Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo Apologizes to SuicideGirls
As a follow up to the unfortunate incident on Wednesday, thanks to emfra (and others) who pointed out that BoingBoing has Nintendo's Apology Letter to the SuicideGirls site up. They even went so far as to offer up a free game system and game to the site owner. So alls well that end's well...but not before Penny Arcade had a chance to comment.
Some of us are behind firewalls at work :)
Sounds like Nintendo did the right thing after messing up. Time to forgive and forget.
:)
Oh wait.. this is Slashdot
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
This was a stealth marketing ploy on the part of Nintendo.
"Hey, hot goth chicks like Nintendo games, how can we publicize this fact? I know, let's send them a nasty letter from our lawyers and 200,000 geeks will start to associate hot goth chicks with Nintendo."
And you all fell for it.
and checking out the suicide girls website...
I'd like to know why Nintendo's Lawyers are looking at goth-porn. That would seem far more damaging than a goth-porn site mentioning they like Nintendo games.
but what do I know.
I like to dress up as a woman in public and tip custard over my head. Then I come home and play Mario 64 for 3 hours, I really need some professional psychiatric help.
Yours faithfully,
A.Nutter
Dear Nutter,
Yes you do need help. Mario 64 is crap.
Yours faithfully,
Your shrink
I think they've handled this in a most professional, and logical manner. Something that cannot be said for most large entertainment companies these days.
-phixxr
ungggghhhh
Hoochie Coochie Man
Fri, October 29 2004 - 4:30 AM
by: Tycho
I'd say it's better than even odds you've seen the story, either at VE or Slashdot. The long and short of it is that someone said they liked a couple Nintendo games in their SuicideGirls profile - and, in a parody of the reasonable universe, lawyers bared their teeth. I have a hunch we're talking about some kind of perverted spider application, an automated process with a bottomless appetite for filth, but it's funny to think tracking down meaningless infractions like this is some guy's fucking job.
I guess I should say a few things in advance of this discussion. SuicideGirls is a site where, among other things, girls take off their clothes. I'm not saying you should go there or not go there. They've asked to advertise here before, and while I don't have any great qualm with titillating media I didn't know if it was the best match for the site. It may be that my scheme for rating pornography has been damaged by the Internet, but the site is actually pretty tasteful compared to other sites I have subscribed to, many of which are filmed in barns.
Now, with the caveat out of the way, I am not without reason: I can understand why Nintendo as a corporate entity might not want their juggernaut brands associated with teen coochie. And indeed, if we were talking about photosets with explicit connections to their brands I would be less likely to ridicule them for it. I can even envision a scenario where a girl might have a Mario tattoo or something, and they might have something legitimate to say in that case, but honestly now I'm just indulging some kind of fantasy.
At this point, I don't care if it was a spider or some asshole at a terminal somewhere. When we did our Strawberry Shortcake comic, I was able to come to terms with the fact that there was an interpretation of my country's laws that prohibited what we had done. I didn't like it, but I could connect the dots and we relented. This, on the other hand, is merely stupid and evil. For better or worse, their company is built on these ancient, perennial brands that sprout up again on each new system. The reason it works is only partially because they tend to make excellent games - they deal gently with those classics, modernizing what they need, and somehow manage to retain a sense of wonder. But Nintendo's success hinges on the fact that their characters have become cultural icons - and being cultural icons means that we as gamers take an ownership in those franchises. They're a part of our language and, if you're the sort of person who reads Penny arcade, your culture.
It's not legal ownership, no - but we're heavily invested in those characters. Which I guess is a crime.
Update: Or, maybe it's not. Someone at Nintendo figured out this was stupid - BoingBoing has the letter they sent out.
(CW)TB out.
Does anyone else need to moderate the reposted letter? I can post it here again in case any of the many above posts have the moderation maxed out at +5. Normally I don't repost articles, but there seems to be large demand (or at least supply) for this one. Please advise.
What, slashdotting wasn't enough, so now we're including their e-mail address so we can mailbomb them too? I mean, I know we're a secret socity trying to destroy the Internet one website at a time... But come ON! That's just EVIL.
~D
This sig has been enciphered with a one-time pad. It could say almost anything.
I hope Nintendo's apologies don't come too late.
You know, these emotionally labile personalities (suicide girls) take these things to heart...
Don't do it! Life is so beautiful!
I don't need a signature.
The nintendo apology link goes to a site that carries pornographic ads. WTF is wrong with the editors and the MORON who submitted the story! Put a warning there at least.
