Nintendo has confirmed new game, Tomodachi Life, will not allow same sex marriage, much to the understandable outrage of fans.
With same-sex marriage now legal in the UK, and many other countries, it seems to make sense for games to represent that, but Nintendo doesn’t agree, it seems.
Tomodachi Life, which is due for release on June
6
, will not allow “same-sex” characters to marry one another, even though this functionality was present in the original Japanese release, but was subsequently removed via a patch.
Nintendo has responded to criticism saying that it never intended the game to be a “social commentary”. The company also hinted that it could be open to reversing its decision, and said:
“We’re using this as an opportunity to better understand our consumers and their expectations of us at all levels of the organization”.
This latest controversy comes after Nintendo announced a $500 million operating loss as the Wii U sales have slumped. Sony’s PS4 has already outsold the console in the short time it’s been on the market, which is something of a reversal given that the Wii has sold 20 million more units than the PS3.
A campaign called #MiiQuality had hoped to change Nintendo’s mind on the matter, with its lead campaigner Ty Marini releasing a statement on Vimeo saying:
“Relationships and marriage are a huge part of the game. The relationships and interactions between Mii characters in the game, coupled with their relation to you in real life, are what makes this game so appealing. I want to be able to marry my real-life fiance’s Mii, but I can’t”.
Whatever your personal preferences when it comes to marriage, gaming is hugely important to young people and it’s only a positive thing to let them see all sorts of relationships, and to be able to echo their own feelings.
It’s also worth pointing out that same-sex relationships are possible in The Sims, so consider that when you’re spending your money.
Read more: Nintendo 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL
Via:
ArsTechnica
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
