There's Trouble In Paradise As Nintendo Adds Loot Boxes To Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo, Please don't do Gatcha style with Real money for Animal Crossing Switch.

Oh wait, it's that mobile game that's already a waste of time? Hopefully it stays there, but we should be wary of it being a first warning.

Recently Monolith retired lootboxes from Shadow of War, which is a nice move, but I suppose calculated so that they already made all the money they hoped for from it. The "whales" were hooked and cooked.

Eh, it’s a free game anyways. As long I dont have to pay for the intial purchase, this doesn’t bother me.

At least Nintendo has kept all microtransactions to free to play titles.

"Pocket Cap"

Lootboxes in a free game? Surprised?
It's the only income aside from microtransactions..

And yeah, you have ads too. But I don't want to watch an ad for a minute just to play for 10 seconds.

I guess no one can really resist the tainted teet forever, plus being a mobile game it may receive less flak; as well as the fact that gacha mechanics seem to be more accepted in Asia. As long as it remains stuck in the mobile sphere or a free to play game.

That stupid raccoon is behind this somehow. I just know it.

The mobile gamer market has made its bed. Let em lie in it.

This is just a morally wrong business practice. Please don't bring these to your console games, Nintendo.

@Anti-Matter That wouldn't happen, but we'll probably get DLC like Splatoon 2.

Mobile games have made microtransactions normal, they've probably had more long term success with FE Heroes than Mario Run so they'll just be adding this based on their experience with microtransactions

Keep this garbage off of real Nintendo games please. This is what I was afraid of when Nintendo dipped into the cancerous trash heap known as the mobile game market. The toxic waste that is mobile game design is like an STD.

Animal Crossing is in my top 3 most wanted new games on Switch, please God, please guide Nintendo away from the poison that is mobile game design! Keep it off my beloved Switch!

For the record the other 2 games are Pokemon Switch and Fire Emblem Switch.

WTF is Paraside?

I utterly hate loot boxes as they are being used in modern gaming!

It was really the smartphone gaming market that started us down this totally abusive modern path of various micro transactions, loot boxes, "free" to play [at the cost of handing all your personal data over to these companies] but pay to win, and gambling/addiction-based mechanics like variable ratio reinforcement, avoidance, and compulsion loops--and now it's affected almost every area of gaming. It's sickening to me as someone who genuinely loves videogames to see them and gamers used and abused in this insidious way.

This is why I genuinely love a totally self-contained offline system like the SNES Mini that reminds me of much simpler and far purer times in gaming.

@gcunit Paraside? It's a couple of streets away from Pocket Cap.

Am I glad I don't play this game. Now here's hoping they don't put this crap in the REAL Animal Crossing games. Or any non-mobile games for that matter. What an absolutely disgusting practice.

When people wanted Nintendo to be "modern" I don't think this was what they had in mind...

@gcunit Paraside is a hidden event in Pocket Camp where a bunch of parrots get together and kill themselves

A mobile freemium gets gachas. Inconceivable! It's not like FEH has had them pretty much from the start or anything.

I've never been fond of this stuff, so it speaks volumes when I of all people grow to resent entitled complaints about it even more. Vote with wallets and downloads, not with dramas and hypocrisy.

@chardir I genuinely didn't know if it was a Pocket Camp reference or not.

Title's changed now, so I guess it wasn't.

All these mobile games are straight up meh af

@impurekind And mobile has always looked like a only slightly disguised attempt to play at operating as real casinos....and sure enough we give it a decade to "mature" and what ads to I see most frequently for mobile now? Actual gambling apps...... It's not really gaming at all anymore...just an elaborate casino.

When stuff like this happens in a console Animal Crossing title and it puts advancing in the game behind some kind of pay wall, then its time to get the pitchforks out. Otherwise, this isn't a big deal.

And honestly, I get tired of this idea that gamers are poor schmucks, who lack self control and are easily bamboozled.

I really don't care cause i am not into mobile gaming. But i do care that Nintendo hasn't announced Animal crossing for Switch yet

Yeah.. I will not be getting any of them... it was bad enough when they made certain event items available in exchange for leaf tickets only... at least in those cases they did add enough leaf ticket rewards to the event to get them.
With premium currency like this that can be earned in-game, I think it's only okay as long as it's possible to earn enough through a reasonable amount of gameplay... basically making the paid option the easy way out if you don't want to spend that much time playing.
That's the way it has been with Pocket Camp so far, and it pretty much that way in Fire Emblem Heroes and Pokemon GO as well... but these fortune cookies are certainly not... the only option is to spend real money, so are certainly not welcome.

