Tomodachi Stink

Recently, Nintendo received some flak over Tomodachi Life over not including same sex relationships in the game. Now, maybe people are taking this a bit too far than it needs to, as people tend to do. However, there is something to this.




I watched this video recently, and it brought to light a few things that I found to be unnerving. I'm not gay, nor do I claim to speak for those who identify as being so. I do, however, wish for equal representation, especially when it comes to video games.

I think that one of the more important things that video games offers is the ability to create and customize their own characters. In a small way, this allows players to express themselves. Whether it is changing the color of the outfit, or putting a silly hat on that character, the player has made their mark. Video games are a sort of escapism, and the option to create pr customize a character within a mythical universe, thereby making it our own is a pretty radical idea. More and more games are offering up customization, not just in the items or color pallets that characters wear, but whom they can romance.

"Romance Options" is a rather demeaning, and sterile title given to characters that players can engage in relationships with in a video game. Games like Mass Effect, and Dragon Age are what comes to mind when hearing Romance Options. Bioware is a company that is in full support of its diverse fanbase, and has adjusted their games accordingly. Mass Effect 3 allowed for Homosexual relationships, while the previous games had no problem offering up Lesbian options. Dragon Age II made more characters Bisexual so that players would be able to romance characters that they liked. Bioware has most certainly received complaints in regards to such things, as most would expect, and they stood their ground. Again, I'm not Homosexual, but I do think that equal representation in the sense that players can have the freedom to do whatever they want within the game is a cool idea.

I think that it's important all media, not just video games, to offer up this kind of representation. It's not a way of life, it's just who you like. By restricting players to not be able to pursue certain characters in a romantic sense, you've also restricted the freedom in that game. That is where Tomodachi Life falls short. The game is supposed to be a game where players can "vacation" to and live out a fantasy life. If players are restricted, it holds them back from living out their fantasies.

Games are art, and they are a kind of art the likes of which are unmatched by other media. Games allow players their own creative freedom, and they impact us in ways more powerful than just letting us watch. By letting us play, explore, and adventure in the worlds that are created in video games, we are captivated by them. We grow within those worlds, and we form friendships with the characters in those worlds. People are weird, and confusing things, and sometimes we just have to escape from reality. If our escapes are telling us that we can't be who we want to be because someone, somewhere, that we don't know said that we couldn't, well... that just isn't fair.