My Letter to Nintendo

Here's a letter I wrote to the folks at Nintendo about a concern I had this morning. Hopefully they are willing to talk to us--it would provide for some really good insight from outside the classroom.


To Whom It May Concern:

My six-year old daughter recently received a 3DS for her birthday. In the last year of my doctoral studies I have come to embrace video games in our household as a system of learning with great potential. Unfortunately, many video game companies seek only to profit from these systems (because they are fun), but eschew all responsibility for the social values being instilled by the game.

Which brings me to Face Raiders: As I sit eating my breakfast before church, my daughter takes my picture and then says she is "going to shoot me." Keep in mind that her favorite game is Nintendogs; she plays with dolls, and loves singing--not exactly a personality predisposed to violent behavior. I asked her to show me the game and it looks innocent enough. Bubbles pop up--some in the shape of butterflies--and Nerf-like balls are thrown at the images of the people you've photographed. But it's what is implicit in the game that bothers me. Face Raiders is a kiddy first-person-shooter. Shrugging this off as no big deal is as irresponsible as its creation. Saying that it does not fill this role is also unrealistic; the music in Nintendogs is merely a riff on the Mario music and makes for a great implicit marketing tool. I teach the students in my Humanities and Technology course about media values across several types of texts--TV, movies, written work, video games, etc. Face Raiders has social implications and teaches values.

I hope you can see my concern. And you're probably wondering what I want you to do about it. Already I've instated a "No Face Raiders" policy in my household because it teaches disrespect. As a parent, my problem is solved at home. But the larger societal issue still remains. I would like to discuss the implications of Face Raiders, if possible. So I'm extending an invitation. I teach my Humanities and Technology course on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:10-5:25. Would a Nintendo representative be willing to Skype or Google Hangout with my class? I promise a respectful exchange if you agree; my goal is for my students to gain insight into how video games are designed and how they end up influencing society. It's only fair that they hear out your perspective. I'll be reposting this letter to my class blogsite: 171a.blogspot.com to help preface any conversation we might have. I'll be eagerly awaiting your reply.

Thank you for your consideration,

Ryan Ireland'
PhD student in Composition and Rhetoric and parent of three
Miami University, Oxford OH