child-rearing, coupling, etc) then? It's losing sight of what the game about, which is doing stupid silly stuff with friends, playing games, etc.
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#Miiquality | Bringing same-sex relationships to Nintendo's Tomodachi series
- Thread starter Tyeforce
- Start date
Why does it have straight marriage (child-rearing, coupling, etc) then? It's losing sight of what the game about, which is doing stupid silly stuff with friends, playing games, etc.
GetemMa
Member
Oh Nintendo. Just get with the times. I'm sure the people of Japan will get over two men getting married in their video games. They seem to be okay with incest themed dating simulators so let that be your guide as to how warped the culture is about sexuality. Raise the bar man. People in America won't fucking notice. The whole country has Attention Deficity Low Activity disorder. They pay attention to a lot and do jack shit about it because you know, Mario Kart 8 looks fucking RAD!
Gay marriage Life Sim <------------ (You know the same as Hetero life sim, stress induced ulcers, fighting over money, lots of infedility, and eventual divorce)
--------------------"The Bar"-------------------------------
Incestuous Life Sim <---------------------- (Disgusting, just super fucking gross in every way)
Or, Just stay silent next time. At the very least don't give yourself a 24 hour case of internet outrage. Now this story will take another 12 to 24 hours to die before people move onto something else.
This is the problem with internet outrage. It's a faddist game. It is like it is more of competition to just keep with the latest fad on Twitter than to actually do something meaningful about the outrageous shit you hear about on Twitter. That would require getting off the Smart Device/Computer and FUCK THAT! Thats how THEY win, by shutting us up.
Gay marriage Life Sim <------------ (You know the same as Hetero life sim, stress induced ulcers, fighting over money, lots of infedility, and eventual divorce)
--------------------"The Bar"-------------------------------
Incestuous Life Sim <---------------------- (Disgusting, just super fucking gross in every way)
Or, Just stay silent next time. At the very least don't give yourself a 24 hour case of internet outrage. Now this story will take another 12 to 24 hours to die before people move onto something else.
This is the problem with internet outrage. It's a faddist game. It is like it is more of competition to just keep with the latest fad on Twitter than to actually do something meaningful about the outrageous shit you hear about on Twitter. That would require getting off the Smart Device/Computer and FUCK THAT! Thats how THEY win, by shutting us up.
Would be cool getting rid of it. But I'm in the minority here.
User 73706
Banned
handle quote
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
You're right. I bet they remove relationships in the next game to avoid controversy.
blueplancha
Banned
Making an issue out of nothing, I love modern society. Everyone has to find something to be offended by.
That type of blanket dismissal of other people's concerns has seen others banned in this thread, you may want to edit.
If changing Mass Effect's ending can be a thing than this definitely can be a thing.
The Sims is a bigger mainstream game and it's covered all the social issues discussed here. I say let Nintendo do what they want. If the game won't let you play in a manner you don't find enjoyable don't play it.
Would be nice if Nintendo moved to left on this issue though.
This.
I was going to ask you to explain further but I guess we'll never know much more about your "good ole days". I was going to ask if the "good ole days" included the 90s. I recall them too. I recall in 1998 the Matthew Shepard incident that made me absolutely mortified to share my confused thoughts and feelings to anyone that I knew.
But maybe you just wanted to have a big fun talk about we all played Crash Bandicoot without worrying about all those pesky social issues. Eff those things, right. I just wanna play my video games!
Waylon Drums
Member
I'm fascinated at the number of people who have come into this thread to say things like this. We know we don't have to play it. We'd like to play it and be able to actually have our avatars reflect us. We're not asking too much.
Owlowiscious
Member
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here.
Going with the standard of the environment you're in can easily be considered 'making no comment one way of the other' and doing something that represents something illegal in your environment can easily be considered 'social commentary.'
Same sex marriage is legal where I live, so it's actually the other way around for me. But that is besides the point, excluding and erasing one subset of people from your game is social commentary whether you like it or not, there is no "neutral" position in this issue.
Owlowiscious
Member
And it's not legal where the game was made. And it's more like they created the game and didn't crate one subset of people in their game.
I don't understand the last sentence here, as for the first one, the game is going to be sold in a lot of places where same sex marriage is a reality, some game companies adapt their products to the market they are going to be sold in, is it really too much to ask for Nintendo to do just that? As I said earlier, banning same sex marriages from your game is social commentary, you can't go against equality and claim you're neutral.
RyanPierre
Member
The "standard of the environment" in a number of places the English-language version will be released is that it's legal. So you could certainly make the case that excluding this option in their localization is also not going with the "standard of the environment" for much of the game's new audience.
