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[Terrell]

Again, inclusivity doesn't have to be political. Just because butthurt bigots always equate the two doesn't mean they're inherently political statements or actions.

People are getting bent out of shape because they're assuming that him saying "Nintendo doesn't make political statements" is the same as him saying "Nintendo doesn't care about having games address issues that are often, illogically, politicized", which I don't think is the case

Great point.

Allow me to break it down more simply than this:

If you create a game with a story or narrative that makes a politicized view its central narrative feature, it's a political statement. Even a game about beating up Donald Trump, as simple as it is and as devoid of story as possible, has a political narrative.

If you create a game that has elements that are politicized that are not inherently central to the story or narrative presented, it's not a political statement, but these elements still retain their politicized nature.

The best you can say about Super Mario Odyssey making a political statement is that it's against shotgun weddings, which is hardly a controversial or political belief anymore.

 

[charsace]

The chance that it is simply truthful...?

Being truthful doesn't mean it isn't weak and spineless.

 

[mattysmatts]

... The Xeno series clearly has something to say about religion.

I didn't say anything about games making political statements..I said Nintendo as a corporate entity. Of course different games may have some political leanings because they're made by people with opinions and ideologies.

 

[PSqueak]

He's pretty clearly talking about Nintendo, not video games as a whole.

By saying "political statements are for others, we want people to have fun" he is equating making politcal statements with the oposite of just having fun, he's taking a side, he makes it sound like the idea of politics is abhorrent and that's why people are calling him spineless.

 

[ViolentP]

Theres a time and a place for everything. I saw Reggies comments and wasn't surprised one bit, scroll down a bit and people absolutely losing their shit that Reggie isnt as charged as they are.

Agreed. I like his answer.

By saying "political statements are for others, we want people to have fun" he is equating making politcal statements with the oposite of just having fun, he's taking a side, he makes it sound like the idea of politics is abhorrent and that's why people are calling him spineless.

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

 

[Timeaisis]

Yep, CBC News's The National needs the clicks

Well their video sure does.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

When the robot in Xenoblade 2 is crying out asking why God won't help him as flames consume his children, my reaction will be "this is not political."

Come on, Reggie >_>

 

[joe_zazen]

Again, ALL ART IS INHERENTLY POLITICAL. However, even though this is an obvious non-answer, companies aren't obligated to politicize their work.

Having Pauline be Mayor of New Donk City could itself be described as a political statement. A woman previously portrayed as a damsel in distress is now reimagined as a strong, successful leader. Something like that shouldn't be political per se but it can definitely be politicized. If questioned on it though, Nintendo's response would probably be something like "We love seeing strong female role models in our games" which, again, can be construed as a political statement on feminism but isn't necessarily a core focus of any of their games, no does it have to be.

Why is all art political? For example:

 

[Gotdatmoney]

The response was literally other people can make games with political statements, we make games about making people smile and have fum.

I dont get how this is a controversy.

Its a PR non answer.

 

[Sesuadra]

We know you're woke Nintendo

first thing I thought of lol

 

[Adam_Vania]

so tired of hearing about Far Cry 5. wow you shoot at fake Americans instead of fake non-Americans. so political. big deal. it is going to be the same as every Far Cry game where you shoot people in a rural setting. wow they have a corpse that has "sinner" written on it. so deep. so political.

love Nintendo for keeping it real. they do not need desperate PR ploys like this. they make imaginative experiences and always have. a real shame there aren't more Nintendos in the industry.

 

[Kyuur]

Again, ALL ART IS INHERENTLY POLITICAL. However, even though this is an obvious non-answer, companies aren't obligated to politicize their work.

Having Pauline be Mayor of New Donk City could itself be described as a political statement. A woman previously portrayed as a damsel in distress is now reimagined as a strong, successful leader. Something like that shouldn't be political per se but it can definitely be politicized. If questioned on it though, Nintendo's response would probably be something like "We love seeing strong female role models in our games" which, again, can be construed as a political statement on feminism but isn't necessarily a core focus of any of their games, no does it have to be.

All art being political =/= artist made art to make a political statement.

 

[Mihos]

politics in video games are great as long as they express only my views.

 

[DarkKyo]

Why is all art political? For example:

I'm getting an anti-abortion angle from this picture personally.

 

[SmokedMeat]

The truth is when you make political statements in your games, you risk upsetting some of your customers. You upset your customers, you hurt sales, and thats something many publishers try to avoid.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Ain't nothing wrong with that. That's definitely part of the reason why I'm way more interested in Nintendo's stuff these days than any of the typical AAA shlock.

 

[BossDarkseid]

Although it sounds bizarre, Reggie, i can smile and have fun while playing Wolfenstein.

Then again, "innocent" stuff like Mario etc is fun too. And considering how Persona 5 came so close yet wound up so far in some regards, maybe Japanese devs need a more global outlook if they're going that route.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

All art being political =/= artist made art to make a political statement.

Okay, they can cancel English Literature classes all over the world now because the only thing that matters is author intent.

Analysis done and dusted!

