Just wanted to offer a big thank you-seriously-to everyone for checking out this video ❤ Likewise, I want to flag that Nintendo stopped selling loot boxes in Mario Kart Tour in 2023-a point that I originally had in the script for this episode but didn’t make it into the final cut. Regardless, I should’ve included this important update in the episode. While I’m glad that those loot boxes were removed, the fact that it took almost four years (and a lot of public backlash) for it to happen says a lot. Likewise, I’d be lying if I said that the rest of the aggressive monetization within the game sits well with me. 🤷 Not all monetization strategies are straight up evil, but I feel strongly that companies should show restraint when the target audience is children. It is my sincere hope that consumers will continue to push back and hold companies accountable when they cross the line.
Can't stress the importance of "talk to your kids", even if you're a smart enough parent to keep them off social media these companies are going to try to get to them by any other means they can. It's very important to teach kids when they're being had and being played for suckers, and the fact of the matter is there's many *adults* who can't see when they're being played for suckers
I've said this (in different wordings) several times: Today the best psychology jobs are there to build manipulative and addictive products, not to find ways to make people happier and learn skills more efficiently.
I *completely* agree, @ProjSHiNKiROU -- it's a shame that we see so many companies manipulating human psychology (and specifically targeting children). It's gross, and change needs to come to the industry. That said, I appreciate you sharing your insights! Thank you for checking out the video -- I really appreciate you!
I was just talking about how companies use scummy tactics to lure children into purchases the other day. It's one of my biggest concerns with modern gaming as it trains younger geerations that this is normal, so if these practices aren't outawed, it will become the new normal, and that genuinely scares me.
Yuuuup, this 100%. It's especially heinous when the games involve characters that are directly aimed at children; those types of growing minds shouldn't be juiced for maximum monetization. 😭 Thank you for the comment and for watching, @Octolet! I always appreciate you!
To be fair, I wouldn't consider what Mario Run has to be a microtransaction. In reality, Super Mario Run is a $10 game with a free demo, but the way the game is marketed and listed on stores doesn't make that clear. I think that was a major factor to its poor performance. It's a shame that the lesson Nintendo took was to never try one-time-purchases again.
To add to this, if my usually horrible memory remembers right, I don't recall seeing that Luigi popup when I installed the game for the first time when it was first released. It really was their first shot at a mobile game, and they gave selling a full game a shot, only for it to backfire horribly. People said 10$ for a mobile runner game was a ripoff, so instead, Nintendo went the good ol' gacha route and made billions. The community told Nintendo to do this, unfortunately.
That's a great point @Baconator2558 - with Mario Run, it's great that it's a one-time purchase thing and it's not bullying the player into lots of purchases. (Like Mario Kart Tour, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, etc.) Completely agree-I think it's a shame that Nintendo tried it once and jumped straight into loot boxes / login bonuses / bottlenecks / multiple currencies / etc. (I wish so much of this stuff would go away ... bleh.) Thank you for tuning in, and for sharing your insights. I really appreciate you! 👋
The main reason why it failed was that the mobile market is not like console or PC. Back in the days of early smartphones in the late 2000s there were plenty of full payed games on mobile, but consumers didn’t want to pay 20-60$ for a mobile application, so price’s dropped lower and lower until eventually they were like 5-15$ per app, it was around this time that the fee demo or light versions of payed apps started to appear, and companies noticed that they were getting dozens of times more downloads on the free version compared to even a 5$ payed app. As it turns out most people who played mobile games were ether just trying to waist time on the toilet or during work commute, or they were children that were not allowed to buy apps. Eventually companies just realized that instead of actually charging upfront for the app why don’t they just release it for free with an in-app option to buy the full game. A few years later came the ads and remove ads purchases in apps, but it wasn’t really until around the mid 2010s when we saw most of the modern mobile micro transactions stuff appear. The problem with Mario run is that Nintendo tried to release it as a traditional game with a one time cost, but you can download the app for a free deno. The problem is that in the modern mobile space people don’t even want to buy 5$ apps because they are “too expensive” so it’s not a surprise that Mario run failed. The reason why free to play works so well on mobile is that people play mobile games aren’t sitting and playing for hours, it’s 5-10 minutes a few time a day, and in those cases the free games work wonderfully. People don’t want to pay for a game they might delete in a week or two, and even though these free games have micro transactions you don’t “need” to buy them, and over 95% of all players in mobile games are free to play players or very low spenders, most of don’t care as long as they have a distraction for the bus ride to work or while they sit on the toilet. It’s a very different environment compared to console or PC games and that is important to remember and understand.
As someone who worked with kids for 10 years, its gotten worse and worse. It doesnt help that so many companies promote not kid friendly stuff to kids (poppy playtime, etc). Parents need to do better, but also companies need to be held accountable
100% agree with you Pikachu; it's wild that companies are able to load up their mobile games with these kinds of tactics without any legal obligation to protect kids. I hope parents push back against this kinda stuff!
@NotYourFriend-YT it's horrifying. where did the leapfrogs and educational safe games go from when I was little? I don't want to see kids traumatized by and desensitized to problematic content and themes without knowing, or kids developing addictions without knowing that's what it is. We need some actual change and government control, but instead they're worried about staying in power and throwing hissy fits.
I actually grew up with mobile games but I was FORBIDDEN to use microtransactions, and I made the most out of these games, the only time I ever paid for mobile games because the game was actually pay to download (imagine that) or it was mario run, and let's be honest, that game might as well be a free demo with a ten dollar game. Aside from those, I had to WORK for the games you were designed to pay for, and it was HARD, especially considering I had to share my tablet with an idiot 3 year old blowing all the powerups on the easy stages he somehow couldn't beat, and then spending all the currency on more powerups. And I still somehow got far. Not to mention I had days where I couln't play, so I couldn't get the daily rewards (kinda a blessing in disguise tho because I couldn't get addicted) It taught me not to take the easy way out, and to stay determined on my goals. IRONIC MOBILE GAMES TAUGHT ME THAT LOL Moral of the story, don't let your kids buy microtransactions and give them days they can't go on their phone so they have to play on something else.
