Nintendo has inadvertently stepped in controversy when it was revealed that the upcoming Mii based game, Tomodachi Life, will not include a gay marriage option. A bug in the game’s Japanese predecessor, Tomodachi: Collection, allowed men to be able to marry other men and even get pregnant. A patch was released to fix this issue and many more. Now that the new 3DS game is about to released in America, gay and lesbian gamers are pushing for same sex marriage to be added back into the game, with the new campaign #MiiEquilty.
Gay gamers are having their digital rights restricted in the new game Tomodachi Life. A representative for Nintendo of America Inc released a statement about the issues, stating:
"Nintendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of 'Tomodachi Life. The relationship options in the game represent a playful alternate world rather than a real-life simulation. We hope that all of our fans will see that 'Tomodachi Life' was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game, and that we were absolutely not trying to provide social commentary."
Offended players have taken to the internet in a plea for virtual same sex marriage. One openly gay Nintendo player, Tye Marini, started the Miiequilty petion. In a online video, Marini explains why the exclusion of same-sex marriage is an issue:
"I want to be able to marry my real-life fiancé's Mii, but I can't do that. My only options are to marry some female Mii, to change the gender of either my Mii or my fiancé's Mii or to completely avoid marriage altogether and miss out on the exclusive content that comes with it."
That is a very valid point considering the game’s tagline reads,”Your Friends, Your Drama, Your Life.” No one expects Mario to one day marry Toad, (That is a slippery slope to Mario / Yoshi marriage) but this game does not have a character driven narrative. The part you are playing is supposed to be a virtual version of yourself, and to alienate gay players may be a mistake.
Nintendo has seen the error of its ways, releasing an apology via a press statement:
“We apologize for disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to change this game’s design, and such a significant development change can’t be accomplished with a post-ship patch. At Nintendo, dedication has always meant going beyond the games to promote a sense of community, and to share a spirit of fun and joy. We are committed to advancing our longtime company values of fun and entertainment for everyone. We pledge that if we create a next installment in the Tomodachi series, we will strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players.”
What do you think about the issue? Do gay and lesbian gamers have a right to be offended? Stir up your own drama in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
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