Honestly, Nintendo’s done plenty that I can’t stand by. Their DRM nonsense is criminal, as is refusing to preserve older games. They’re also needlessly-strict on parental controls and region locking, and their internet support is lacking. They’re also lazy with rereleases, stocking them for a limited time with next-to no upgrades. But now there’s inappropriate behaviour to contend with too, something that, sadly, isn’t surprising considering past revelations.
In a piece from Kotaku, many female testers for Nintendo products, most of them anonymous, had described harassment and inappropriate advances from male colleagues. One of them even dubbed the environment “frat boy”, with privileges for male testers that weren’t available for their female counterparts. I’d discuss examples, but I don’t have the heart to recount them. You can read about them here, however...
The recurring pattern here, interestingly enough, was a convenient lack of corroboration by male workers. Kotaku, on multiple occasions, stated that they contacted the individuals at the forefront of these controversies, only to be met with silence. This even included NOA head Doug Bowser, a man outspoken about equity, yet unresponsive over concrete examples for improvement. That’s concerning, but not surprising. Because this behaviour isn’t new in corporate culture.
In a piece from Kotaku, many female testers for Nintendo products, most of them anonymous, had described harassment and inappropriate advances from male colleagues. One of them even dubbed the environment “frat boy”, with privileges for male testers that weren’t available for their female counterparts. I’d discuss examples, but I don’t have the heart to recount them. You can read about them here, however...
The recurring pattern here, interestingly enough, was a convenient lack of corroboration by male workers. Kotaku, on multiple occasions, stated that they contacted the individuals at the forefront of these controversies, only to be met with silence. This even included NOA head Doug Bowser, a man outspoken about equity, yet unresponsive over concrete examples for improvement. That’s concerning, but not surprising. Because this behaviour isn’t new in corporate culture.
I’m honestly torn: on one hand, this is a problem. Sexual harassment’s rampant in many industries, with complaints regularly falling on deaf ears. This is doubly-so with freelance industries, like animation and game design. Having Nintendo, who are known outwardly for a family-friendly image, under the knife here is really disturbing, especially when they called out Activision-Blizzard for a similar issue. It’s hypocritical.
On the other hand, I’m not sure people appreciate how damaging this is. For one, people aren’t video game characters. And two, this isn’t an excuse to justify bad behaviour because “Nintendo”. It wasn’t right with Disney, it wasn’t right with Marvel, and it especially wasn’t right with Activision-Blizzard. If it wasn’t right with any of those companies, then for sure it isn’t right with Nintendo. That’s worth remembering.
It's especially worth remembering because people often treat these scandals like spectator sports: “My company’s not as toxic as yours! You’re getting what you deserve! Ditch the mediocre products they make, okay?” Not only is this childish, it undermines the real stakes involved. It also undervalues the victims, serving to foster toxic behaviour on a macrocosmic level. It needs to stop.
On the other hand, I’m not sure people appreciate how damaging this is. For one, people aren’t video game characters. And two, this isn’t an excuse to justify bad behaviour because “Nintendo”. It wasn’t right with Disney, it wasn’t right with Marvel, and it especially wasn’t right with Activision-Blizzard. If it wasn’t right with any of those companies, then for sure it isn’t right with Nintendo. That’s worth remembering.
It's especially worth remembering because people often treat these scandals like spectator sports: “My company’s not as toxic as yours! You’re getting what you deserve! Ditch the mediocre products they make, okay?” Not only is this childish, it undermines the real stakes involved. It also undervalues the victims, serving to foster toxic behaviour on a macrocosmic level. It needs to stop.
So what to do? Well, bringing this to light is an excellent first step. Like sunlight on a nasty plague, showing the face of awful helps bring awareness. But we need to go further than that if change is to happen. I think, and I know this gets thrown around a lot with no real weight, real attempts at institutional change need to happen. It’s the only way to stop these incidents from constantly recurring.
Additionally, people need to be more sensitive to workplace issues on a grander scale. Yes, Me Too is real. And yes, it’s done some good at shedding light on this problem. But there’s a long way to go before we can actually achieve true justice here. And it starts with not treating corporate harassment like a spectator sport.
I’d like to end with two points. The first is that I’m not advocating for a boycott of Nintendo products. That’s ridiculous, and it’s a disservice to the blood, sweat and tears these women have poured into the company’s games, consoles and accessories. I also don’t think that they’d want a boycott. Life’s too short to not enjoy these video games.
Additionally, people need to be more sensitive to workplace issues on a grander scale. Yes, Me Too is real. And yes, it’s done some good at shedding light on this problem. But there’s a long way to go before we can actually achieve true justice here. And it starts with not treating corporate harassment like a spectator sport.
I’d like to end with two points. The first is that I’m not advocating for a boycott of Nintendo products. That’s ridiculous, and it’s a disservice to the blood, sweat and tears these women have poured into the company’s games, consoles and accessories. I also don’t think that they’d want a boycott. Life’s too short to not enjoy these video games.
The second is that this should serve as yet another reminder that harassment culture is real. It doesn’t matter the source, it’s there in some capacity. And as long as everything continues the way it is now, chances are it’ll keep happening. That’s bad. And it’s never going to change that way.
So yes, this is frustrating as a Nintendo fan. Also, Mr. Bowser, if you’re reading this, and I don’t know if you are, please take this to heart. You say you want to fix the problem, and I see that you’re launching an investigation, but that’s only the beginning. You need to listen to future complaints and crack down on them immediately. And you need to start giving women their fair dues. But most-importantly, you need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I’m not sure how, I don’t work in HR, but it has to happen. I’ll leave it up to you and your team of experts to figure this out…
So yes, this is frustrating as a Nintendo fan. Also, Mr. Bowser, if you’re reading this, and I don’t know if you are, please take this to heart. You say you want to fix the problem, and I see that you’re launching an investigation, but that’s only the beginning. You need to listen to future complaints and crack down on them immediately. And you need to start giving women their fair dues. But most-importantly, you need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I’m not sure how, I don’t work in HR, but it has to happen. I’ll leave it up to you and your team of experts to figure this out…
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