That's incredible, @-Error404usernotfound-!! When I was reading your message, I was thinking of that scene from Batman where Bane says, "I was born in the darkness!! I grew up in it!! You merely adopted it!!" 😂 It sounds like you've gotten really good at spotting / circumventing monetization, which is awesome!! I hope more parents can teach their kids those kinds of skills and values. I am worried about the kids that just spam the "buy" button on loot boxes. 😬 Regardless, thank you for checking out the video and sharing your insights! You are greatly appreciated!!
You know what's even more frustrating? Nintendo is always ready to abandon support for their games and services on countries that aren't giving them enough money. I'm in Vietnam and I had been playing Super Mario Run since early 2023. Then one day, out of the blue, I opened the game just to see a message stating the software and its related services had ceased to function in my home country. I was horrified, for the fact that all of the achievements I've made on the game were gone for good, and all the effort I've put into it was then, and is now meaningless. And just in case if anyone pull out the "but Steam is also not working in Vietnam", it was due to concerns in explicit content management. Valve did not want this to happen, but for Nintendo, they pulled the plug on purpose.
That's a great point, @arc5303 - I really appreciate you sharing that info. I know I'm guilty of looking at these issues from the American point of view, but you're *absolutely* right - there's many other countries that are dealing with their own problem areas, and they are worth talking about! If you ever think of any particular issues you'd like to see me cover, especially if it relates to service in your country, please let me know and I'll work it into a future episode. Thank you for checking out the video; I appreciate you! 👋
I've been watching a few of these videos in fullscreen assuming it was a way more popular channel than it is! Not Your Friend deserves more attention! The content is so high-quality!
I really appreciate your kind words @bucketbucket. - I can't tell you just how much messages like this motivate me to keep improving. Thank you for checking out the channel; I really appreciate you! ❤️
That's a good point PipeGuy, I was probably thinking about all the plushies and stuff, but much of that probably came later with the modern movies / Nintendo stores and things like that!
Also, I want to give a special shoutout to @apacalpa for the feedback on my audio! It sounded like I was in a phone booth before, and this gentle nudge is what I needed to actually learn how to google “EQ for voice settings” 😂❤
This is a phenomenal video! Massively underrated. As an audio engineer I'm a massive sucker for good audio, the delivery was perfect on all of your points, the jokes were tasteful and funny, the editing was on point, and this was a heater of a topic. Massive props :)
@BritishBoy I can't tell you just how much this comment means to me -- I've been googling "EQ Balancing" for DAYS, haha. Thank you so much for the kind comment and for tuning in. I really appreciate you!
LMAO I love the Nintendo Asks for Money Any% speedrun so much, I was dying, but also it drives home your point so succinctly that it's actually scary on second thought.
Thank you for the kind words ... that's definitely the most ambitious "editing" I've done so far, and it's SO SPAGHETTI, haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
6:34 There is a difference between a gameboy and a phone also worth mention: Phones don't ONLY play games. What if that phone is an American kid's lifeline if a school you-know-what happens? What if the kid's parents are split amd that phone lets them keep in touch with the parent who's not the one they're with at the moment? What if the phone has non-gaming purpose to it?
In the case of Mario Kart Tour They took out all of the gacha, which is why I re-download it It's not perfect, but it's a fun way to play random mario kart courses on your phone
I'm glad you're enjoying it @CheesyLizzy and great point about them removing the Gacha! I'm glad Nintendo made those changes! I think it'd great to see them continue to improve the monetization in their phone games, but that's a great first step. Thank you so much for checking the video out, you are appreciated! 👋
0:24 I had that lunchbox. I used it so much the handle broke. My mom strung wire to hold but even that broke. I cried when I had to get a new lunchbox.
Sorry for the delay, and what a bummer about the lunchbox!! I would say try to find one on ebay or something for your kiddos (if you have any), but I'm sure they're expensive as heck these days. 😅 Thank you for checking out the video, friend!
Dude ngl you're like an extremely underrated content creator! The quality of your videos, the presentation, the scripting, this feels as well done as the videos made by big creators! Good job, man!
I clicked on this video sort of expecting you to have upwards of 10 thousand subscribers, and was hugely surprised when I found out that you had less than one thousand. Your production quality is insane for a channel so small!
Thank you for the kind words @cinnamonaxis6256! I really appreciate you saying so; I promise my videos a couple months ago were VERY spaghetti. (Imagine me just RANTING for a solid ten minutes in front of the camera without any memes, haha.)😅 That said, messages like this continue to inspire me to improve! I really appreciate you Cinnamon, and let me know if you have any topics you'd like to see talked about in future episodes! ❤️
Great stuff! Preaching the truth lol, it was definitely a simpler time when all of our consoles didnt require an internet connection to pop up a monetization ad everytime our characters died in game
Another great video about Nintendo's absolutely despicable practices. As always, it seems their need to drive a profit supersedes all other considerations, including the wellbeing of literal children in this case apparently.
to be fair going into mobile gaming and expected not to try and pull the rug under you, like lets be honest mostly all mobile games are in grey area for their terrible monetization, there is no way that parental control and watch over your kids like a hawk is what regular parents do which it gets them in massive trouble with there credit card much like fortnight. it really the parents are at fault for trusting anything phone gaming related at all
That's fair Yoshizuyuner, I definitely should've touched on parental controls in this video. Good call out! I think my main focus was on trying to drive home that Nintendo isn't above these kinds of tactics / pressuring, but a part of the responsibility definitely falls to parents to protect their kids. Thank you for checking the video out, I really appreciate you!
"Go through your kids phone" "your kid's phone" Excuse me, but kids DON'T NEED PHONES. You want a way to keep in contact with them? Cool. Get them a shitty little flip phone.
