Miiverse vs Tropes in Video Games

Miiverse vs Tropes in Video Games

Miiverse, Nintendo’s answer to Facebook (they would like to believe) is a funny place. You can post screenshots from games, apart from those games that you can’t for no discernable reason (like Monster Hunter), you can draw low-res monochrome pictures, and you can leave messages that you type using the on-screen keyboard.

As you can see from this I Love My Pony post, much hilarity ensues.

Now, way back when Miiverse launched I, like many other people, put things like links to my blog or Twitter account in the Miiverse bio section. As you would with any social network if you want your audience to find what else you do online. This was against Nintendo’s family friendly mentality, so I was asked to remove it – which I did. From then on I toed the Nintendo line like a good boy.

Then I had two of my posts deleted, in quick succession:

Your post was removed because it contained sexually explicit content. For information on the proper use of Miiverse, please see the Miiverse Code of Conduct. Continued violations may result in restrictions on your use of Miiverse.

Sexually explicit? Oh yeah. It was Bayonetta. That’d do it.

Bayonetta is a game made by Platinum which features a witch with glasses and long legs and has guns in her hands and guns on her feet. Also, her clothes are made of her hair and various fighting moves involve that hair morphing into fists and demons and stuff, leaving her temporarily naked – albeit with nothing important actually visible due to “art lines” and camera angles. Because she’s a woman in a video game, she walks in a sexy manner, talks in a sexy manner, and kills monsters with upside down heads and tentacles in a sexy manner, posing in various sexy poses while the camera often tries to “capture the moment” in a sexy way. Yes, it’s sexualising women but the game is fun despite all the sexy stuff. And she’s a strong female character? I don’t know the rules. I digress.

The point is this: it’s a game with inherent sexual overtones, and even though Nintendo have 1) the ability to deny screenshots from certain games appearing on Miiverse entirely (see Monster Hunter), and 2) would be able to lock off – and certainly should lock off – access to adult games when children access Miiverse, it’s possible to post a screenshot from Bayonetta on the service.

The game provides the content, and I share that content using the authorised content sharing method onto the official content sharing network, and then it is deleted. I’m not abusing the system by using cheats or glitches to “hot coffee up” the content, I’m literally just sharing what I see, unedited and unmodified.

Nintendo know the content of the game and not only allow you to share this on Miiverse, they provide a button on the touch screen whose sole function is to do so quickly. Why do this and then complain when people use the ability they provide for the purpose they intend?

Yes, yes, yes. I know I don’t have to post the risqué pictures, but obviously people will. Why let adults be adults and hide 18 rated games from Miiverse for those not old enough? If you’re going to have adult games on your console you can’t wimp out, Nintendo. Embrace the consequences, not punish the users.

As for what got pulled? These, hidden in a spoiler in case children are reading.

[spoiler]

Miiverse deleted post
In case you don’t know, this is the Manneken Pis, which Bayonetta uses to disgrace a beaten boss. A celebrated statue you can see out in the open, in real life, in view of everyone.
Miiverse deleted post
They’re not even bare.

[/spoiler]

 

And yet these aren’t pulled by Miiverse admins:

Miiverse not deleted notdeletedpost2

Both of which I’d suggest were of the same, or higher, rank on the scale. Either go one way or the other, Nintendo, but be consistent!

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