Russia's "gay propaganda" bill - more accurately, the bill "for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating for a Denial of Traditional Family Values" - was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin in 2013. The law states that children must be protected from being exposed to homosexuality, arguing that it is against traditional family values, and anyone breaking the law can be subject to a fine, imprisonment, or even deportation.
As a result, any media that shows gay people being together gets an automatic "Mature" rating, in the hopes that Russian children won't accidentally witness it.
Needless to say, there have been plenty of protests and much criticism of the law, from both inside and outside Russia - including coverage from Stephen Fry and a letter urging Putin to repeal the law signed by Sir Ian McKellen - and multiple people within the country have been arrested for public dissention and attempts to offer LGBTQ+ support to youths.
Several games have already been caught up in the law, including The Sims 4, Stardew Valley, FIFA 17 (which let players wear rainbow shoelaces in support of the LGBTQ+ community), and the Overwatch tie-in comic that depicted Tracer with her partner.
Miitopia, the family-friendly role-playing game announced for Switch in yesterday's Nintendo Direct, is the latest victim of the law, receiving an automatic 18+ rating in Russia for its potential depiction of same-sex relationships. It first received the 18+ rating when it was released for 3DS in 2017, and the law has not changed since then.
Miitopia is the first-ever Nintendo-developed game to receive a Mature rating in Russia, and although the game won't receive a Russian translation - the only supported languages are Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Dutch, and Chinese - its rating makes it even more unlikely to be a success in the predominantly Christian country.
Although its predecessor, Tomodachi Life, specifically did not allow same-sex relationships in the game, Miitopia (and the Japan-only Tomodachi sequel, New Life) have some new options for players. Miitopia does not allow same-sex characters to marry, but will allow them to level up their relationship; Tomodachi: New Life allowed male characters to marry and have children, but not women.
Miitopia will come to Switch worldwide on the 21st May, 2021.
We are keen as always to hear what you think of this news story in the comments below, but we will remind you to please be civil, and remember that we have LGBTQ+ members in both our community and our staff who deserve respect.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 84
That's ridiculous. =/ Homosexuality is perfectly fine, and saying it's inappropriate for children is causing all kinds of issues that don't need to be caused.
I'm so glad I don't live in Russia.
Oh, those kooky russians.
Well that’s bafflingly backwards of them. Same sex relationships don’t suddenly exist when you turn 18. It’s worth noting that the Russian government cracks down on a lot more than Miitopia and actively treats LGBTQ+ citizens with open contempt, so they have more to worry about than being able to buy this game.
I'm still glad that Nintendo didn't censor the game for all Europeans just because of this law.
Huh, okay then.
Not much to say, I never was interested in playing games for the relationships anyway.
I think its great that games are giving people choices wither they want diffrent or same sex relationships. the comments are about to get crazy.
Might as well add guns and blood to the Russian version now that its rated M there anyway lol.
This is stupid.
I do not understand why they it 18+.
Homosexuality is something really normal.
I’m glad I do not live there....
Stupid homophobic rules. 🙄
I played with same gender relationship on The Sims games, Miitopia and later will be Story of Seasons Pioneer of Olive Town.
Love doesn't have gender.
Be proud with your sexuality. 🤟🌈
Well, its not banned, and as long as console companies allow Russian 18+ games it is atleast not as bad as ESRB's AO rating.
Not that that its not a silly reason to rate a game 18+.
@benchan I don't really understand your logic. A game letting you choose to be homosexual is a matter of player choice. Games with character customization also let you choose your skin color, eye color, etc. They aren't saying that's a choice, they're letting people play how they want to play.
@Tobiaku it is not about being silly, it is about being homophobic and not educated on basic human rights and health.
@Kalmaro ouhhhh that would be a hell of conversation and I have things to say too ! but let's not be critical political on this platform, peace
thank you for this nicely documented article, dear Kate !
Historical collectors item in a few years.
@benchan If a game lets you choose a skin colour that too would be a choice in terms of gameplay. It doesn't mean the game is saying skin colour is a choice.
I think the people most offended by this game feature appear to in Russia.
I sure love being illegal in several countries
@Kalmaro Its why I don't like articles like this not bc of what it says, but the fact they allways go political, I would love to leave politics out of it but as you said its a little to late for that.