I'm all for it, but then they would get bullied at school by their peers with smartphones, the solution is somewhat more convoluted than that. I think the best way is to follow NYF's advice, talk to your kids about the content they engage with and maybe limit their time through apps that force the game to close if they spend too much time in a day on it.
Now THIS is a proper example of toxic monetization in mobile games It really annoys me how many people bring up children when talking about monetization in mobile games in general even for games that clearly are meant for older audiences, I mean stuff like Blue Archive or Arknights When Nintendo is clearly making games designed for young children and still trying to trick them with predatory tatics, they don't have yet the maturity and responsabilities of a properly educated adult and parents really need to keep a eye on their kids and call out companies for using supposedly "kid-friendly" mobile games to get rich at the cost of little children
I agree @akiradkcn; I'm also overly concerned with Nintendo's gamers because so many of them are young children ... they're not ready to get their brains shredded by these types of monetization tactics. 😭 Thank you for checking out the video and for the kind words, I really appreciate you checking it out! 👋
The sad part is that Super Mario Run, which initially was just a single 10$ purchase with an entirely free-to-play demo beforehand, is now their double-edged sword: it sets the precedent that Nintendo's other mobile games are like this and therefore not aggressive like the rest of the mobile gaming scene, acting like they'd just be demos you can play for free but buy once to have the full experience, but Mario Kart Tour immediately ditches that idea and so does every other Nintendo mobile game since, whether you're including Pokémon in that list or not. SMR has stuff to grind for but it's definitely a game you can enjoy a massive chunk of and then drop as soon as you're satisfied (and only come back for events because they sounded fun), but the other titles massively rely on you coming back all the time and on their subscription services (although that's a middleman that Pokémon Masters at least cuts out, tmk), being much more akin to every other predatory gacha game on that market regardless of the brand (which btw, I'd say suffers for it. Nobody wants to be slapped with the label of "includes microtransactions", and just because brands like Mario or Pokémon can SURVIVE having it, does NOT make it a good look for them). If any younger gamer wanted to ask me if they could play Mario Kart Tour or Pokémon Masters, I'd say they should wait until they're older, or at the very least until they have some form of income of their own they can spend on it; and have developped their own spending habits separately so as to not be influenced. These are sides of the franchises you should be experienced in how games work as a market before attempting them, so as to show proper self-restraint and the ability to calculate other solutions beyond money (such as attempting to farm out as many of the free ressources as possible).
That's a great point @extremmefan7305; it's a shame that the market didn't like the idea of single-purchase mobile games like with Mario run. I think if it had been successful, their other games might not be so aggressive with their monetization! (Then again, that might just be being naive ... I'd like to hope, though.) Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for checking out the video, I really appreciate you! ❤️
The problem here is the ever lowering qualiry of the parents. Nintendo and pther companies can achieve their goals because of that, I wouldn't spen houndreds of dollars on these things beacuse I didn't had the money for that in the first place, I didn't have a cellphone until I've got 12, when I kids actually start to go outside more frequently and farther creating the need for remote comunication with thier parents. How terrible are parents nowadays It's beyond me. Companies are getting more and more smart as sellers e we are getting more and more stupid as consumers, that's the problem.
I will be *so* happy if Nintendo ever decides to bring their games to PC. It may never happen, but a fan can dream ... 😂🙏 Thank you for checking out the video, appreciate you as always Minronis! ❤️
What does your viewer demographic say? 25-40? You should have more cuts, more flashy this and that, xD. No just kidding, I'm 35 and this is the exact amount of cuts I can handle and heavily enjoy your content. Don't change. And yes, naive to say but the governments need to force Nintendo and other companies to stop their predatory sales tactics. Otherwise nothing will change.
Your comment made me laugh SO MUCH @allicedee, thank you for giving me the giggles. You're definitely right ... I went a little overboard with all the memes / jokes in this one, I'm going to do better next time!! 😂 As always, thank you for being a friend and for tuning in. I really appreciate you ❤️
Seems, as a whole, Nintendo's gotten a lot worse with their policies. I still love their latest games, but they've done a lot of sketchy things, like locking older titles behind a subscription wall if not just charging $60 for ports. Then, of course, the way they treat their own fans and have an iron cage over their IP's, even shutting down Super Smash Bros tournaments. Their tactics with phone games is sadly becoming one more example of Nintendo's decaying mindsets.
I feel simlarly @VGamingJunkieVT - I have such incredible memories growing up with Nintendo as a kid, but the more I learn as an adult it makes it harder to support them. I hope that someday they're able to embrace these fan communities (and their amazing creations!) I'll keep hoping ... Thank you for checking out the video and for sharing your experiences; I really appreciate you tuning in! 👋
@@NotYourFriend-YT Yeah, same. They’ve still got some incredibly talented developers, their management just needs to rethink the path they’re headed towards
That's good, @Godsaidson! I'm concerned for kids these days getting "hooked" on so many games. I hope that they're like you, and able to tune it out! Thank you for checking out the video, I appreciate you! 👋
100% agree -- I hope that Nintendo can reflect on these types of monetization practices some day. I believe they could be an industry leader, a real trend setter on this front! Thank you for checking out the video, IaeyanElyuex! 👋
That's a *great* suggestion, @AverageAmphibiaFan! I love that!! ❤️ I actually have a moment in the upcoming episode that says, "Now THIS company is your friend!" but a whole series of episodes looking at positive moments would be fun, too! Thank you for checking out the episode and for sharing your thoughts, I'll definitely give that idea some thought. You are appreciated! 👋
Man, im so glad nintendo and especially gamefreak removel all gambling mechanics (aka the arcades) from their games to get their age rating down Because those definitely were the problematic gambling features in games these days, and not stuff like lootboxes or anythign mentioned in this video, nonono, its definitely a pink thing wiggling its fingers and the players getting coins in a positive loop
guten tag, yodx!! 👋 Completely agree with you ... the list of addictive mechanics is too long for one video to highlight them all. I hope Nintendo can be a force for good in this industry someday!