Are people actually still playing this game?

Hmmmm wonder if the title isn’t doing so well so they are trying to get what they can from the remaining player base. Sad to see Nintendo do this though. Hope this doesn’t creep into their home console efforts.

Nope sorry, got to go give this game a poor review now. I refuse to allow Nintendo to even begin to think that loot boxes will be excepted. This was supposed to be the advantage of them being a bit backwards

Ya'll wanted Nintendo to copy other companies and look what happened!

Deleted. Every aspect of the game was already monetized. Leaf tickets to speed up crafting, leaf tickets to get more resources, leaf tickets to speed up events, leaf ticket exclusive event items, £30 worth of leaf tickets for camp backdrops (recently added). They didn’t need to do this and it’s straight up gross that they’ve dressed the up as fortune cookies rather than a bland crate or something to get kids to go ‘but mommmmmm’.

So disappointed. They’ve turned what should be a relaxing series into a game you have to play all day every day to grind everything to try and get the free stuff and a game that demands money for pretty much every aspect of the game.

Charge £30 for the game and be done with it. Mess.

Protip: Avoid smartphone games like the plague.

I stopped playing because it only made me want a real AC game even more.

Came here expecting exaggerated reactions to a non-issue, was not disappointed.

Not a fan of this. Hopefully it stays there, and off the Switch.

@NapalmPsalm

That's how I feel about it too, I just want a real one on Switch.

Y’all are crazy. I spent 5 or 6 bucks on the fortune cookies and actually got what I wanted (a few tables and chairs from Marshall’s collection and also a cake). $5 every month or so isn’t breaking the bank and I’m definitely happy to support the team to keep creating content. All of this new stuff will have a good chance of being added to Animal Crossing Switch anyway so I’m even more excited about that. I do agree though that the microtransactions should not be in the Switch game. That would be bad.

Another thing I want to mention is that microtransactions in this game are much less harmless since it’s a single player experience. What I have a really bad problem with is when it’s in a game like Battlefront 2 where it’s competitive and are pressured to pay money just to win. Now THAT’S wrong.

That sounds very similar to another mobile game, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars. I stopped playing Pocket Camp a long time ago. As a big Nintendo and Animal Crossing fan I really wanted to be into it and I was for a while. But there's nothing in the game. The whole game is just you giving Nintendo your money. And you don't get anything in exchange for the money. I really like Animal Crossing and have poured years of my life into the series, but I am worried this bad experience will make me not want to play the next main game if they ever make one.

As much as I hate loot boxes, I find it hard to fault Nintendo here. It's obvious mobile games prefer to be nickel and dimed with gacha mechanics than pay a reasonable price for a full experience (see: Fire Emblem Heroes x Super Mario Run).

I just hope this sort of thing doesn't come anywhere near the inevitable Switch AC game.

If it doesn't harm how the game works as it stands now hiding things you really do need to progress in some fashion in the game behind a mandatory paywall who cares? Or why bother caring would be better to ask. Whining about this is pointless if it's not making the game a problem to enjoy.

Can't wait to see this practice get rolled out into main series games. /s

@NEStalgia Yeah, a lot of mobile apps really are kinda vile.

Microtransactions are a money maker in games, that's it. They cannot enhance a title in any way, and as far as I'm concerned, the changes made are usually to the detriment of a game. It's not an inherently evil system, but it's been abused worse than DLC or season passes over the years.

The biggest problems I find with microtransactions are where they go and who they affect. Putting them in full priced games is scummy and should be met with as much scorn as it usually does (so far, Overwatch is the most notable paid microtransaction/loot box game to avoid this). The other issue is who it affects. A lot of people don't really recognize that it's pretty much gambling, which is risky on its own without some sort of moderation. The bigger problem is really how a handful of people become "whales" so to speak, with a handful dumping money into the game, rather than everyone just paying a bit with some sort of cap, and getting a decent haul. Loot boxes are the main offender here, especially if the RNG is really bad like with Overwatch.