The game doesn't even contain romantic relationships (of any persuasion). Perhaps the game goes a little too crazy with the emphasis on love hearts when characters' relationships exceed a certain threshold, but all relationships in the game are otherwise platonic (regardless of the sex or AGE of the characters).
@Silly_G Thats what I was thinking.
@Kalmaro I don't consider homophobia to be a "viewpoint" worthy of any respect. One does not simply tolerate intolerance. Bigots get into power and then groups of people quickly lose their rights. And "tolerance" of bigoted views as being a valid viewpoint or opinion to bring to the table is how this happens to begin with. Homophobia and other prejudices don't deserve respect. Ever.
That’s really horrible to do that. Representation matters but alas oppressors don’t care about that. Or rather they care about taking that away from others.
What next? Splatoon 3 also getting an 18+ rating because of the ability to be non-binary? That's just ridiculous.
I guess I can understand the reason why they did that, but I'm not saying I'm a hater. This is my personal opinion, no need to attack.
@ModdedInkling Kinda reminds me that maybe I should change my username on switch when I start splatoon 3 online because no genders anymore for splatoon xD I usually play as a girl bc I am a female, but my username isn't a girl-like name.
Yet the Twitter crowd will be baying for the blood of a celebrity that words something wrong/a way they don’t like
When whole countries actively persecute intentionally on your sexuality - people should direct their anger in the right places and stop vilifying individuals that make mistakes.
We got USSR apologia only 50 comments in? Probably a good idea to close the comments on articles like this in the future.
Ah yes because Russia is the most manly country in the world.....No
Most un-educated country in the world is more like it.
@Mr_Persona may I ask why the username Mr persona? If you're a girl
@UltimateOtaku91 long story with my brother. he called me that because l played as joker a lot in smash and being a persona fan from long ago. There was also more to the story but that's my summary.
That's just funny to me honestly. Like yeah it's sad, but...come on it's a little bit funny that Miitopia of all things is rated 18+
One of the little freedoms people have is the freedom to choose their sexuality, when groups try to challenge that freedom then they are just idiots who need re educating
But this article does not surprise me, Russia is one of if not the most racist and homophobic country on this planet. And their ideology is never going to change
In the grand scheme of things this isn’t huge. Much worse goes on in Russia and other parts of the world in terms of treatment of homosexuals. It’s still sad to see though.
Reminds me a bit of Section 28, which was only 30 years ago.
Good on NL for highlighting this. I'm sure I've read a previous news item which had comments turned off?
Well I discovered the "Ignore" button today
Edit: It doesn't seem to work though, as one of the people I've "ignored" still pops up...
This is Putin's Russia we're talking about, I'm not surprised. It's despicable and right up his alley.
Interesting conversations taking place with very boring incorrect opinions being sprinkled all over the place.
Let me settle this once and for all for I am the authority (JOKE!)
The word Woke was appropriated into black lexicon by communities in America to maintain awareness that the civil rights movement was still prevalent. It was used internally within black communities. The term caught on and then had its second (black) meaning completely muddled to the point where it means very little by meaning 100 different things.
Bigotry as defined by most dictionaries is the unreasonable belief/attitude to a person usually based on a membership a person is part of. The Russian government signalling games out for homosexual content in this way can clearly be argued as bigotry. The fact that putins government has made comparisons of homosexuality to illegal offences I can’t write in the comments cements their bigotry stance.
Criticising a persons bigotry isn’t bigotry lol.
"Tomodachi: New Life allowed male characters to marry and have children, but not women." Why were lesbian marriages specifically excluded? That sounds like an ancient Greek mentality.
The so-called "cases" against homosexual relationships hold about as much water as a tiny plastic colander that was knocked around with an aluminum baseball bat. I understand why religion was so important before modern science came along, but people should know better now. If some omnipotent force made some people gay, why would said force want them to act against their own nature? Also, in terms of keeping up a healthy population, that doesn't make sense either. There are way too many people on this planet, and a lot fewer accidental pregnancies could hardly be considered a bad thing to any logical person.
Sorry. I got a little carried away.
@MichaelHarvey Absolutely Right, they could ban it but did not do it. And btw. Russians people don't care much about rating, regarding this it's more free then most of the western countries.
