The same-sex marriage battleground: Video games

There will be no same sex marriages in Nintendo’s social simulation game “Tomodachi Life.” Nintendo made that clear today when it confirmed that while players will be able to form romantic relationships in its virtual world, and maybe even get married, same-sex marriage will not be allowed.

The game is to represent “a playful alternative world,” Nintendo said in a statement today, “rather than a real-life simulation.”

That explanation falls short for Tye Marini, of Arizona, who started the #Miiquality campaign last week.

“It’s more of an issue for this game because the characters are supposed to be a representation of your real life,” Marini tells the Associated Press. “You import your personalized characters into the game. You name them. You give them a personality. You give them a voice. They just can’t fall in love if they’re gay.”

“We have heard and thoughtfully considered all the responses,” Nintendo said. “We will continue to listen and think about the feedback. We’re using this as an opportunity to better understand our consumers and their expectations of us at all levels of the organization.”