Maybe the gay marriage angle is completely ignored in Japan, but if Nintendo pays any attention to the rest of the world at all, they damn well know that it's a social issue many people are passionate about. If you're a) going to include the concept of marriage in your game, b) have exclusive content for it, and c) release it in the West, then at some point there should be a discussion about homosexual relationships/marriages. It should be very obvious to them that no matter which way they go, it's going to result in perceived social commentary. If you release it where gay marriage is legal and don't allow the option in this kind of game, it's going to be construed as social commentary. "Your gay marriage isn't welcome in our game." If it's released where gay marriage is illegal and does include gay marriage, people will also see social commentary. "Despite your laws, gay marriage is fine in our game."
Anyway, I wanted to post part of this A.V. Club article I saw, which I enjoyed reading and thought made some good points:
http://www.avclub.com/article/nintendo-says-theres-no-place-gay-marriage-its-pla-204343
Hours Left
Member
Seems to be picking up a lot of steam in the media.
Great job Tye!
Great job Tye!
Just saw that the AP picked this up - really surprised and impressed with the campaign that it's getting this much attention.
"Nintendo says 'no' to virtual equality in life simulator game" is a headline that really has to sting.
If Cheerios and Coca-Cola can embrace diversity, then Nintendo should be able to.
"Nintendo says 'no' to virtual equality in life simulator game" is a headline that really has to sting.
If Cheerios and Coca-Cola can embrace diversity, then Nintendo should be able to.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
That would be removing the game from the game.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Wow, Nintendo really got burned by this.
Hopefully they can adapt their next game more properly to the requirements of the LGBT community, although my gut is telling me that they will just cut off any possible sequel to the game instead.
Hopefully they can adapt their next game more properly to the requirements of the LGBT community, although my gut is telling me that they will just cut off any possible sequel to the game instead.
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
I mean romantic relationships, obviously.
There's more to it than a dating sim, right?
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Well, you don't take control of the miis in the game. You provide for them, give them advice when they ask for it, and watch them live their lives.
It's a god game, rather than being AC with miis.
Owlowiscious
Member
I think it is, yes. I made a post about pseudo programming the changes and I feel that it's not something that could be done between announcement and awarement and release of the game. Like the OP, at best I'm hoping for change in a sequel or a tiny hope of a patch changing the game. But I think the changes need would be too much for the current game.
I agree that your case can be made.
the above post said "banning" and this post says "excluding" [gay marriage]. But it's more that it was never there in the first place. They can equate to the same thing, but the connotation is different.
Again, I hope if the game does well that Nintendo will put more consideration to these features in the future. Or if it doesn't do well, they don't blame the game and stop localizing it completely, but realize that it could be due to this situation, and again consider including these features in the future.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Removing romsntic relationships is cutting the game off at the knees. It's a huge part of the game, especially as you get deeper in.
poorlonelycomputer
Member
Apparently for a lot of the posters on this thread too!
There also seem to be a lot of "experts" on Japanese culture here. Gay marriage may not be legal there but come on, it's not as if homosexual relationships are outlawed. Or as if it's a different century in Japan than it is in the rest of the industrialized world.
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Honestly if legality is an issue to whether gameplay options are included in a game or not, then most games with the protagonist owning guns and killing people would be illegal and hence shouldn't be released in major parts of the world. If we were to follow that line of logic on whether gay marriages should be allowed in games in parts of the world where gay marriages are illegal.
Fattony12000
Member
Juliet's 8½ Spirits;110992135 said:
Oh, fuck, that thing.
I agree.
EDIT
Oh, and Tyeforce, I hope you don't mind that I posted your post and added my own post to it on a post I posted to Giant Bomb a few days ago. It's done quite well on there and you and the movement are getting Much Love. If you're interested: 3,080 views and 122 posts so far.
http://www.giantbomb.com/tomodachi-...lity-movement-and-nintendos-response-1482734/
Herbspiceguy
Member
Wow, this is getting some exposure. I just heard a snippet from Tyeforce video on the (Dutch) radio news. Radio news reports about videogames are quite rare.
I know this guy was banned but what the hell. There's people here who probably think the same way so here's to them.
I started playing digital video games in 1984 or 1985 and I remember exactly how it was. I might've had a game & watch squid game and pong clone even earlier than I got a real gaming machine. But you know what happened after that during all these years? I grew up. I'm an adult. I crave adult entertainment which happens to be tied into the real world and includes social commentary.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
All they have to do is put out a statement confirming the sequel will be more inclusive if they really cannot patch this current one.
Rolodzeo
Member
Eurogamer covers the story as well:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...llow-same-sex-relationships-in-tomodachi-life
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...llow-same-sex-relationships-in-tomodachi-life
vinnygambini
Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
The campaign seems to have done more harm to Nintendo, including the prospects of further localizations of Tomodachi Life and the reception of that title, than good.