 

[RinsFury]

Weak and disappointing answer.

 

[Nepenthe]

I keep seeing "everything is political" in drive by posts, as if it were self evident. I kinda want to know what dictionary the are using.

How is throwing a hat in a video game, for example, and turning into a T. rex political? A little help would be appreciated.

Games are made by people, and the only two contexts people have for creating anything are the contexts of the natural world and that which is created by other people in the societies that exist (as far as I know, we haven't found other intelligent life yet or been invaded by said life with completely non-human worldviews).

Therefore, it is inevitable that social, cultural, and political subtexts will be inherently present in works with any hint of conflict, of which most games have a shitload of simply because most rely on win and lose conditions to function, even if the overt plots themselves don't concern themselves with political conflict or grandstanding.

Ex. Sonic is pro-environment and anti-totalitarianism even though there isn't a single plot that exists in the franchise that outright says these things. It's just a consequence of making the environment and animals things to protect against the main villain's attempts at total world domination.

 

[AR15mex]

I gotta point out that the AAA industry is getting so caught in telling stories oir point of views than deliver actual gameplay (I'm looking at you naughty dog!).

I'm cool with this response. I want less hollywood on my games.

 

[Terrell]

By saying "political statements are for others, we want people to have fun" he is equating making politcal statements with the oposite of just having fun, he's taking a side, he makes it sound like the idea of politics is abhorrent and that's why people are calling him spineless.

This interpretation makes the assumption that something can't be political and fun simultaneously and independent of each other, and nothing about his statement says otherwise.

 

[KingSnake]

I mean, that's not what he's saying. He's saying 'It's fine, but not what we do.'.

The problem is that "it's fine" is missing. Not even implied. It's "we make people smile not bother them with political statements".

 

[wild wild rice]

I find Nintendo's incessant political message that the Earth is something humans have a responsibility to take care of to be absolutely disgusting and offensive to my Exxon Mobil stocks.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

The response was literally other people can make games with political statements, we make games about making people smile and have fum.

I dont get how this is a controversy.

Its a PR non answer.

Well, it's a non-answer but it's also not true.

They publish games in a series where a teddy bear was crucified and you kill God.

 

[Bronetta]

Can I just add that I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a CBC News link? They do good work in terms of news reporting.

Fun fact: The news anchor in Zootopia, Peter Moosebridge is based on and voiced by Peter Mansbridge who works for CBC News.

 

[PSqueak]

Why is all art political? For example:

As far as we know, that could be the artist's interpretation of their feelings of frustration over an opressive culture or their feelings of joy as gay marriage became legal.

Im only half joking, you can't never know what the artist was trying to convey, just because the piece is abstract doesn't mean it does not have a deeper meaning for the artist.

 

[John Kowalski]

I keep seeing "everything is political" in drive by posts, as if it were self evident. I kinda want to know what dictionary the are using.

How is throwing a hat in a video game, for example, and turning into a T. rex political? A little help would be appreciated.

That's easy. Politics in its broadest sense refers to the relationships that exist between between members of a given group of people, or of those people and their environments. Art is inherently political because a lot about what it contains, how it exists, how it was made, how it's absorbed, how it exists over time across different contexts, all of those in some way evidence the relationships that exist between people and between them and their physical contexts.

As to your examples, i mean they're not particularly hard. Using your hat as a tool can be a statement about fashion and giving old icons a new strength by using them for unforeseen ends. Using that hat to gain control of other agents of free will, like that T Rex, is frankly even more easily political because it puts you in a position where you can gain control of unwilling subjects, a sharp stick to poke at our fears of losing control over our own bodies or our ability to be free of other's control.

Why is all art political? For example:

Using mathematical concepts as both form and content in a work of art is a long tradition of legitimizing abstract scientific concepts as valid objects of aesthetic value. It's a straight and simple ideal that goes against the general perception that science is not beautiful, that it does not concern our appreciation of reality, or that it takes from nature its whimsical allure by thoroughly examining it.

 

[joe_zazen]

The response was literally other people can make games with political statements, we make games about making people smile and have fum.

I dont get how this is a controversy.

Its a PR non answer.

Being non-political is being political maybe?

 

[JustenP88]

Any response to this question that doesn't get you trending on Twitter is a good response to this question so... Good response.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Allow me to break it down more simply:

If you create a game with a story or narrative that makes a politicized view its central narrative feature, it's a political statement. Even a game about beating up Donald Trump, as simple as it is and as devoid of story as possible, has a narrative.

If you create a game that has elements that are not inherently central to the story or narrative presented, it's not a political statement, but these elements still retain their politicized nature.

The best you can say about Super Mario Odyssey making a political statement is that it's against shotgun weddings, which is hardly a controversial or political belief anymore.

Yeah, exactly. The difference is that one sets out to make a politicized statement, while the other doesn't. His statement isn't really saying Nintendo games don't have elements that can be politicized or shouldn't, he's saying they don't set out to make them (which probably isn't true, but like I said, he's not even a creator, so why they're asking him of all people is unknown).

