Sorry for the slow start today, but I’m about to get it cooking. Look for some YouTube work from me later on as well, but before we get there, let’s talk about Mark Kern’s statement from last night. In it, he criticizes Nintendo for censoring the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U). We’ve seen this trend for awhile, where the original intent of creators from Japan gets altered due to concerns about political correctness in the United States. Even thought this trend isn’t new, it seems to be getting even worse. That’s why it’s so important to speak up. The more industry figures who call this out for the bullshit it truly is, the better.

Before we get to Kern, let’s look at some of the changes that have been reported, courtesy of Gamezone

We already know that the North American version of Xenoblade Chronicles X will feature an altered Lin character model, one that covers her up more and doesn’t feature “sexy” bikinis. It looks like it doesn’t stop there.

Possibly in fear that us heathens, the players, would try to recreate Lin in the character creator, the breast slider has been completely removed from the game’s character creator. Apparently, us Americans are either too immature or too pervy to use this feature responsibly. Nevermind the fact that now basically all female character models will feature medium sized boobs, because equality! Take that you large breasted/flat chested ladies, you no longer can create an avatar based on your physical proportions.

I’m not even sure that’s the last of the censoring. If I had to guess, there will be more changes throughout the game. Many people on Twitter are saying they won’t purchase it now, but we’ll see if it actually does end up affecting sales. Kern doesn’t say he’s not going to buy it, but he is just as dismayed as every else is…

Hello, I’ve been reading about the changes to Xenoblade Chronicles X and am dismayed that NOA is changing so many things and distorting the original version of the game. I’m writing to you first as the President of League for Gamers, a pro-consumer group representing gamers, but I am also writing as a gamer and game maker.

I was a game dev. I was team lead for WoW, Producer on Diablo, Warcraft, etc. Speaking frankly, I think NOA is being overly cautious and restricting creative freedom to appease a very small group of complainers. This vocal minority may be loud on Twitter, but has shown to have zero negative impact on sales.

As a gamer, I want to play Japanese games because they are different from American games. Trying to “culturalize” a game for the US market in the way that NOA is doing with Xenoblade is defeating the purpose. Manga succeeds in the US because it is different, not because it tries to be like American comics.

Please keep Xenoblade Chronicles X as it is.

I don’t think there’s much chance of Nintendo going back on their decision here, but I still think it’s important for people to speak up on this issue. To be honest, if you really want to make a point, you should refrain from purchasing the game. I was looking forward to this title myself, although I have so much stuff to play, that I was going to be waiting on buying it anyway. Now, I might just skip it altogether. People have to make up their minds individually, but I know that when you hit a company in the wallet, they usually listen.