Post by: Gahiggidy on April 07, 2004, 07:26:57 PM
Outrageous Fortunes: Nintendo
Mon 12 Apr at 21:00 on BBC Three Tue 13 Apr at 01:00 on BBC Three
Nintendo is the Japanese company that took over the world with the help of the most famous videogame star of all-time, Super Mario. It’s the story of how mesmerising characters and graphics, created by genius Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, provided hours of magic for kids around the globe - and huge profits for company owner Hiroshi Yamauchi.
Against Nintendo’s wishes, presenter Libby Potter visits Mr Yamauchi’s daughter Yoko and son-in-law Minoru Arakawa in their mansion in Hawaii. Minoru tells Libby what it was like to run Nintendo America in the boom years under the demanding eye of Nintendo boss Mr Yamauchi.
In Japan, Libby traces Nintendo’s roots and gains an interview with Nintendo’s super star designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the man responsible for creating Nintendo’s most popular titles: Mario, Pokemon and Zelda. Despite this he remains on a salary and cycles to work in the morning whilst Mr Yamauchi sits on top of a $1.4 billion fortune. Libby asks him why he forfeited his entitlement to game royalties and what the future holds for the once mighty Nintendo?
But there’s another side to the tale. This Outrageous Fortunes episode will show evidence that Nintendo knew that some of its games could trigger epileptic seizures in some children - and chose not to remove the provocative sections from the games. The company has testified in court that they have no way of knowing which games might be more inclined to trigger seizures in susceptible children but we speak to a whistleblower who tells a very different story. The programme also explains how an American judge found the company in contempt of court twice for not disclosing information during a case brought against Nintendo by the family of a boy who suffered a seizure.
The video game industry, unlike television, is not governed by regulations concerning the number or rate of flashing images in a game. Outrageous Fortunes tests a number of Nintendo games according to the television industry’s standards and discovers that even some of the current releases would fail the guidelines set out by the Independent Television Commission.
Libby then visits Howard Lincoln, the lawyer who became chairman of Nintendo America and handled their many legal battles. Lincoln now runs the Seattle Mariners, a baseball team bought with Mr Yamauchi’s money but never graced with his presence. Libby goes to meet him and has some tough questions on just how safe he thinks Nintendo games are and the measures used to reduce risk.
It’s a fascinating story that takes presenter Libby Potter on a journey ranging from Birmingham to Hawaii, Soho to Tokyo and across the USA.
Post by: dafunkk12 on April 07, 2004, 08:26:56 PM
Post by: Shift Key on April 07, 2004, 08:48:15 PM
I really wish I could find out that side of the story, because it really contradicts what Nintendo are saying about this problem, such as the warning labels and their funding and research of epilectic seizures.
Can anyone find a transcript of this? Will there even be a transcript somewhere?
Post by: slacker on April 07, 2004, 10:23:16 PM
On another note, I think companies should not be made liable for epileptic seizures cause by games because they don't know the health conditions that gamers have. To be found liable or implied that they are liable is ridiculous. A warning isn't enough? Soon, we will have games that don't have fancy flashing effects such as lightning, explosions, etc . This whole thing is making me pissed.
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on April 08, 2004, 12:15:49 AM
As for the top-secret information, I suspect it is merely Nintendo's recent anti-seizure measures used against the company as proof that Nintendo knew all along. The show will probably also claim that doctors have known about light-induced seizures for a while, so naturally Nintendo should have made the extra effort at the expense of game quality.
I mean no disrespect to those who have suffered from video game-related seizures, but compared to the mass-scale exploitation of peoples practiced by other prominent corporations, the possibility of Nintendo shrugging off epilepsy doesn't seem like too big of a deal.
Now, if the program is out to make Nintendo look as though it mistreats its employees, I fully expect a barrage of contradictory feedback from NOA employees. Especially with recent economic strains, demanding many hours of employees is pretty much standard practice in the software industry. Even so, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts "long hours with little pay" will crop up in this episode.
Post by: DrZoidberg on April 08, 2004, 05:36:40 AM
Quotelollin'
Lincoln now runs the Seattle Mariners, a baseball team bought with Mr Yamauchi’s money but never graced with his presence.
Post by: Ian Sane on April 08, 2004, 08:00:41 AM
As for the epilepsy thing if there's a warning on the game you have no sympathy from me if you get a seizure playing it. Sacrificing game quality for epilepsy sufferers is like making all roller coasters flat and slow to accomodate people with bad hearts. It's STUPID. I'm allergic to cut grass yet you don't see me asking the entire world to pave their lawns. If you have a problem it's selfish to expect the entire world to make a sacrifice just to accomodate you. People who are missing arms can't even play videogames. Should we change all controllers just for them?
Post by: ib2kool4u912 on April 08, 2004, 08:16:30 AM
Post by: kennyb27 on April 08, 2004, 08:58:07 AM
Post by: Guitar Smasher on April 08, 2004, 11:24:58 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: PGC NewsBot
Part of a series called "Outrageous Fortunes" which is investigating some of the world's biggest brand name companies.
