Those of you who read my recent "Open Letter to Nintendo of America" should be well aware of the fact that I'm pretty peeved the company's upcoming--and otherwise completely enticing--3DS title, Tomodachi Life, presumably won't allow players' Miis to form gay, lesbian or bisexual relationships.
I'm not the only gamer upset by all of this, of course. A number of people in this NeoGAF thread about the game, for instance, also have admitted to being disappointed by it--with one of them being someone who goes (there and elsewhere) by the username of Tyeforce.
Tyeforce has done more than just express on an Internet discussion forum his displeasure with Nintendo of America's handling of the situation, though; in the last few days, he's started a movement, basically, that's centered around the theme of "Miiquality."
#Miiquality from Tyeforce on Vimeo.
The gist: if you'd like the brass at Nintendo of America to add same-sex relationships to Tomodachi Life, let them know by using the hashtag #Miiquality while on sites like Facebook and Twitter. (Or, as commenter Rob_in_Baltimore suggested here last week, you also can let them know by contacting them via the company's website or by signing this petition.)
Oh, and don't forget to show your support for (and stay updated on) this issue by following the Miiquality Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages--if you're so inclined, of course.
See also: 'The day we've all (or at least three or four of us have) waited for has arrived: Tomodachi Collection is coming to Europe and North America this June'
Showing posts with label equality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label equality. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
An open letter to Nintendo of America about Tomodachi Life's presumed lack of gay, lesbian or bisexual relationships
Dear Nintendo of America,
Before I say anything else, I'd like to mention that I've been looking forward to playing this game (some version of it, at least) since the original Tomodachi Collection was announced for the Japanese DS back in 2009.
Given that, it shouldn't be too surprising for you to read that I was more than a bit excited when I heard you'll be releasing that game's 3DS sequel as Tomodachi Life in North America on June 6.
That excitement lost some of its luster a few days after that announcement was made, though, when it finally sank in that the game will very likely force me to "play straight" (you know, as opposed to "playing gay" as I'd obviously prefer to do).
Although I was pretty sure that would be the case the second I heard about Tomodachi Life's impending North American release, it didn't really bother me until I watched the Nintendo Direct broadcast devoted to the game and it struck me that I'd more than likely have to watch my male Mii woo (and possibly marry and maybe even have kids with) female Miis over and over and over again should I decide to pick up a copy of the game.
I'm sure that sounds like a silly complaint, especially since what we're talking about here is a rather silly video game, but to me it's anything but silly.
In fact, the whole thing makes me feel sad--sad that despite the fact that you're marketing this 3DS game as being all about "your life," that's not going to be true in my case or in the case of any of my LGBT brothers or sisters who similarly decide to buy and play Tomodachi Life.
All I want is for my Mii to be able to date, marry and, yes, maybe even have kids with any of the male Miis (those who aren't designated as family-members, of course) who populate my game--much like how my straight friends' female Miis will be able to date, marry and have kids with their games' male Miis. Is that too much to ask?
I know this game is going to hit store shelves in this country in a matter of weeks and, as such, it's probably too late for you to make the above-suggested changes. I hope, though, you'll consider producing and releasing a patch that makes gay, lesbian and bisexual relationships possible within Tomodachi Life as soon as possible.
I also hope you--and your cohorts at Nintendo of Japan, too--will consider making these relationships possible from the get-go when work begins on this game's sequel.
I say that because this is the kind of thing that could not only make an "old" gamer like myself feel welcomed and appreciated and accepted, but more importantly it could make younger gamers--boys and girls who may be struggling with their budding LGBT realities in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons--feel like they're loved and supported and just as worthy of a big game company's consideration and attention as anyone else.
Thank you for listening,
Bryan Ochalla (aka "The Gay Gamer")
See also: 'The day we've all (or at least three or four of us have) waited for has arrived: Tomodachi Collection is coming to Europe and North America this June'
Before I say anything else, I'd like to mention that I've been looking forward to playing this game (some version of it, at least) since the original Tomodachi Collection was announced for the Japanese DS back in 2009.
Given that, it shouldn't be too surprising for you to read that I was more than a bit excited when I heard you'll be releasing that game's 3DS sequel as Tomodachi Life in North America on June 6.