Thank you for the kind words, @Mr_Jorge! Don't laugh at me too much, but on Sunday I only had 150! Seeing the wonderful response is really pushing me to want to do even better for future videos. Thank you for tuning in!
Plus one, @neotheharpyking6322! I genuinely think about just how much I'd be addicted to phone games if I'd grown up with some of these apps installed. It's a different time! Thank you for checking out the video and for sharing your experience with Master Duel; I really appreciate you! 👋
@NotYourFriend-YT truth be told I always knew something was up with these scummy mobile games, most of them aren't even fun to play cause they're so linear
um one thing super mario run asked if you want the full game not a demo as all you have is 4 of the levels and 3 out of the 5 colours of toads as some toads oly apear in levels you dont have. and ther is only 1 buy so it dousent realy count as the demow is free. it just asked if you want the full game
That is ... a very valid point, @Guimhj! Now I feel *EXTREMELY* old, haha! 😂 Thank you for checking out the video and for the funny comment. I really appreciate you! 👋
Remember it's best to put money down on a mobile game you actually like to play. If it's a live service game, then it's best to get into the mindset that your helping to fund development. Although if it's a gacha game with no pity system you can bloody forget it. Ain't putting money down on a game with no 100% guarantee to get what I want. I'm playing a gacha game in 2024, not the unforgiving times of 2017.
That's a great point Samalik, and I hope users are thoughtful like you when they're deciding what mobile games to play. Thank you for checking out the video, and for sharing your experiences - I really appreciate you! 🎉
This is why iPad kids are a thing. The stuff they do to monetize mobile gaming should be _illegal_ and the fact that it isn't already is kind of depressing.
Thank you for checking it out @BigMole98 - it's a shame that Nintendo decided to copy the mobile formula so closely. They could have really been a force for good in this industry!
i used to play Mario kart tour it was ....fine i guess but the gacha grind was compleat bs and really favored Whales over those that just wanted to play a fun kart game on the go and when the gacha was removed at long last their solution jack the price up for the karts and chracters was basicly a Triple A priced game EACH and then some i was like nope im done uninstall
Why the heck do we stop at children? Sure it's WORSE with children but can we please REFUSE to allow the normalization of this scummy garbage even on mature games? That someone can fight back doesn't justify me attacking them.
Hi Bach, thank you for checking out the video! At one point I had it in the script, but it didn't make it into the final video. In hindsight it's definitely an important point and should have been included in some capacity. I think I was conflicted because Nintendo had the opportunity to remove them for years (the game launched in 2019) but it was only after lawsuits popped up that they took action / pulled them out of the game in late 2022. Still, it's an important note that I should have touched on. Thank you for raising it in the comments, and for tuning in!
So basically, it's children's first experience in gacha (i.e., Mario Kart Tour). Yeah, it's very predatory, but that's nintendo for ya. Wait until you see Fire Emblem Heroes.
That's a great point @clippygoat, I didn't even get into how bad Fire Emblem Heroes is with its monetization ... that's worthy of an entire episode / segment! ️🔥
For how good your videos are, you don't have a lot of subscribers. It's kind of weird. Not complaining. Not critisizing, I'm just saying, you are criminally under viewed. Is your channel new or something? I'm a new subscriber.
Thank you so much for the kind words @Susanmugen - yah, I'm really new to TH-cam, and my first upload was a month or two ago! I'm still working on finding a good "balance" between comedy and commentary, but comments like this really motivate me to want to do even better. Thank you for checking out the video and for being a friend! ❤️
I loved your video. However, I don't think you need to appologies for any of the points you're making. These practices are disgusting and abusive, and the fact that regulations lag so far behind is even worse. Also, you shouldn't have to take away your child's phone, why does your child even *have* a phone in the first place?
100% this, completely agree @2beyousucks. It's really frustrating that Nintendo is using their characters in this way. It's gross, and it really makes my blood boil. 🔥 The more we talk about it, the more we can help protect parents from these slimy practices. Thank you so much for the supportive comment, I really appreciate you!
@@NotYourFriend-YT "It frustrating that Nintendo would use their characters that way" Meanwhile Capcom, SEGA, bandai nanco, and Konami use their characters in that way too. What's the difference.
Splatoon 3 has no micro transactions, no loot boxes, social events / progression not needing paid for battle passes and only two single player focused DLC's. Get your child a Switch, not a phone if you want to protect them. If you do not monitor what your child is playing on mobile as a parent, you are engaging in abuse. If Nintendo games did not have micro transactions on mobile what is to stop "lil Timmy" from getting addicted to Fortnite or Roblox instead and getting and even worse result? Nintendo cannot ban loot boxes on mobile but they do on the Switch.
whats to stop them? the same responsible parent that wouldn't allow them near a Nintendo game you think the switch is so much better ? all of the e shop games i purchassed on both wii's are not allowed on switch.. not that they dont work.. they are not ALLOWED and to access the same games that were once 5 or 10 dollars id have to pay every month and have no control over them beign removed.. id essentially be paying every month for access to things i dont want or have time for just to have access to like 5 i do want.. nintendo charges top dollars forgames from 10, 20, or 30 years ago and you have no real digital ownership from previous platforms.. no backwards compatabilty adapter, no game boy player, no gamecube player.. just less selection and fee's every month how many times do i need to buy a copy of the same game before im entitled to it on the current device?.. it could be just copy pasted megabytes of data i already paid for... once on the N64 another time on a gamecube re-release.. another time digitally on the wii u.. and now i can only access it by paying every month.. that game is Ocarina of Time. something no zelda fan should miss out on and even if they did pay the monthly fee to access it that version would have input lag and broken graphics and be a generally inferior experience to the one from 30 years ago that didn't require a subscription i have digital games on other platfroms already older than the recent Donkey Kong rerelease that is over 10 years old and costs like 60 dollars i think the new zelda sucks btw nothing like what i enjoyed about the original games i think how overhyped nintendo fans get about mediocre cartoon graphics is ridiculous they just act like its hot shit in a martini glass cuz they know there wont be another one for like 8 years if at all.. where is star fox ? where is F zero? why is donkey kong 10 year old wii ports? mario and zelda and pokemon are not actually enough and i dont like anime games
@@D_Vice88 So you do not like Nintendo. Got it! What does the vast majority of this post have to do with the subject matter of this video? Nintendo's re-releases are for people who want to pay for them. If you do not, there are other means to play old games.