Pocket Camp avoids the former (there will be Hell to pay if Nintendo does this in a paid game, and it doesn't matter if execs are on the other side of the world, they WILL hear it) it's the latter that has me worried. Pure randomness is better than outright avoiding giving players cool stuff, but unless there's some sort of cap, I can see the "whale" affect occurring, and Pocket Campwould be a special exception.

Can we spare everyone the fake outrage here?

Nintendo tried not doing this with Mario and the Game Flopped.

Mobile Gamers will only play games that Nickle and Dime them.

That said,

"Problem is, these loot boxes don't just unlock them item, but provide stamps you'll need to use to eventually purchase it. Which means you'll essentially need to sink a large sum of money into Pocket Camp to be within a chance of getting the new gear you really want."

This doesn't really make sense. Are you saying it is bad that when you open a loot box and don't get the Item you want, you acquire a secondary currency that means you will definitely get it eventually? How is that a negative?

@gcunit really gutted nobody made a reference to Limmy's Show in response to your question but I guess such is the life of a fan of obscure British television

Pick-pocket camp more like!

Nah, to be fair, I suppose they've got to make revenue out of this game somehow, but you know "Nintendo goes its own way/doesn't follow trends" etc... Yeah right...

@KcebEnyaw Part of Mario's problem was likely the pricing, which was a pretty high entry point for any mobile game, whether or not it's worth the price. I hope they don't give up on the Free-To-Start thing. I much prefer it to microtransactions, and if the initial price point is lower for whatever they use it for next, I can see it doing better.

If anything, I'd like to see the Free-To-Start method continued on the eshop, if only because it helps keep certain titles in the spotlight by pretty much giving demos that gives a sample of the free game which you can continue by paying-similar to Miitopia's demo that implements your progress in the demo into your main game when you get it.

Nintendo should just quit the mobile market, in my opinion. I hate Pokémon GO, and none of the other mobile Nintendo games interest me. I really don't want Nintendo to turn into a money-grubber company.

There has been nothing but bad update after bad update, then Nintendo scrambles to fix it. This was the last straw. I watch half of my friends list stop playing after the Gulliver update, and I quit in protest after the introduction of loot boxes.

Not to sound like someone who just blindly defends all Nintendo’s decisions but I honestly don’t think it matters so much in a free to play game.

Miitomo was ok but nothing special. Mario Run was good and good value for money. Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing, I haven't really been able to get into. I'd pay for Super Mario Run 2, but I suspect I'm in the minority.

Exactly why I don’t play mobile game, from Nintendo or anyone else. I’ll stick to my Switch for portable gaming.

Don't do it people... Micro transactions are not good

@KcebEnyaw The way it's worded in the article makes it seem like opening a box only unlocks the item in-game and then you must buy it using stamps you get from the lootboxes. The line afterwards makes it seem like the stamps are for buyng stuff you want from the lootboxes but didn't actually managed to get from the boxes directly.

In the first situation, I can see why people would be annoyed (especially if the number of stamps isn't enough from the lootbox for said item). It's probably the second case though, which frankly is par for the course for a F2P mobile app. The app definitely needs a means of generating income.

I haven't played this game in quite a while. I am waiting for the inevitable Animal Crossing Switch.

This was obviously going to happen because FE Heroes had it from launch and that did better than the "pay once" approach of Super Mario Run.

Et tu, Nintendo?

1. it's free, so microtransactions are where the money comes from. Super Mario Run pay once for a complete game failed on the market compared to Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.
2. They give out leaf tickets like candy. I have about 1500 and that is easily with spending about 500 on random things. All of those left tickets were free from log in bonuses, to doing requests, etc.
3. Don't buy them if you don't want to. Not like there are already hundreds of things you can make and decorate all free without spending a single dime.

I'm not surprised. That FE Heroes gatcha money...

What a dumb article. Lacks any insight or framework, only offering a vague notion of discomfort.

Never mentions everything can be earned through normal play, which makes it a non-issue. The issue with loot boxes in games you already pay money for, like Rocket League, Overwatch, PUBG, etc. In a F2P game this sort of thing should basically be expected and is an alternative to paying piecemeal for additional levels or content. If Nintendo adds paid loot boxes to regular releases of Mario, Zelda, SSB, Splatoon, AC, etc... Then we'll have a story.

@-Green- He's a raccoon dog, not a raccoon.