That excitement lost some of its luster a few days after that announcement was made, though, when it finally sank in that the game will very likely force me to "play straight" (you know, as opposed to "playing gay" as I'd obviously prefer to do).
Although I was pretty sure that would be the case the second I heard about Tomodachi Life's impending North American release, it didn't really bother me until I watched the Nintendo Direct broadcast devoted to the game and it struck me that I'd more than likely have to watch my male Mii woo (and possibly marry and maybe even have kids with) female Miis over and over and over again should I decide to pick up a copy of the game.
I'm sure that sounds like a silly complaint, especially since what we're talking about here is a rather silly video game, but to me it's anything but silly.
In fact, the whole thing makes me feel sad--sad that despite the fact that you're marketing this 3DS game as being all about "your life," that's not going to be true in my case or in the case of any of my LGBT brothers or sisters who similarly decide to buy and play Tomodachi Life.
All I want is for my Mii to be able to date, marry and, yes, maybe even have kids with any of the male Miis (those who aren't designated as family-members, of course) who populate my game--much like how my straight friends' female Miis will be able to date, marry and have kids with their games' male Miis. Is that too much to ask?
I know this game is going to hit store shelves in this country in a matter of weeks and, as such, it's probably too late for you to make the above-suggested changes. I hope, though, you'll consider producing and releasing a patch that makes gay, lesbian and bisexual relationships possible within Tomodachi Life as soon as possible.
I also hope you--and your cohorts at Nintendo of Japan, too--will consider making these relationships possible from the get-go when work begins on this game's sequel.
I say that because this is the kind of thing that could not only make an "old" gamer like myself feel welcomed and appreciated and accepted, but more importantly it could make younger gamers--boys and girls who may be struggling with their budding LGBT realities in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons--feel like they're loved and supported and just as worthy of a big game company's consideration and attention as anyone else.
Thank you for listening,
Bryan Ochalla (aka "The Gay Gamer")
See also: 'The day we've all (or at least three or four of us have) waited for has arrived: Tomodachi Collection is coming to Europe and North America this June'
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition
Looking for a feel-good story to wrap up the weekend? You can't get much better than this one: someone calling himself "Mike Mika" (sorry, I'm not sure if that's his real name or not) recently shared on YouTube a video titled "Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition," which features a hacked copy of Donkey Kong: Original Edition--the one that reinstated the previously MIA cement factory level into the NES version of Nintendo's classic quarter-muncher--that has Pauline save Mario rather than vice versa.
What prompted Mike to make "Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition"? Here's the explanation he shared in the video's YouTube description: "My three-year-old daughter and I play a lot of old games together. Her favorite is Donkey Kong. Two days ago, she asked me if she could play as the girl and save Mario. She's played as Peach in Super Mario Bros. 2 and assumed she could do the same in Donkey Kong. I told her we couldn't in that particular Mario game [and] she seemed really bummed out by that."
Flash forward to Mike being "up at midnight, hacking the ROM [and] replacing Mario with Pauline" in order to produce the title seen above.
Although Mike and his daughter are the only gamers playing "Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition" at the moment, last night he promised that he'd "figure out the best way to share a patch for anyone interested in playing the hack."
See also: 'So, you mean I can stop cursing Nintendo of America now?' and 'Donkey Kong: Original Edition ain't all that' and 'How badly do you want to play Donkey Kong: Original Edition?'
What prompted Mike to make "Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition"? Here's the explanation he shared in the video's YouTube description: "My three-year-old daughter and I play a lot of old games together. Her favorite is Donkey Kong. Two days ago, she asked me if she could play as the girl and save Mario. She's played as Peach in Super Mario Bros. 2 and assumed she could do the same in Donkey Kong. I told her we couldn't in that particular Mario game [and] she seemed really bummed out by that."
Flash forward to Mike being "up at midnight, hacking the ROM [and] replacing Mario with Pauline" in order to produce the title seen above.
Although Mike and his daughter are the only gamers playing "Donkey Kong: Pauline Edition" at the moment, last night he promised that he'd "figure out the best way to share a patch for anyone interested in playing the hack."
See also: 'So, you mean I can stop cursing Nintendo of America now?' and 'Donkey Kong: Original Edition ain't all that' and 'How badly do you want to play Donkey Kong: Original Edition?'
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