@@temp_user_id You're fine, haha. When the day comes that I've tired of talking about Nintendo, I'll move onto other companies in the gaming industry. Thank you for checking the video out, friend!
video game addiction is not real. if you're referring to loot boxes, nintendo stopped selling them in most of their games. "Likewise, I want to flag that Nintendo stopped selling loot boxes in Mario Kart Tour in 2023-a point that I originally had in the script for this episode but didn’t make it into the final cut." BRO? that's literally a point going against your point. it's very important to include and not including it is disingenuous lmao.
Do you really think "It's OK for Nintendo to be a little scummy as long as they're not being as scummy as others" is a great defense of Nintendo targeting children with deceptive and aggressive monetization practices?
@@ThEjOkErIsWiLd00 Its near impossible to make a game on the mobile market succesful without being scummy. Phone games are hell. im just saying their console games are so much more revlolutionary and interesting
First, the video is specifically about mobile games And second, plenty of games made for ADULTS manage to be less scummy than the mobile games Nintendo makes for CHILDREN who don't know better
@@GraceCairns-v4d ignoring all the heavy monetization that no children should ever be actually exposed to... you aren't gonna tell me these gachas with almost naked anime girls like Azur Lane or Nikke are made for little children are you? Or the fact many of them have plots covering very heavy topics (Project Moon and, again, Nikke) on top of that and the fact many of them require heavy comittment to get fully into it (granblue fantasy)
Question: Is Nintendo still doing "loot boxes" now? Did Nintendo try to sell their mobile games at a set price initially only to have that market roundly reject the notion of simply paying $9.99 up front for Super Mario Run? So now we are faulting Nintendo for adapting to different markets expectations and needs using children as a pawn for your argument. Parents at this point who do not have parental controls on their small children's phone are basically engaging in child abuse for exposing their children to potential malicious and predatory content in a variety of ways. (Social Media anyone? Games is not the only dangerous spot on the web) How about all those predatory loot box laden games on the Nintendo Switch... Oh their isn't any? Oh well then. (Of which you should be handing your small child a Switch instead of a phone with open access to the web anyway. Still parental lock that Switch down like Bowser! If a Evil turtle dragon can use parental controls so can a human parent.) Fans complain when Nintendo has micro transactions / paid DLC, they complain when Nintendo has free DLC and they complain when Nintendo says in the case of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom there will be no DLC. You can't win with this fan base. If Nintendo is not the perfect paragon of goods, services, pricing and virtue then their failing in the eyes of fans is magnified 100x. "Nintendo is EVIL!" "Nintendo employs every micro transaction strategy on the market!" However, when Nintendo does something good like have a "live service" game like Splatoon 3 have no micro transactions, no loot boxes, social events / progression not needing paid for battle passes and only two single player focused DLC's then those same people who cry "what about the children" go dead silent. This is your worst video yet. You have me defending a multi-billion dollar corporation that does not need my help. You have definitely crossover into the sanctimonious rhetoric space now with this video. Last question: Has Nintendo been aggressively expanding in the space of micro transaction, loot box laden games or do they simply make a few games like Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, Pikmin Bloom, Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Bros Run in order to expose themselves to hundreds of millions of potential customers to their brands? (Hopefully to their real games on the Switch Platform) You know sort of like with the Super Mario Bros Movie? Nintendo given their actions historically and today would have preferred to sell mobile games upfront with free updates but that market did not like that business model; as shown by the massively low sales of games like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7. All those games have been on the market for months exposed to 100's of millions of potential buyers and have all sold below 10,000 copies. (All of these games sold over 7 million copies on Console / PC) Show me the retail Nintendo product with loot boxes or Micro transactions. You literally brought up conferences from other companies to make a argument against Nintendo. I think because Nintendo is so straight up with their core products that when they just do as the Roman's do in the mobile space it comes across as much worse than it is.
Howdy Shinji, thank you for checking out this video. 👋 I was excited to see your reaction, so thank you for tuning in! The point I was trying to make in the video is that Nintendo should be above pressuring kids with fake timers, getting them hooked with login bonuses, etc.; those are slimy psychological traps that shouldn't really ever be aimed at young children that don't know better. Maybe you feel differently, or that Nintendo had to resort to those things because the market didn't want to accept 10$ phone games. We agree to disagree, and that's okay! As always, I appreciate you checking out the video and for leaving your honest feedback. I hope the rest of your week is a good one!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I have to say that I think you're way off base with this one @Shinjiduo. I agree that parents do have a level of responsibility here to police their children's phone habits and to caution them on things to do and not do, but at the same time there have to be some brands that maintain a safe reputation to make things easier on parents. If Sesame Street were to suddenly release an episode that goes into the details of how to play casino games like Blackjack and Poker, would you say it was parents' responsibility to police that? Sesame Street as a brand has a safe reputation for parents and they shouldn't have to pre-vet every episode to make sure that it doesn't have anything bad or objectionable in it. Nintendo has had that same reputation and should be held to that same standard. I don't blame parents at all for trusting that a brand like Nintendo, which has historically been very kid-friendly, wouldn't suddenly dive into every available monetization scheme on the market at once, regardless of whether the market responded favorably to an upfront price tag or not. Speaking of, I also reject your premise that the market rejected an upfront price tag just because they don't want to pay anything upfront for their games. I think there are plenty of examples out there of mobile games with an upfront price tag that do really well without resorting to free-to-play microtransaction tactics, the key is that those are games with a lot of time and energy put into them to make them compelling to justify the upfront price tag. Most of the Nintendo mobile games are only a step or two above F2P quality games and don't justify a $10 price tag, so consumers rightly rejected it. The takeaway for Nintendo there shouldn't have been "oh well let's just do F2P microtransactions", it should have been "we should just make our mobile games better and more interesting so that they justify a $10 price tag".
