This year, the video game industry has been gripped by serious conversations such as the growing need for mass unionization in the video game industry. Most of the debate focuses around the people creating the games, but the people selling and maintaining the hardware used to play games also need their well-being taken into consideration. Thankfully, Nintendo is keeping this in mind.
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Nintendo’s policy change came in October. The change can be found on Nintendo’s repairs page under the rules section for hardware repair requests. The page lists the behaviors deemed unacceptable and worthy of refusing a customer’s request for repair, the list reads as follows:
Intimidation of threats Insulting or denigrating remarks Invasion of privacy Excessive demands, such as for a free repair when the warranty has expired Demanding an apology from Nintendo or its staff without reasonable cause Excessively repeating the same request or complaint Defamatory comments on social networks or websites
The website does also state that while these are the only behaviors listed, the refusal of service is not limited to these behaviors.
The news was originally reported by Kyoto News in Japan, who went on to say that there aren’t any laws in Japan against customers abusing staff. Despite this, Nintendo’s decision is being applauded by the country’s ministry of welfare. Nintendo released a press release to explain the policy change, where it stated that the company believes customers would understand the decision due to the reputation Nintendo has built based on faithfully responding to its customers. This isn’t the first time the company has received positive press in recent months, as Nintendo Japan recognized same-sex marriages through a partnership system not too long ago.
Such a policy bring introduced suggests that workers have been getting harassed in Nintendo stores, which is never a good thing. On the other hand, it’s great to see such a large company like Nintendo implementing the changes necessary to protect its staff. Such abuse certainly isn’t limited to hardware stores, as industry workers suffer abuse over social media frequently for a myriad of unnecessary reasons.
The changes made by Nintendo show that things are going in the right direction toward a healthier industry that cares for those working in it. However, there is still much work to be done, especially to help those who create the games that prop up the video game industry. Whether it be reports of crunch culture at major studios or gender discrimination in the workplace, the video game industry is rife with problems, and it will take a lot more work to fix it.
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Source: Kyodo News