In Japan, Libby traces Nintendo’s roots and gains an interview with Nintendo’s super star designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the man responsible for creating Nintendo’s most popular titles: Mario, Pokemon and Zelda.
You hear that? Miyamoto created Pokemon.
Post by: Joey on April 08, 2004, 11:33:14 AM
EDIT: Just for fun I decided to see how long it would take to find the information. It took about 5 seconds on Google just using the term pokemon's creator and clicking on the first result.
Post by: Deguello on April 08, 2004, 02:24:13 PM
Post by: nickmitch on April 08, 2004, 03:06:41 PM
Post by: mouse_clicker on April 08, 2004, 03:09:40 PM
Post by: Djunknown on April 08, 2004, 04:25:45 PM
Question for our European gamers: Do Gamecube games have a little black pamphlet explicitly telling you that you may experience epliptic seizures and such?
This reeks of socialism if you ask me. Has the BBC gone so far left?
Whatever...
Post by: Jstbcool on April 08, 2004, 07:43:12 PM
Post by: ThePerm on April 08, 2004, 11:07:12 PM
Post by: WackerJr on April 09, 2004, 03:17:55 AM
I'm from the UK and I've got it in every game, whether published by Nintendo or not. I'm guessing it's the same as yours, containing:
~Warning - Seizures;
~Caution - Brightness of tv screen;
~Warning - Repetitive motion injuries;
~Warning - Electric shock;
~Caution - Motion sickness;
~Caution - Projection tv use;
~Game disc precautions / Maintenance.
Plus, it contains all this info in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Danish. Suomi (sorry I don't know which language that is!), and Norwegian!
I don't see any warnings on the back of the box, although it does say specifically to make sure you read the instruction book before use!
Post by: JB on April 11, 2004, 09:06:46 AM
Post by: Aussie Ben PGC on April 11, 2004, 07:56:09 PM
Quote
It’s a fascinating story that takes presenter Libby Potter on a journey ranging from Birmingham to Hawaii, Soho to Tokyo and across the USA.
They forgot the word "fictional".
Honest to God, I don't understand this constant desire of people's to blame video games for their problems. I had a seizure from playing Yoshi's Island for far too long (who can blame me, though -- that game was awesome), but it's never once occured to me to blame Nintendo for it. The manuals clearly say, multiple times that you should be careful when playing video games, even if there isn't a history of epilepsy in your family. Take a break every hour, stop if you feel sick and listen to the signals your body is giving you. It's all in there, folks. There's no reason for you to blame Nintendo, because they're telling you straight out to be careful. Like anything else, video games should be enjoyed in moderation. I've been seeing these warnings in my Nintendo games since the original Game Boy, possibly even since the NES. There's a seperate booklet called a precautions booklet, for God's sake! Who says that Nintendo's being irresponsible? They're the only company that seems to actively warn people to be careful!
I always get reminded of that Christmas episode of South Park: "I'm sorry children, but we have to take down the Christmas Lights. Apparently they offend the epileptics."
Post by: KDR_11k on April 11, 2004, 11:54:46 PM
Why are the media against video games? They are afraid! They are cornered and losing against the behemoth that is the videogame industry. RIAA, MPAA, broadcasters, ... all complaining about falling profits while the videogame industry continues to grow. I'm willing to bet EA could buy some of Hollywood's larger labels. More and more movie directors want to make video games. Videogame tie-ins are becoming almost as important as the movie itself. They have all reason to be afraid.
Post by: JB on April 12, 2004, 10:08:41 AM
Post by: JB on April 12, 2004, 11:34:35 AM
Post by: WackerJr on April 20, 2004, 12:22:00 PM
Post by: Shift Key on April 20, 2004, 08:04:54 PM
Post by: Nintendo on April 21, 2004, 04:51:24 AM
The documentary was awesome, amazing interviews, and most important unbiased.
http://www.warppipe.com/bbc/nintendo.avi
Don't thank me, thank Warppipe for the d/l.
Post by: Oldskool on April 21, 2004, 05:33:23 AM
Edit: I'm not referring exculsivly to this program, but to non-gamers blaming gaming in general. I suppose my sister did think my N64 was a "Sega" the first couple of years I owned that.
Post by: Shift Key on April 22, 2004, 05:56:44 AM
But these days, everyone knows the console names, but the makers? Nintendo is usually the first answer.
As for epilepsy as a condition, flashing lights almost anywhere can cause an attack. Why not attack the refridgeration industry to abandon the little lights in the fridge? (You might laugh, but I have seen it happen to someone I know) So I am quite angry at this moment, and at the bottom of the page there is a "Making Money the Nintendo Way" which is hilarious.
Quote
~ Sign up Hollywood to make feature films about your company.
~ You may have a family business but you can still sack your cousin from the company.
~ Make the games exciting with lots of colours and flashing lights!
~ Market your main product Mario like he's going out of fashion!
SUPER LOL 5000!
Ok, now on to the half-intelligent responses:
Quote
Be prepared to walk into shops personally and beg them to stock your product.
This one probably has some substance to it, as I can recall Yamauchi and co going to great lengths to get their cards on the market (you've got to start somewhere)
Quote
Maintain a single-minded focus! If some of your more successful competitors like Sony are making games with blood and gore or using big movie franchises it doesn't mean you have to.