@@NotYourFriend-YT I was a little late on this one. How many mom and pop shops have closed in the last thirty years? You cannot place Nintendo or any company in this position of being willing to fail happily because they are "above" doing business. Nintendo started as a business selling illegal playing cards. Nintendo has run "love hotels" in the past. No business if it wants to do right by their employees, stake holders and share holders can afford to be "above" the business practices of the sector they are in. Nintendo has never in the modern era marketed their product explicitly to children. When is the last time you have seen a Nintendo commercial that only has children in it or is animated? 1994, 1995? Nintendo learned with the backlash from Turok, Conkers Bad fur Day and Metroid Prime that they need to target a wider demographic than children. Nintendo either make sure their commercials have full families in them or adults only. The Switches biggest age demographic is not small children but young adults aged 18 - 27. Nintendo is actually the most moral of the platform holders in the console space with a "no money paid for loot box" policy on the Switch platform. On mobile, as shown with my Resident Evil example you have to do what that market expects. If you notice Nintendo does not seem to be interested in getting into the mobile space further as they have not had a mobile game release since Pikmin Bloom in 2021. In June 2020 Nintendo's President Shuntaro Furakawa said translated: "There are no new plans for games in the mobile area though the business still remains important to the company for different reasons outside of revenue including exposure of the brand of Nintendo, its franchises and the establishment of Nintendo accounts into customers." Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Nintendo whether you choose to focus on it or not is the closest thing we have to a "good guy" in the video game industry. For instance, where are the round of Nintendo lay offs this year? In fact earlier this year the press tried to say Nintendo laid off employees because they pulled out of a contract with a employee agency. Only to find out that Nintendo hired 90% of those contract workers on as full time employees. No one in this industry treat their work force better than Nintendo and it is not even close. Retro Studios is proof Nintendo simply does not take layoffs lightly as that studio has only one game to its credit since 2014 and that is Metroid Prime remastered (2023) and yet the studio still stands. If you are going to trash Nintendo for relative nit picks you may as well bring those factors up too. Of coarse not too often as your channel name is Not Your Friend after all. I am not saying Nintendo should not be criticized. It is just that the intensity of the criticism seems to be way out of whack with the actual wrong doings. I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on this.
@@tbkilldtheradio6431 You clearly did not read my post completely on the subject of pay model. The Triple AAA game Resident Evil cannot command a up front price on the mobile market. If those games cannot justify a up front cost on mobile nothing will.
@@tbkilldtheradio6431 Nintendo has not appealed directly only to children since the early 90's. If you see Nintendo commercials today they either have full families in the commercial or adults only. I do not even remember the last time Nintendo had a fully animated commercial. Nintendo's largest demographic by far for years now is the 18 to 27 bracket. Hardly the small children people who make your argument claim Nintendo almost exclusively targets. Moreover, Nintendo did try to do the "we are above doing business" in the early 1990's with censoring Mortal Kombat blood and fatalities and us pre teens at the time promptly begged our parents to purchase Sega Genesis holiday 1992 in which Nintendo got slaughtered in console sales. We then promptly in March of 1993 went on to rip off heads, tear out hearts, burn people alive, nut shot and kiss of death our way to our hearts content. What did Nintendo protect us from with Mortal Kombat censorship? If people want to engage in an activity they will find the provider. Which Nintendo learned with Mortal Kombat. Which is why Nintendo changed their approach from there on out with edgier commercials like Kirby and friends beating up bikers in a bar. Do you remember the Gamecube commercials? Does that look like it was targeted to children? Ultimately, Nintendo being too good to do business is protecting no one as if parents are that disconnected they do not know what their kids are playing with Nintendo mobile games what is to stop them from getting hooked on another game with micro transactions? At the end of the day Nintendo has restrictions in business practices on their Switch platform. I notice though you like a lot of other people zip pass what Nintendo does well and only point out the "wrong doings." I will say it again: "perfect paragon of goods, services, pricing and virtue" No one can do business under those conditions. It is almost like you want Nintendo to go out of business like all those "Mom and Pop" shops back in the 1990's. Parents are the only ones who can protect their children from predatory business, if a child has unfettered access to the Internet with a phone they will find a way to get in trouble if not properly monitored: Nintendo or not.
Just wanted to offer a big thank you-seriously-to everyone for checking out this video ❤
Likewise, I want to flag that Nintendo stopped selling loot boxes in Mario Kart Tour in 2023-a point that I originally had in the script for this episode but didn’t make it into the final cut. Regardless, I should’ve included this important update in the episode.
While I’m glad that those loot boxes were removed, the fact that it took almost four years (and a lot of public backlash) for it to happen says a lot. Likewise, I’d be lying if I said that the rest of the aggressive monetization within the game sits well with me. 🤷
Not all monetization strategies are straight up evil, but I feel strongly that companies should show restraint when the target audience is children. It is my sincere hope that consumers will continue to push back and hold companies accountable when they cross the line.
You just earned a sub.
You deserve more subs.
@@BowserJaxPlays Thank you for the kind words, BowserJax!
