The Big N: Too Paternal?

[Aeni]

Swapnote neutering raises Nintendo’s online paternalism to new heights | Ars Technica

I don't use any of these Nintendo services, free or not, so I won't comment. Not sure if anyone here uses Swapnote. I'll just put a reader's comment here:

Telephones also allow minors to communicate with strangers. As does the postal service. This is nothing new. The only new thing about it is parents and comanies have completely abandoned the idea that people, even kids, should be allowed to determine who they talk to on their own. Despite the fact that talking to strangers online just simply is not dangerous (most child abuse is committed by parents, other relatives, or close family friends, in that order) by any reasonable definition, and that anyone can very easily block communications from anyone that makes them uncomfortable, parents and companies are just amped up to 11 with unwarranted fear.

[Malacite]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

I think this just some slight-of-hand on Nintendo's part. While there are rumors regarding the reason for them doing this, the more likely scenario was that Swapnote was going to die on the vine once Miiverse comes to 3DS. Miiverse also allows for sharing drawn images and in-game photos on live forums pertaining to the related game, which has moderation while Swapnote does not.

So I think this has less to do with bad apples and more of a signal that update is coming soon. That update would also come with Nintendo ID and 3DS and Wii U would end up with a unified account system as a result - possibly resulting in features like crossbuy.

I did like Swapnote for what little functionality I got out of it, it was another fun way for developers to reach out to their community directly - but its something they're also cleared to do on Miiverse, so the idea of Swapnote will live on in Miiverse in a more social capacity

[cidbahamut]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

I think Nintendo's track record speaks for itself on this one BBQ.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

I find it very telling that Flipnote Studio 3D got axed alongside this before even getting a western release. Swapnote was a messaging system, Flipnote let people draw and record animated shorts much in the same way. Nintendo even maintained a Flipnote website for about four years, too. Basically a poor man's Youtube, but there was some really creative stuff there at times.

Wii U has a more unified social media interface in Miiverse that Nintendo now wants to integrate into the 3DS. Think of it as a forum/Facebook hybrid, a place people go to share pictures of their achievements and draw pictures of cats and ponies as Nintendo characters. The second Miiverse hits 3DS, Swapnote and Flipnote effectively are about as relevant to 3DS owners as Myspace and Google+ are to the internet at large.

Why keep them around, then?

[Armando]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

I think the comment right below the one Aeni quoted is more likely to be right. Pokemon X and Y have a feature where the more people you have in your Friends List, the more Pokemon appear in the Safari Zone, so obviously kids are going to start swapping Friend Codes like crazy. The timing is too suspicious.

"In-game benefits for having more friends" and "your friend list is global" are naturally conflicting goals. They'd either have to kill the Safari Zone feature or force you to enable communications with friends on a game-by-game basis. E.g. Just because I added you to Pokemon Y for the Safari Zone benefits, it doesn't mean I want to talk to you over Swapnote.

Of course, that'd require reworking the friend code system and the vocal majority would probably complain that it makes it even more cumbersome than it already was. They're screwed either way.

[Icemage]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

Light shines.

Accused Child Predator Allegedly Used Nintendo's SwapNote Service

According to Yomiuri Online, two men have been arrested for performing "improper acts" in hotel rooms with the same 12 year-old girl on multiple occasions earlier this year. The girl met both men, aged 49 and 36, through her 3DS. Yomiuri Online doesn't specifically mention SwapNote. A Mainichi News report, however, does.

Mainichi reports that charges for child pornography have also been filed against another man, 44, who had allegedly two girls - then aged 11 to 12 - send nude photos through SwapNote, or "Itsu no Ma ni Koukan Nikki" (いつの間に交換日記) as it's called in Japan. The man has confessed to doing so.
In the above articles, both Yomiuri and Mainichi note that parents had initially turned off the 3DS's internet function, but the children had turned it back on.

Mainichi adds that there are other reports of the arrest - for statutory rape and indecency through compulsion - of predators apparently using the SwapNote function to prey on children.

This is why we can not have nice things.


Icemage

[cidbahamut]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

Nintendo: parent substitute, because you couldn't be arsed to teach your kid about interacting with strangers on the internet.

[Jarre]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

Cids nailed it on the head Parents these days just leave kids in a room on their own with a device that conencts to the internet. If parents spent more time with their kids and kept an eye on them while their online this shit wouldn't happen. Its todays society of parents not being proper parents that causes this.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The Big N: Too Paternal?

Light shines.

Accused Child Predator Allegedly Used Nintendo's SwapNote Service

This is why we can not have nice things.


Icemage

That was the rumor in question I was referring to, recently confirmed. I can't really blame any company for wanting to distance themselves from that bad bit of PR. People would have pounced on Nintendo had they let an unmoderated service like that continue.

But again, the Miiverse integration should bring some of this functionality back with actual forum moderation to go with it. Hopefully they integrate some of Flipnote's program into both the 3DS and Wii U versions, though.