Should Video Games Provide Some Form Of Social Commentary?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/nintendo-says-no-to-gay-relationships-in-its-bestselling-life-simulator-9336419.html

/// Tye Marini, a gay 23-year-old Nintendo fan from Arizona in the US, launched a ‘Miiquality’ campaign to protest against the exclusion of same-sex relationships in the game. ///

/// "I want to be able to marry my real-life fiance's Mii, but I can't do that," Mr Marini told the Associated Press. "My only options are to marry some female Mii, to change the gender of either my Mii or my fiance's Mii or to completely avoid marriage altogether and miss out on the exclusive content that comes with it." ///

'Are these people for real'?

[Gromit]

AOG

You seem obsessed with gays. Is there something you would like to tell us?

[ludwig]

Flippin' gays, it's Mii Mii Mii.

[ludwig]

it's *all*

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// You seem obsessed with gays. Is there something you would like to tell
us? ///

Gays, Religion, Immigration, UKIP, all attract popular debate so what is wrong in picking popular subjects.

You are obsessed with trying to stifle debate, doesn't that say much more about you than it does about me?

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814 will be along shortly to put put his 'two pennies worth' in

[ummmm]

Do you really care, AOG?

[albaqwerty]

It's a game, surely a game implies that it's for playing, if they want real-life, then go and live it and not through a video game.

I've not noticed any age guidelines for this game, is it for 18+ only? or just a 12+

[ludwig]

He says he's got the option to change the gender of his Mii, so it's not all that bad, the transgenders are catered for at least.

[Kromovaracun]

Games have long been a rich source of social parody - GTA is probably the most glaring example, but better examples are Spec Ops: The Line or Papers Please - both of which explore moral quandries and the difficulty of being a good person in bad circumstances by thrusting the player right into the centre of it.

(seriously I would encourage any ABer who thinks computer games are brain rot to try out Papers Please. It's very low-spec, and all you need is a mouse.)

There's only one game I can think of that really has a vivid and well-written exploration of a gay relationship - a recent interactive story called Gone Home.

I actually think Marini has a point about the Tomadachi thing. It's not a game which interests me particularly, but it's roughly equivalent to facebook not allowing people to announce themselves as in a relationship with someone of the same gender - it's such an easily fixed problem and it seems almost wilful to not include it. Particularly considering I remember hearing about another recent message coming from Nintendo that acknowledged that they have a very large number of LGBT fans.

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

/// Do you really care, AOG? ///

If nobody cared to introduce issues up for debate, then Answerbank would close down, and persons such as yourself who has asked only 933 questions in almost 8 years, would no longer be able to sit on the fence continuously adding to your already 89,047 one liners.

[mushroom25]

video games as a rule don't reflect real life - if they did, they'd bore you rigid.

for instance, try this
http://desertbus-game.org/plain-index.php

[anotheoldgit]

Kromovaracun

/// (seriously I would encourage any ABer who thinks computer games are brain rot to try out Papers Please. It's very low-spec, and all you need is a mouse.) ///

Papers Please

*** The communist state of Arstotzka has ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. ***

*** Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested ***

Mmmm, doesn't quite seem the right game for you somehow, but it does seem good practice for our own immigration officials.

[ummmm]

Of course it should be debated but the question was do YOU really care?

I cannot imagine you giving two hoots what else goes on in video games.

There...two lines for ya.

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

I apologise to you if I mistakenly took your "Do you really care, AOG"? for a snide remark.

So in reply to your question, of course I care, I care enough to enter what I consider a rather pathetic protest over a silly video game. so I chose to enter it up for debate to witness other ABers feelings.

Isn't that what this site is all about, we won't change the world but at least we get the chance to voice our opinions, even if others would wish us not to.

[Booldawg]

I think you can have same sex marriages in Fable 3.

Not sure why Nintendo left that feature out. My view is that if they are attempting to simulate real life relationships then why wouldn't there be same sex marriages included?