I played this game every single day since it was made available on the Australian app store. I feel like in reality I didn't enjoy a single day of playing it. What a complete waste of time. Luckily this loot box thing was the last straw and I finally uninstalled. I'm free! Hopefully animal crossing switch won't feel tainted bc of this app...

@subpopz What? No. Most mobile games are just games. Many you pay for upfront and that's it. Even most free ones never compel you to spend money as long as you play enough, like Pocket Camp. The spending in these cases is to speed up the gameplay process to avoid grinding. Most mobile games are normal games just like any other platform, just the economics are more contrived.

@Andrew5678 Well, you may not agree, but some like loot boxes because they add weight to your play. That is you can often trade the best loot for some form of profit which adds a degree of compulsion to your gameplay routine.

Beyond that It's hard to say if they improve the game. Certainly the profits derived can lead a company to further support, improve, or iterate a game... So you can't really say they add nothing.

@tanookisuit It's an ethical thing. The way these gacha mechanics work, they rely on a few "whales" to spend ridiculous amounts of cash (think upwards of $1,000) on the game, while the vast majority never bother with the loot boxes. This is a supremely scummy practice, as it preys on people with gambling addiction problems.

A lot of people (rightfully) have a problem with that.

@Freelance ‘stupid raccoon-thing”

@-Green- Nah, it's gotta be Resetti. It's no coincidence he hasn't shown up in Pocket Camp yet.

Either that or he's collaborating with Tom Nook to bring everything down. It's a conspiracy!!

I had to bail on this game months ago. It was kinda hurting my love for Animal Crossing.

@Yorumi Classic. Being called out as a shill for having a semblance of common sense. Were you so excited to post your jab that you failed to read where I said loot boxes in paid games are a problem?

Antway, I'm tired of gamers and all their faux-outrage over things they don't understand. Look at this, how is it wrong for free games to allow you access to all gameplay content for free while trying to earn some revenue with cosmetic loot boxes? This is a business.

These days on the internet the audacity to dissect a story rather than jump to a side is an inconvenient impulse.

My affection for this game has swiftly deteriorated. Not only were there too many events and I had to always rush to finish them (the catch rate on those garden insects/eggs were so unfair), I have already spent more than enough on this game under the old model. I'm NOT spending 50 Leaf Tickets just to get the chance to get these new items (the game even says you'll likely get duplicates before you get new items). No thanks. If I'm giving Nintendo money, it's for proper games. Not mobile crap. This game is full of CRAP.

The loot boxes should have been from the release date. Its too late now. No one cares about this game..

As long as it stays on mobile trash I don't really care. I don't play mobile games.

@ricklongo I mean, do we think games have to consider how to prevent fueling violent behavior, obesity, social isolation, etc.? It's a question of causation, are games an outlet or a cause?

@Yorumi I don't blame games for the problems people create for themselves.

Why is Nintendo learning the worst lessons from other game companies. This isn't the modern Nintendo anyone wanted. Don't be the next EA Nintendo, just don't

@Yorumi Oh and you claiming arrogance is disingenuous. I was strictly referring to the case of Pocket Camp where this article poorly frames the practices of the game so people are outraged without considering the reality.

I don't really see the problem in single player games. In cometitive games where you get an advantage over other players; then that's a problem.

@Yorumi Finally, the funny thing is I find your response typical of the internet discourse. What I have to say is PR marketing spin (pure EVIL) while you stand up for the defenseless minority who bankrupt their lives on gaming (pure GOOD) like there is no middle ground.

Like it's not even about the specific subject at hand anymore, it's revealing the worth of our inner spirit or something.

@ACK Those are all interesting questions, and ones that warrant discussion in a more detailed manner. Choosing not to support a game with monetizing mechanics that preys on addiction-prone people is a different thing altogether in my opinion, and a much more simple matter.

For example: the discussion of violence in games has to take into account the artistic freedom of game makers. This case, conversely, has nothing to do with that, only with the business side of making games.

Well now I can stop feeling bad that I walked away from this game. I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.

Lol @ the people that actually defend this and somehow think Pocket Camp is somehow not exploiting children with these "fortune cookies".

I love it. It used to be "Nintendo would never do mobile gaming trash"

Then it was "Nintendo mobile games are the best ones because they don't nickel and dime you"

Then it was "Well, they NEED microtransations to make money! They're a business, and at least its not loot boxes, those are evil!"