It's saddening as the context is not explained and the headlines are aggressive:
I know quite a few folks at Nintendo that are gay and deeply enjoy working at Nintendo. The portrayal of Nintendo's stance on LGBT communities in the media could not be farther from the truth.
It's saddening as the context is not explained and the headlines are aggressive:
I know quite a few folks at Nintendo that are gay and deeply enjoy working at Nintendo. The portrayal of Nintendo's stance on LGBT communities in the media could not be farther from the truth.
Well, nothing teaches like Siberia. The worse they're burned the better they learn that spouting some meaningless drivel on a pr sheet doesn't actually help them.
gaheris
Member
That's if this even gets a sequel, if people boycott then it will have been for nothing anyway cause they will probably keep it Japan only.
John Caboose
Member
Public Service in Sweden (Swedish television, SVT) has picked up on it.
http://www.svt.se/kultur/nintendo-stoppar-gay-brollop
Translation by me below:
Gamedeveloper Nintendo does not allow same-sex relationships in the new game Tomadochi Life.
In the game, that launched last year and has been a big success in Japan, there are a number of "Mii"-characters that are avatars of real players.
The Miis live on an island that the players can populate with friends and familty. The characters can also marry, but only with someone of the opposite sex, something that has made Tye Marini from Arizona USA see red, writes BBC news.
Impossible marriages
Besides being a big Nintendo-fan he is also homosexual. When he, as his virtual avatar, tried to marry his boyfriend it did not work.
In an attempt to get Nintendo to allow same-sex marriage Marini has launched a campaign that call on Nintendo to allow same-sex marriages.
- I want to marry my Mii [sic] in real life, but I can't. My only options are to marry a female Mii, change the sex of my or my boyfriends Mii or avoid marrying altogether, he says to AP.
- The point of the game is that you bring your personal traits into the game. You give them a personality, a voice. But if you're gay you can't fall in love.
Nintendo responds
Nintendo says the game should not be seen as a "social commentary". The game is a playful alternative world and not a simulation of real life, they say.
http://www.svt.se/kultur/nintendo-stoppar-gay-brollop
Translation by me below:
Gamedeveloper Nintendo does not allow same-sex relationships in the new game Tomadochi Life.
In the game, that launched last year and has been a big success in Japan, there are a number of "Mii"-characters that are avatars of real players.
The Miis live on an island that the players can populate with friends and familty. The characters can also marry, but only with someone of the opposite sex, something that has made Tye Marini from Arizona USA see red, writes BBC news.
Impossible marriages
Besides being a big Nintendo-fan he is also homosexual. When he, as his virtual avatar, tried to marry his boyfriend it did not work.
In an attempt to get Nintendo to allow same-sex marriage Marini has launched a campaign that call on Nintendo to allow same-sex marriages.
- I want to marry my Mii [sic] in real life, but I can't. My only options are to marry a female Mii, change the sex of my or my boyfriends Mii or avoid marrying altogether, he says to AP.
- The point of the game is that you bring your personal traits into the game. You give them a personality, a voice. But if you're gay you can't fall in love.
Nintendo responds
Nintendo says the game should not be seen as a "social commentary". The game is a playful alternative world and not a simulation of real life, they say.
It would probably wise to say that to nullify some of the negativity now....
..in reality they just won't release it in the west again.
If the LGBT community don't get you ..the anti-gay marriage Christian/parent groups will (especially with a family company like Nintendo with games aimed at young chldren). ..even moreso now that it has some attention.
That is quite disheartening and from Tye's video, I get the feeling this is far from what the campaign tried to achieve. (Edit: the boycotting I mean, not the exposure.)
Of course, it's Nintendo's own fault in the first place for not thinking this through and providing non-answers that can and are being twisted by the media.
RyanPierre
Member
I don't see any harm done by the campaign at all. This campaign is one of the most reasonable I've ever seen, thanks to the creator.
Any harm done here is completely on Nintendo for their response.
Well, you gotta pick if you want to please people who want equality or bigots. If you're making a game about 'life' you can't hide behind neutrality these days especially when Sims sells billions while gay sims have been woo-hooing for years and years.
Hours Left
Member
That won't happen.
Starwolf_UK
Member
Why would they cancel? The game is gold (review copies have been out since the direct, the nature of the game means you need some time to be able to write a review).
The only thing that would cancel it would be if retailers mass canceled their orders for the game and even then it can live on via the eShop.
I'd assume the game has gone gold now (it may well have done when it was announced for the US.Europe given how close to launch it was).
It'll likely depend how many copies have been made and the likely cost to them. They may just do a very soft release now and move any marketing dollars elsewhere (in the hopes they'll sell the current stock without causing a bigger media storm). If the game has too much negative attention/no marketing.. stores may just choose not to buy in stock anyway so it'll just fizzle out. It's unlikely they'll put any weight behind the game now.