The arguments used about kids and them being exposed to LGBT are weak when explored and in my opinion are often used to mask a persons homophobia. “I don’t have a problem but think of the kids”
If kids can learn that people form relationships then they can learn that this can be done within same sex unions. If it triggers confusion it will be a confusion as to whether they have an interest in people of the same sex. They should take the time to understand themselves.
Another thing. I know at least one guy who likes to play as female characters and is attracted to women. There are probably also girls who like to play as guys and still date other guys even in the virtual world so it's not just about the sexual orientation of the player. I seriously doubt every single person who plays this game will use an avatar with a matching gender.
I didn't know I was reading a Kotaku article or did I stumble onto the ReeeeeeeeeesetEra forum?
Shouldn't a games age rating where you can have relationships be set at the age of consent?
The only reason I did any of the relationships in Mass Effect was to get an achievement so wasn't really that fussed which one I picked. Relationships in games are so contrived anyway.
My sister plays Stardew Valley and when I asked her about the relationship part she said she couldn't be bothered with it as it got in the way of the game.
Is it just my family or does anyone actually enjoy having relationships in games?
@DrDaisy I play as girls bc I like girls and I'm a dude.
Reading about this makes me want to be more gay than I already am. And laugh whilst doing so.
@BloodNinja can I just take time to say I love your character it looks like fun, I just love how you put ninja approved at the end. (its not sarcasm I mean it)
@TMNHertl See, I wish more straight people had this mentality. Just enjoy who you are, and if it's different than someone else, let them enjoy themselves! LOL
NINJA APPROVED
I think the weirdest part of this is that there is no romance in Miitopia, just very strong friendships. As far as I can remember, the only remotely romantic things in the game are the hearts that appear when improving friendships and that the highest friendship level is called "Soulmates."
@Snatcher Hahaha, thanks, I'm just having fun. I train martial arts in real life, so I like to make-believe that I'm a ninja online LOL
However! In my training, I have researched the history of how ninjutsu came to be, and it's amazing and fascinating. Nothing like how it's portrayed in movies and games (that's fun though, not gonna lie!) You should look into it, it's a great study!
NINJA APPROVED
@BloodNinja absolutely.
@BloodNinja I think I will.
@DrDaisy
I played Miitopia with same gender as mine.
Well the comment section went the way I thought it would
Any civilisation that cannot cope with children knowing its possible for two people to love each other is one whose underpinning is as fragile as it is pitiful.
Free Russia from Homophobia! ✊🏳️🌈
Please let's move on from the subject on "what is woke, what is bigot", and let's please not bring up politics or offend other people in the comments. If there's any person that wishes to voice their opinion on why homosexuality is bad, or other such topics, I'm sure there's other sites that will welcome that discussion.
@nessisonett AND ANYONE ELSE If you find problems with the way the articles are moderated, please use the contact form to voice your opinion directly with the administrators of the site.
@Darlinfan teaching kids at school is a proven and effective way of protecting marginalized communities whether they're my own or the Jewish community, or Black Community or another, by protecting the children outside of those communities from developing anti-social bigoted beleifs. All the concern about schools teaching this boils down to bigots being afraid of loosing power of loosing scapegoats.
Society has had enough time my community has been fighting openly for decades for liberation others far longer than that.
Any particular reason why Russia has been singled out? By not referencing others, the article suggests they're the only country making it difficult to buy this game on the grounds of (potential) homosexual content when everyone knows there are others. I mean, will there be similar articles reporting the stance taken by all other countries on this game who have different views to the US and western European countries?
Honestly considering some of Russia’s past history with this kind of thing its amazing they didn’t try to ban it. Glad it’s at least available but it’s a shame it’s not accepted as the norm.
@Eel Wow, Eel! Did you nuke the place? Half the comments are gone!
NINJA APPROVED
Ok, that’s beyond stupid. If you cannot differentiate friendly love, brotherly love, and sexual love, then that’s a you problem.
Furthermore, why tho? Liking the same sex is in essence the same thing as liking the opposite. Weird move from Russia.
Super sad to see that the masterpiece that is Miitopia get defiled in this way.
@Eel My comment and many others (but not all) was worded in a way that was not offensive, I believe that I didn't break the community rules. (I'm looking back on it now, thanks to Google's cache of this page!). Mine was not part of the "woke" argument either. What I said was absolutely relevant to the article (except for the disclaimer at the end but I just had to for the sake of clarity!). Am I not allowed to have even a slightly different perspective? You might as well just completely remove ALL comments and disable it!