6:17 Dude, I'm 32 and I grew up with the Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance SP.
but parents give kids free range to youtube kids acting like pure brain rot helps anything
Nintendo: _shuts down fan games because it "harms their brand image."_
*Also Nintendo:*
Literally promoting gambling to young kids to get them addicted and spend lots of money
Can't stress the importance of "talk to your kids", even if you're a smart enough parent to keep them off social media these companies are going to try to get to them by any other means they can. It's very important to teach kids when they're being had and being played for suckers, and the fact of the matter is there's many *adults* who can't see when they're being played for suckers
I've said this (in different wordings) several times: Today the best psychology jobs are there to build manipulative and addictive products, not to find ways to make people happier and learn skills more efficiently.
I *completely* agree, @ProjSHiNKiROU -- it's a shame that we see so many companies manipulating human psychology (and specifically targeting children). It's gross, and change needs to come to the industry.
That said, I appreciate you sharing your insights! Thank you for checking out the video -- I really appreciate you!
I was just talking about how companies use scummy tactics to lure children into purchases the other day. It's one of my biggest concerns with modern gaming as it trains younger geerations that this is normal, so if these practices aren't outawed, it will become the new normal, and that genuinely scares me.
Yuuuup, this 100%.
It's especially heinous when the games involve characters that are directly aimed at children; those types of growing minds shouldn't be juiced for maximum monetization. 😭
Thank you for the comment and for watching, @Octolet! I always appreciate you!
To be fair, I wouldn't consider what Mario Run has to be a microtransaction. In reality, Super Mario Run is a $10 game with a free demo, but the way the game is marketed and listed on stores doesn't make that clear. I think that was a major factor to its poor performance. It's a shame that the lesson Nintendo took was to never try one-time-purchases again.
To add to this, if my usually horrible memory remembers right, I don't recall seeing that Luigi popup when I installed the game for the first time when it was first released. It really was their first shot at a mobile game, and they gave selling a full game a shot, only for it to backfire horribly. People said 10$ for a mobile runner game was a ripoff, so instead, Nintendo went the good ol' gacha route and made billions. The community told Nintendo to do this, unfortunately.
That's a great point @Baconator2558 - with Mario Run, it's great that it's a one-time purchase thing and it's not bullying the player into lots of purchases. (Like Mario Kart Tour, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, etc.)
Completely agree-I think it's a shame that Nintendo tried it once and jumped straight into loot boxes / login bonuses / bottlenecks / multiple currencies / etc. (I wish so much of this stuff would go away ... bleh.)
Thank you for tuning in, and for sharing your insights. I really appreciate you! 👋
The main reason why it failed was that the mobile market is not like console or PC. Back in the days of early smartphones in the late 2000s there were plenty of full payed games on mobile, but consumers didn’t want to pay 20-60$ for a mobile application, so price’s dropped lower and lower until eventually they were like 5-15$ per app, it was around this time that the fee demo or light versions of payed apps started to appear, and companies noticed that they were getting dozens of times more downloads on the free version compared to even a 5$ payed app.
As it turns out most people who played mobile games were ether just trying to waist time on the toilet or during work commute, or they were children that were not allowed to buy apps.
Eventually companies just realized that instead of actually charging upfront for the app why don’t they just release it for free with an in-app option to buy the full game.
A few years later came the ads and remove ads purchases in apps, but it wasn’t really until around the mid 2010s when we saw most of the modern mobile micro transactions stuff appear.
The problem with Mario run is that Nintendo tried to release it as a traditional game with a one time cost, but you can download the app for a free deno.
The problem is that in the modern mobile space people don’t even want to buy 5$ apps because they are “too expensive” so it’s not a surprise that Mario run failed.
The reason why free to play works so well on mobile is that people play mobile games aren’t sitting and playing for hours, it’s 5-10 minutes a few time a day, and in those cases the free games work wonderfully. People don’t want to pay for a game they might delete in a week or two, and even though these free games have micro transactions you don’t “need” to buy them, and over 95% of all players in mobile games are free to play players or very low spenders, most of don’t care as long as they have a distraction for the bus ride to work or while they sit on the toilet. It’s a very different environment compared to console or PC games and that is important to remember and understand.
Oh so that’s why I couldn’t finish the game
As someone who worked with kids for 10 years, its gotten worse and worse. It doesnt help that so many companies promote not kid friendly stuff to kids (poppy playtime, etc). Parents need to do better, but also companies need to be held accountable
100% agree with you Pikachu; it's wild that companies are able to load up their mobile games with these kinds of tactics without any legal obligation to protect kids. I hope parents push back against this kinda stuff!
@NotYourFriend-YT it's horrifying. where did the leapfrogs and educational safe games go from when I was little? I don't want to see kids traumatized by and desensitized to problematic content and themes without knowing, or kids developing addictions without knowing that's what it is. We need some actual change and government control, but instead they're worried about staying in power and throwing hissy fits.
I actually grew up with mobile games but I was FORBIDDEN to use microtransactions, and I made the most out of these games, the only time I ever paid for mobile games because the game was actually pay to download (imagine that) or it was mario run, and let's be honest, that game might as well be a free demo with a ten dollar game.
Aside from those, I had to WORK for the games you were designed to pay for, and it was HARD, especially considering I had to share my tablet with an idiot 3 year old blowing all the powerups on the easy stages he somehow couldn't beat, and then spending all the currency on more powerups. And I still somehow got far. Not to mention I had days where I couln't play, so I couldn't get the daily rewards (kinda a blessing in disguise tho because I couldn't get addicted)
It taught me not to take the easy way out, and to stay determined on my goals. IRONIC MOBILE GAMES TAUGHT ME THAT LOL
Moral of the story, don't let your kids buy microtransactions and give them days they can't go on their phone so they have to play on something else.
That's incredible, @-Error404usernotfound-!! When I was reading your message, I was thinking of that scene from Batman where Bane says, "I was born in the darkness!! I grew up in it!! You merely adopted it!!" 😂
It sounds like you've gotten really good at spotting / circumventing monetization, which is awesome!! I hope more parents can teach their kids those kinds of skills and values. I am worried about the kids that just spam the "buy" button on loot boxes. 😬
Regardless, thank you for checking out the video and sharing your insights! You are greatly appreciated!!