And now it's "Well they need lootboxes and they're optional, at least they're not in any of the paid games".

I can't wait for the excuses to roll in for the next time they push the line.

Needs an 18 cert slapped on it then!

Yeah i don't even play mobile games anymore because they're crap and have stuff like this. If this leaks into real games too much I'll just be entertained elsewhere.

@ricklongo I agree, tough questions without honest answers. However, the point is that these are murky waters. Those are issues with possible deathly consequences, right? Loot boxes are an element of economic and business principle, like always consumer beware. Interesting that we rally against the means and methods to make money and twist nefarious narratives while being relatively comfortable dismissing these other issues with more prevalent concerns rather than kids with poor supervision wasting money or being another catalyst for addictive behavior.

Also, keep in mind that creative freedom and business principle are in a symbiotic relationship with game development. Many times you can't have one without the other... Very contrived to parse out sources of funds and intents.

Owww this is a shame!

Why.. Whyyyyy beloved Nintendo?

Don't follow the hype that can ruin the love we fans have for you! You make massive amounts on the Switch already. Don't be like EA. Don't sell your soul to the devil like they have pleaaase...

I am sooo proud on the developers that show the community that they care about us and do not [removed] up their games and reputation to maximize the profits.

Be human, and care about what you guys create!!

SHAME!
Turn it back, and do not try this again. You are better than this!!!

[Ok, I'm overreacting since this is not a full priced game... But I'm so scared that this is just the beginning]

I came to switch recently to hopefully get away from this new trend of corporate greed - I hope beyond hope that Nintendo themselves don’t start the slide down this slippery slope. After the disaster that was Star Wars Battlefront 2 I would hope the industry would take note

This article has so many mistakes, nonsensical sentences and typos I can hardly read it. Expect better from Nintendolife

@Carlos_silva_jr lol they've been like this for a long time now

@ACK I'll give you the first part. I've heard of that being done before, but I'll be honest, it's something I rarely hear people talk about. Is it that common? I've heard of doing it in World of Warcraft and TF2, but that's about it (though if it's only a handful of games, it being in big games like those does present something different to the base offerings of loot, but it feels like a workaround made by the community, rather than what Devs have in mind). Generally, the most positive experience with lootboxes I hear are when people manage to avoid spending them and earn things the fair way.

I can see a give and take kind of thing with the Devs offering a quick path to cosmetics, people buying the cosmetics, and Devs having more profits to improve the game and add more cosmetics. In the best situations, it seems like an okay give-and-take. When I think of negative impacts on games, I think of balance being thrown off when offerings aren't cosmetic, and poor RNG to encourage people to pay more to get loot that they want. Blizzard has apparently done this with Overwatch's lootboxes, and they're offering even less gold to purchase costume regularly. It doesn't affect the game itself, but it's disingenuous to have a system that's rigged against giving good stuff, and also have it in a title that you already pay for.

Honestly, if all of these practices stayed on freemium titles, I'd be much happier-just add some sort of payment cap to those for people to avoid making a handful of them whale's, and be outright about the odds of grabbing what you want, like giving percentages or earning special loot so people are limited like with regular gambling. As much as I want this practice to be thrown out the window entirely, I can accept it's existence as a means of making money-I just want to stop companies from abusing customers, because they're liable to keep getting worse with these practices, like Activision or EA.

@BARSAMAN Mind your language!

The game is still free to download right?

I will still play because I love this game and have played every one since the first one. I will fight temptation however and avoid spending the money for leaf tickets and fortune cookies.

I dropped this game a while ago as there wasn't really enough to do except for grinding daily tasks to level up your friendship. To be honest I'm not surprised it's getting loot boxes... though I am surprised how accepting people are of them becuase it's a "mobile game".

The more people accept lootboxes, the more liberties studios will take. Anyone remember the days when lootboxes weren't acceptable at all?

It wouldn't have been so bad if it was in there from the beginning, but the way it was just shoehorned in here really killed any desire I had to play the game. I had been enjoying some of the gardening events and the game felt like it was ok to play as a free player, but not so anymore. I'll just stick to Pokemon Shuffle, a game that I feel is actually worth putting a bit of money into.

Microtransactions, coming to a Nintendo Switch near you

It's a mobile game? Fire Emblem already has a gacha mechanic anyway.