@BloodNinja Yep, the nuked just about all of mine.
Anyway, I'm familiar with the "it takes a village". Saying. Ultimately, the individual is responsible for their choices. The parents hold some of that responsibility too though.
I don't trust public school systems to do that well, they haven't in the past.
@Darlinfan you can start simple with little kids and work from there with them. That’s how my parents started educating me to be a decent human being.
Oppressors aren’t entitled to at their convenience figure out how to be decent human beings. They don’t have to pay the price for dragging their feet the oppressed do.
Russia sucks? Very old news.
@Kalmaro Very true! Your results may vary, it seems!
NINJA APPROVED
Please do not discuss politics on an article that is about Russian politics.
Okay.
@PoopScoop was thinking the same thing
Shielding children from LGBT is pointless since they're going to find out about it eventually.
I'm not sure what you see happening in Miitopia really reaches the level of sexuality. Sure, peering in the windows, teary eyed apologies and thank yous are dancing around the subject, but it's all so silly. Russia needs to lighten up.
@BloodNinja They left mine.
@Eel how many kills did you camp to get that nuke?
@Snatcher about 40
If that's what gets an 18 rating over there, maybe they should just make the most over the top sexually explicit game there is. So long as it's going to be labeled 18+ either way.
@123akis That's censorship for you.
Well, I might be the odd one out here. But, I agree.
A country is allowed to make rules based on their believes or cultures. If you want someone to accept yours, you should also accept theirs. Especially if you're talking about things like "inclusivity" or "equality". If you truly believe that everyone is equal you should also treat everyone equal. And allow anyone their believes and cultures.
Otherwise you get the quote from Animal Farm.
"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."
And you wouldn't want that.
Lack of localisation make this rating pretty useless, since kids wouldn't be able to play it anyway.
@Snatcher LOL
Ok, I appreciated that joke, excellent!!
NINJA APPROVED
@sanderev I agree with this.
@sanderev On one hand, I agree with you, they have their own customs and beliefs.
On the other hand, some countries abuse people, like what's happening in China with Muslims. It makes this issue where I don't want us to be the world police but I also think something should happen on some cases.
At least no censorship like sony.
@Kalmaro Yes. This is comparable to forcing people of a different believe into slave labour. Luckily, you see the point I try to make here.
Unlike @Darlinfan.
A country is allowed to make their own laws. To teach and guide their people. Every country in the world does this in some form. For instance, I live in a country where it's unthinkable that people own and have guns. But there are countries in the western world where that is absolutely normal. I respect that.
I, for one, like to treat people with the same respect they treat me. If you want to live or be in a different country, you have to respect their rules and laws. Their norms and values. And if you do, maybe they will respect yours.
And true, I live in a fairly small country. Whatever direction I go, I can go to a different one in less than an hour by plane, train or car. Accepting other's norms and values is something I (normally) do multiple times a year.
In the end they are free to do this, even if you disagree with their choice (I disagree with the choice as well, but I can see why they make it, knowing their norms and values).
I live in the Netherlands, one of the first countries that made same sex marriage legal. And that is something we are proud of. Those are our values.
@Darlinfan Human rights.
I don't think you know what it truly means.
https://www.government.nl/topics/human-rights/human-rights-worldwide/freedom-of-religion-and-belief
That's what I'm talking about.
And yes, before you start complaining; we also have this one:
https://www.government.nl/topics/human-rights/human-rights-worldwide/equal-rights-for-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-and-intersex-lgbti
@DrDaisy exactly. I play male characters alot in games and even in table top and I'm a married woman with two kids. It's not because I like the blokes better though, in most games I play I dislike the female armours or the female voice actors as they're either super sickly cute or sound like they're from a porno. 🤣 (admittedly there's a few male avatars who do get the female skimpy armour treatment and it's a nice change)
In table top I like being something I'm not. Sometimes I need a break from being 'so and so's' mum or 'so and so's' wife. Sure I'll play female characters too, but it's nice to walk in the shoes of someone else sometimes.
@Anti-Matter I probably should have phrased that differently. I didn't mean no one would use the same gender.
@Harmonie Damn you Russia
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