Take for example "The Chronicles of Narnia" or "The Golden Compass". The authors of both series very clearly set out to make allegories of Christian themes and that was apparent in their work.

On the other hand, look at "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

Despite the name, despite the numerous references to Angels, and Christian iconography, the creator literally included all that because he thought it looked and sounded cool.

I content there is a BIG difference between the two, mainly due to creator intent, even if some consumers choose to equate them

 

[KarmaCow]

The response was literally other people can make games with political statements, we make games about making people smile and have fum.

I dont get how this is a controversy.

Its a PR non answer.

It's a feckless answer, which is par for the course for Reggie (which people seemingly love to eat up) but the issue is more that he tried to make it seems like two are at odds with each other. It's even stupider since Nintendo has does take stances and make statements about topics within the games.

 

[Twig and Berries]

Why is all art political? For example:

Depends on how it's used by the creator and their audience. Who is such a piece for? How will it be consumed? Etc

 

[Rover99]

Some people see the number 23 everywhere they look, others look for political messages in games and whether they're making a statement. I'm just here to enjoy games and have fun while doing it. That's all.

 

[mattysmatts]

The problem is that "it's fine" is missing. Not even implied. It's "we make people smile not bother them with political statements".

..which is their prerogative? Why is that a problem?

 

[What did he mean by this?]

Wasnt Bowser one of the first gay video game characters? Nintendos always been ahead of the curve

 

[mavo]

Okay, they can cancel English Literature classes all over the world now because the only thing that matters is author intent.

But thats what is discussed in those classes, the author intent.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Well, it's a non-answer but it's also not true.

They publish games in a series where a teddy bear was crucified and you kill God.

Well I know it's non true, they are showing a Xeno game off at E3. But the question is random as fuck and I dont expect the dude to identify ever product Nintendo releases on the spot and formulate a perfectly applicable response.

Like come on people. Nintendo is known for games about nothing. He promoted that as a PR non answer. It's not a fire storm.

 

[Bronetta]

Any response to this question that doesn't get you trending on Twitter is a good response to this question so... Good response.

Some people dont like the corporate answers he gives but as someone's whose worked in business communications before, he's a master of his class.

 

[Commanche Raisin Toast]

I don't have any problem with what he said so long as:

-he's not implying game makers *shouldn't* get political/philosophical

-he not implying people don't smile and have fun when playing games that *are* political/philosophical

Because I damn sure know I'm going to be smiling when I play FC5 from time to time, just as I did with the other FC games.

 

[Salty Rice]

Saying all art is political isnt true.

I could just throw a bucket of color over a canvas because i feel like it.

Such a political statement.

 

[jonjonaug]

... The Xeno series clearly has something to say about religion.

XenoX is pro equal rights, anti war, pro multiculturalism, and pro LBGT. There's sidequests where you fight racists and side plots of people learning to accept the cultures of their new alien refugee neighbors. Xenoblade is also most of those things although I can't recall any gay characters in it (XenoX has at least eight or so I think, possibly more). It's one of the most "progressive values propaganda" games I've ever played.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Yeah that's a horrible answer.

 

[wild wild rice]

Wasnt Bowser one of the first gay video game characters? Nintendos always been ahead of the curve

...Bowser's gay?

 

[Lucent]

I agree with Reggie. I don't go to Nintendo games for political statements.

I agree with Reggie, focus on everyone having fun.

Yeah I agree. I get tired of hearing about it in real life. I don't need it in my games. Some games can do it, whether fictional or based of real events, but I prefer Nintendo stick to games that are pure fun and have a nice atmosphere.

 

[SporeCrawler]

why would they ask nintendo about a game that doesnt even appear on nintendo consoles.

if you want a game with a political statement from nintendo play fire emblem path of radiance and radiant dawn or xenoblade

 

[Surface of Me]

Okay, they can cancel English Literature classes all over the world now because the only thing that matters is author intent.

Analysis done and dusted!

Not every analysis is worth a damn. Everyone's lizard brain can insert politics(or other things) into most anything. Look up all the weird theories about cartoons on the internet. Fun maybe, but they dont have any critical merit whatsoever.

 

[C.Olimar788]

I hate answers like this. It's so unapologetically naive and frankly insulting to suggest that you can make art without political statements, even if you "just want people to have fun".

For instance, some recent political statements from Nintendo include "gay people don't exist" (Tomodachi Life) and "gay people do exist, but only one per game or when they are the butt of a bunch of jokes" (Fire Emblem Fates).

 

[chrisPjelly]

That's fine. It's not like Nintendo has any story driven games to draw any worthwhile parallels from. There's nothing wrong with having politics in games (sometimes they're unavoidable), AND there's nothing wrong with being apolitical.

 

[Kyuur]

Okay, they can cancel English Literature classes all over the world now because the only thing that matters is author intent.

Analysis done and dusted!

I'm not saying that. Its fine for Nintendo say they don't want to make political statements in the same way it would be fine for a classical artist to say they only want to make paintings that are pleasing to the eye. People are free to interpret what they produce.