That's "crossing" the line Nintendo
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

@Anti-Matter Pokemon GO is already their biggest gacha game, and it wasn't the first time, remember Miitomo...
nintendo now is just like activision and konami of mobile gaming

Get 'em hooked then up the price - classic dealer move.

We had a good thing going here, dammit. Pretty disjointed in Nintendo Mobile right now. It doesn't help that this is right when loot box hate is already at its peak and we're seeing major publishers start to back off.

IF this was a full price Animal Crossing game on Switch or 3DS, than i'd be disappointed.

but it's only a mobile game. so, not really surprised. let's just hope this does not move forward into their full price games.

Microtransactions should only be for people of gambling age so 18+ depending on your territory. It's clearly gambling and preying upon people's weaknesses. If you want to do it, that's fine! No judgement here. However, Nintendo is primarily a family based company with lots of kids using their products. I think governments should treat microtransactions like other vices and regulate it for only adults. Kids will become addicted to this stuff or some parent (their fault or not) will get stuck with an insane phone bill.

As long as this kind of stuff never ends up on their main switch titles it doesn’t really bother me I dont really play smartphone games

Don't worry! Nintendo will learn their lesson after it destroys their game.

Nothing to add really.

It's loot boxes and it sucks.

Gross. Glad I'm not playing that game. Nintendo had better keep this nonsense away from their real Animal Crossing game on the Switch!

I don't mind loot boxes in free to play games as I understand they need to get income from somewhere

"But Nintendo would never do evil stuff like lootboxes, microtransactions, etc"

Yeaaaaahhh, right...

Nintendo tried to sell a mobile game for a fixed up-front fee (Mario) and everyone complained about paying £10 for a mobile game when they're usually free. This is the world you created...

IMO, these are probably some of the least offensive loot boxes I've come across in regards to execution. But that might be because it's all ultimately cosmetic. They're not gonna make you a better player, competitively, or progress any "storyline" in the game. So unless you desperately want the furniture, you're not missing out on much.

Considering how much you can actually get out of the game without dropping coin, it's actually a pretty good "Animal Crossing Lite".

My biggest problem with the game, though, is that you dont get a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to spending Leaf Tickets. When you do the math, a fortune cookie costs $2.50 for a chance to maybe get what you want. It costs $7.50 to change the background/foreground of your campsite, and $15(!) to change your sky background.

I dont mind the microtransactions inherently, but I am against how expensive the rates are.

I've been playing this pocket camp game since day 1 back in November, and I really did enjoy it, and I never did pay a penny for it (never will either), but these new money making changes they added have finally killed it for me. Honestly I'm relieved, because I was wasting too much time playing it. I'm going back to the 3ds one now, finally. I started a whole new game of it last summer with the Welcome Amiibo version, and that's vastly superior to this mobile game anyway.

@ricklongo In principle I agree, but that's the addicts fault lacking the self control to stop spending their money on harmful stuff, whether it's being a game whale, to slot machines, to liquor, or a crack habit. It's their job to get the help, no one else can help them without their own will to stop or it continues. Cutting off the source would just have them search for another.

Gambling laws should apply to any game with a loot box system. They should be inaccessible to minors, unless they have adult permission, and generally should be frowned upon regardless.

Just look at games like Pokemon Shuffle, Nintendo has already brought some of the more unsavory elements of modern gaming onto consoles for years now. It's naive to think they would not eventually bring loot box systems from mobile titles to console titles, once gamers give it a pass. This is a slippery slope, and it's only a matter of time.

@Yorumi I think it's unfortunately only a matter of time until Nintendo brings loot boxes onto full price console titles. I still remember back when NL users despised microtransactions for content that previously had no additional price tag, until Nintendo started releasing titles that liberally employed them. Two titles that really stand out are Pokemon Shuffle and Smash Bros. 4 Wii U/3DS. There was little to no resistance to their business tactics by the core audience here.

It reminds me of propaganda. Once the authority figure of choice approves it, the subordinates (mostly) may even obey that which was once reviled. The only reasonable (but still feeble) response to this from members here seems to be, "vote with your wallet." Which is exactly what I've done- I'm nowhere near as enthusiastic about Nintendo as I once was, now that they've proven to be no more moral than other companies. But once any and all dissident discourse is cordoned off into the territory of being seen as a mere opinion with no real consequence, instead of being a vital discussion point, I can't help but feel there's uncanny zeitgeist which is guiding it...