If you asked me a week ago, I’d say that “Nintendo” and “Paedophile” are opposites. Nintendo makes family games: Colorful, loud, funny.
Then came two things that also seem unrelated: Sweden and “Dead or Alive: Dimensions”
Sweden recently tightened its laws again child abuse. Good.
Nintendo released the 3DS handheld game console. Good.
Nintendo released the game “Dead or Alive: Dimensions” for the 3DS. So what?
Well, the main characters of the game are (according to the manual) 16 and 17 years old. No problem so far.
If you switch to the free camera mode, you can look under their (short) skirts. And suddenly, the game might classify as child pornography.
Something similar happened to a poor professor for Art, who is a renown expert for Manga translation. In a long trial, he was found guilty of possessing child pornography by a Swedish court. Translation: He had some Japanese Mangas on his PC.
The publisher he was working for has kicked the man out after the court sentence but it didn’t kick out the comics. Understandable. It’s immoral to work with a pedophile. It’s not immoral to make money from his work …
Well, to avoid getting bad press, Nintendo’s published decided to fly low and withdrew the game.
My comment: If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I have a sound opinion on child abuse and rape. But my opinion isn’t based on FUD. Instead, it’s based on knowledge and facts.
So I find this troubling. Is a story about child abuse the same as actual bruises? Is a painting about rape the same as real rape? If so, please turn yourself in because I’m sure you have some high quality printings of ancient “adult” artwork, or maybe something printed in the 1960s which contains explicit adverts.
Where to draw the line? If there is no reliable criteria, then there is no way to use such a rule in court. It would always be unjust.
So the problem isn’t Nintendo but the unjust new laws in Sweden.
Unfortunately, there is little to be gained to fight such stupid laws. Parents will object for no good reason but their own insecurities. And it’s laws like this which make the problem worse for everyone. Pedophiles are afraid to seek professional help before something happens. They put more pressure on their victims to keep quiet after the rape. Victims fear even greater humiliation.
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