LOL! Let's jump off a cliff because Sony did! I really think those are the reasons Sony was successful. IT WAS TEH CARTRIDGEZZZ!
Anyway, I'm gonna rant some more once I finish downloading it.
Post by: jasonditz on April 22, 2004, 02:24:18 PM
Popular new form of entertainment becomes big, threatens existing media outlets.
If video games had been identified with the anti-war movement or some disliked ethnic minority they'd probably be illegal right now.
Post by: KDR_11k on April 22, 2004, 10:45:24 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Shifty
~ You may have a family business but you can still sack your cousin from the company.
One of the worst problems of "family businesses" is that they don't fire bad personnel. If you ahve a person that does about 30% of the work the others do but gets full pay, he's redundant and needs to be fired. If you have problems with that because he's your friend he'll drag you down.
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on April 22, 2004, 11:20:55 PM
The show makes a few half-statistics. For instance, it mentions the recent European lawsuit on unfair practices, but doesn't point out the suit was concerning actions Nintendo had abanndoned years before the lawsuit was filed. However, it makes more than a few fair criticisms of Nintendo's former business practices, and is NOT out to pigeon-hole Nintendo as I had expected. In fact, the only truely off-putting aspect of this show was its generalization of "Nintendo" games to be all games on Nintendo systems, relating Mega Man X to Nintendo multiple times during the seizure section and never mentioning Capcom (well, maybe its logo in VJ footae, but that doesn't count). Libby also seemed unaware that Nintendo does put warning on the outside of its boxes in America (though NOE really should do that too).
I must admit, though, that the argument that avoiding certain patterns for safety is a sticky one. I mean, Nintendo IS right that games just wouldn't be as fun if they were limited in such a way. There example of driving up the staircase in the MKDD's Daisy Cruiser is a perfect one: to fix the potential trigger, Nintendo would have had to axe significant detail in the scenery. As for testing 8-bit games, I'd argue it is borderline unfair to criticize repeating patterns when the NES could do little else.
There are a lot of funny, historical and entertaining moments in this piece of journalism. Do check it out.
Post by: JB on April 22, 2004, 11:54:01 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber<Libby also seemed unaware that Nintendo does put warning on the outside of its boxes in America (though NOE really should do that too).
NOE actually does do this. There is an insert with all GameCube games that is placed on top of the manual. When you open a games' case the first thing you see when you look for the manual is a black "Consumer information and brecautions" booklet. There is a warning on the back of the box that tells you to read the booklet before you start playing the game. There is no epilepsy warning on the box, but seizures are clearly mentioned in the precations booklet.
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on April 23, 2004, 12:47:52 AM
Post by: Shift Key on April 23, 2004, 05:17:26 AM
Yamauchi is portrayed as a guy "looking for a quick buck" in the documentary, probably due to his reluctance to an interview, but you also see that he is a highly motivated, creative, shrewd and tough businessman - willing to try something different to make his way in the world.
As for the epilepsy issue, they definitely forget to mention the warning labels in red on the backs of games. All of Nintendo's games since I can remember looking have them. But the front? Surely we don't need to idiot-proof every form of entertainment. Removing the responsibilities of parenting seems to be an increasing trend, and legal action like those mentioned in the article are assisting .
QuoteYamauchi fired his cousin once he inherited the family business. The article doesn't mention why, but I suspect that he wasn't up to Yamauchi's high standard of his staff.
If you have problems with that because he's your friend he'll drag you down.
And a parting lol, apparently The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Maker passes the epilepsy-friendly tests. So go out and buy this mystery game!
Post by: ruby_onix on April 23, 2004, 12:07:40 PM
Quote
Yamauchi fired his cousin once he inherited the family business. The article doesn't mention why, but I suspect that he wasn't up to Yamauchi's high standard of his staff.
Game Over revealed this a long time ago.
Hiroshi Yamauchi took over the family business from his grandfather. He demanded that if he were taking over, the job should be HIS company to run. Absolutely and completely, with nobody questioning his authority.
One of his cousins had a job at Nintendo, so before taking over, Hiroshi asked his grandfather to fire the cousin. He didn't want the hang-ups of "working with family". We don't really know if the cousin was "screwed over" by this. Just that he wasn't allowed to work at Nintendo.
Also, to cement his authority, after Hiroshi took over, he told his grandfather's top advisor that he wanted to get all the ground rules set straight, so there would be no confusion about who was who. He apparently asked the advisor to produce a list of all the people at Nintendo that Hiroshi absolutely positively could not fire. The advisor gave him a list, and then Hiroshi said "Good. Now fire everyone on this list. Then fire yourself. Dumbass."
Post by: KDR_11k on April 24, 2004, 01:47:56 AM
Post by: ThePerm on October 27, 2006, 10:55:31 AM
Post by: mantidor on October 29, 2006, 08:05:42 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: slacker It will portray Nintendo as this big corporation hell bent on milking the world's youth, raking in tons of money, and finally, not paying its employee a fair share of the profit.
and isn't that an accurate description of the company? :P or any company to be honest.
wow if this is old!