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Bleh. It was probably some minor functionary overstepping their bounds who caused all this trouble. You'd might as well decide Walmart was evil because of a bad experience with a cashier. (Well, you'd be right about Walmart being evil, but for the wrong purposes)
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Today the State Bar Association moved to disbar Attorney Christie Hamilton for conduct unbecoming of an attorney.
A spokesman for the Bar Association was quoted as saying, "Apologize?! If lawyers start giving apologies for simply doing their jobs, our entire legal system will collapse as everyone will simply get along rather than continue pointless and expensive litigation."
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
Aha! It's all actually a part of the evil ploy! They want to know his address so they can dispatch black-clad agents to abduct him for nefarious purposes! Don't fall for it guys! Run away! Run
+++ATH
NO CARRIER
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
Dear Nintendo:
/s/
This law offices represent SuicideGirls. Ever since your letter of apology, they have experience a dangerous swing of confidence and self-respect. As a result, they can no longer see themselves as 'SuicideGirls' and prefer the term 'MildlyDespondentWomen'.
We are asking for a settlement of one billion dollars for emotional non-stress, lack of pain and suffering, and character assassination.
And a pony. a Shetland Pony.
Dewey, Cheetham & Howe
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
Reading the letter, i have to say that i like nintendo more as a company. Rarely do we see anyone thesedays admint a mistake apologize and then offer a jesture of goodwill to make amends. I think it was a really classy move on the part of Nintendo. I have alwasy liked their systems and games. It is nice to see that there are some reasonable people working there. I think nintnedo handeled this really well and in the end, people will either simply forget about it or bring it up when defneding nintendo instead of the other way around.
Kudos.
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
Just to really throw them off, I would ask for an original Nintendo system.
Understanding is a three-edged sword. -- Kosh Naranek
Comment removed based on user account deletion
It was a mistake, and they recognized it and fessed up. That in and of itself takes balls, and I salute Nintendo for it. I think the rest of us should calm down about it. I understand the desire to knee-jerk and think the man is out to get us, but I think the truth, in this case, is a little more mundane.
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
Why stop there? I'm setting up a website with some pornstars and references to the following:
..etc
Subaru
REI
Nintendo
Sony
Dell
Bank of America Loan Dept.
Of course it could backfire and I'd end up instead getting an apology letter from a pornstar with an offer for free...you know.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
is imaginging poor Christie Hamilton, a member of the Consumer Service Department, specificly offering a free console to the online identity "RuneLateralus". She didn't even try to pretend it was a real name by putting a space between the two words!
"Is that Rune or Ms. Lateralus? Ohh....ooook...."
You almost get the feeling that if Christie had asked what level her half-elven ranger was, she wouldn't have to stop and think before answering...
Nintendo Says 'Touching Is Good' in Sexed-Up DS Ads
Tell me again that the hot goth chicks connection isn't intentional.
...namechecks of the Suicide Girls appeared all over Nintendo's global website. Nintendo are hoping SG will sue, and then retract and offer free samples of their products by way of condolence.
Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
Nintendo sends C&D nastygram to SG for use of various names of their games, where an SG member mentioned being a fan of said games
Coverage on Slashdot, Penny-Arcade, etc on this debacle
Nintendo goes "oh sh*t" at the negetive PR, fully owns up, and offers free (Nintendo brand) gaming system of choice to some of those involved at SG.
SO basically, SG comes up with a whole crapload of attention, extra site traffic, and some free gaming systems. Now, since the site didn't get nuked I'm assuming that a full slashdotting didn't happen. If at least some of the visitors end up signing up - offsetting the bandwidth cost - they benefit not only from the free systems but also from the free publicity/extra signups.
Heck, I sent me GF a link to this, she was looking up some girls' on SG and found their profiles rather cool, wanted to sign up herself. I'd say that I score this one:
SG:+2 (traffic/signups/game systems)
Nintendo+1: or 0 (no harm no fowl, but perhaps bonus points for owning up where few would)
Idiot IP lawers:-1 (for doing the right job in the wrong place).
Take the tinfoil hat off. First, it was a fuckup. That's clear, they admitted it, end of story. Second, "what they want" in this case is for pedophiles to stop using Nintendo to screw up kids. I think I'm on board there. Third, there's no case for indifference because they did everything they could to fix the fuckup.
I know it screws up the schemas of the slashdot crowd, but there's really not this global conspiracy to screw you personally.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
What kind of business letter starts with "Hello,"?
No contact information provided for the SG owner to contact customer service with the system of his choice
Most people scan in their letters as JPGs or PDFs, not retype them
Attorneys usually send e-mails to supplement a cease and decist letter sent via mail. SG says they only got an e-mail.
I could go on, but I think it's apparent now that SG did stage this.