You know what's even more frustrating? Nintendo is always ready to abandon support for their games and services on countries that aren't giving them enough money. I'm in Vietnam and I had been playing Super Mario Run since early 2023. Then one day, out of the blue, I opened the game just to see a message stating the software and its related services had ceased to function in my home country. I was horrified, for the fact that all of the achievements I've made on the game were gone for good, and all the effort I've put into it was then, and is now meaningless.
And just in case if anyone pull out the "but Steam is also not working in Vietnam", it was due to concerns in explicit content management. Valve did not want this to happen, but for Nintendo, they pulled the plug on purpose.
That's a great point, @arc5303 - I really appreciate you sharing that info. I know I'm guilty of looking at these issues from the American point of view, but you're *absolutely* right - there's many other countries that are dealing with their own problem areas, and they are worth talking about!
If you ever think of any particular issues you'd like to see me cover, especially if it relates to service in your country, please let me know and I'll work it into a future episode. Thank you for checking out the video; I appreciate you! 👋
I've been watching a few of these videos in fullscreen assuming it was a way more popular channel than it is! Not Your Friend deserves more attention! The content is so high-quality!
I really appreciate your kind words @bucketbucket. - I can't tell you just how much messages like this motivate me to keep improving.
Thank you for checking out the channel; I really appreciate you! ❤️
This was on my homepage. Hopefully you've been blessed by the algorithm and you'll get bigger soon. You deserve it. Good stuff.
Appreciate the kind words, @B25Mitch - hope you had a laugh or two and enjoyed the video!
Toys? There were hardly any Nintendo related toys in the US during the Gamecube era which was when I was a really young kid
That's a good point PipeGuy, I was probably thinking about all the plushies and stuff, but much of that probably came later with the modern movies / Nintendo stores and things like that!
Also, I want to give a special shoutout to @apacalpa for the feedback on my audio!
It sounded like I was in a phone booth before, and this gentle nudge is what I needed to actually learn how to google “EQ for voice settings” 😂❤
Sometimes it's hard to google! We had a few iterations but this sounds so much better! Great job! Love it!
@@apacalpaI am a huge stickler for audio quality, and even in my studio the quality here really held up. Well done y'all :)
This is a phenomenal video! Massively underrated. As an audio engineer I'm a massive sucker for good audio, the delivery was perfect on all of your points, the jokes were tasteful and funny, the editing was on point, and this was a heater of a topic. Massive props :)
@BritishBoy I can't tell you just how much this comment means to me -- I've been googling "EQ Balancing" for DAYS, haha.
Thank you so much for the kind comment and for tuning in. I really appreciate you!
LMAO I love the Nintendo Asks for Money Any% speedrun so much, I was dying, but also it drives home your point so succinctly that it's actually scary on second thought.
Thank you for the kind words ... that's definitely the most ambitious "editing" I've done so far, and it's SO SPAGHETTI, haha.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@NotYourFriend-YT congrats well I dont have the trophy but u get this virtual praise *clap clap clap clap*
6:34 There is a difference between a gameboy and a phone also worth mention:
Phones don't ONLY play games.
What if that phone is an American kid's lifeline if a school you-know-what happens?
What if the kid's parents are split amd that phone lets them keep in touch with the parent who's not the one they're with at the moment?
What if the phone has non-gaming purpose to it?
I think it would probably be healthier to go for a "dumber" phone plus a console / pc games, but of course that ignores the social context
"If my dad took my gameboy, I'd tell him I'm running away from home to live in a tree." Bruh, ain't that the damn truth lmao
I'm glad I wasn't the only one, haha. Thank you for the kind comment @SetariM - I appreciate you checking out the video! 👋
In the case of Mario Kart Tour
They took out all of the gacha, which is why I re-download it
It's not perfect, but it's a fun way to play random mario kart courses on your phone
I'm glad you're enjoying it @CheesyLizzy and great point about them removing the Gacha! I'm glad Nintendo made those changes!
I think it'd great to see them continue to improve the monetization in their phone games, but that's a great first step.
Thank you so much for checking the video out, you are appreciated! 👋
12:00 Mario world SNES was an amazing game, i fully completed it several times..
0:24 I had that lunchbox. I used it so much the handle broke. My mom strung wire to hold but even that broke. I cried when I had to get a new lunchbox.
Sorry for the delay, and what a bummer about the lunchbox!! I would say try to find one on ebay or something for your kiddos (if you have any), but I'm sure they're expensive as heck these days. 😅 Thank you for checking out the video, friend!
Dude ngl you're like an extremely underrated content creator! The quality of your videos, the presentation, the scripting, this feels as well done as the videos made by big creators! Good job, man!
Thank you for the kind words Ragnar; messages like these motivate me to do even better in future episodes! 🔥
I clicked on this video sort of expecting you to have upwards of 10 thousand subscribers, and was hugely surprised when I found out that you had less than one thousand. Your production quality is insane for a channel so small!
Thank you for the kind words @cinnamonaxis6256! I really appreciate you saying so; I promise my videos a couple months ago were VERY spaghetti. (Imagine me just RANTING for a solid ten minutes in front of the camera without any memes, haha.)😅
That said, messages like this continue to inspire me to improve! I really appreciate you Cinnamon, and let me know if you have any topics you'd like to see talked about in future episodes! ❤️
Great stuff! Preaching the truth lol, it was definitely a simpler time when all of our consoles didnt require an internet connection to pop up a monetization ad everytime our characters died in game
Another great video about Nintendo's absolutely despicable practices. As always, it seems their need to drive a profit supersedes all other considerations, including the wellbeing of literal children in this case apparently.
to be fair going into mobile gaming and expected not to try and pull the rug under you, like lets be honest mostly all mobile games are in grey area for their terrible monetization, there is no way that parental control and watch over your kids like a hawk is what regular parents do which it gets them in massive trouble with there credit card much like fortnight. it really the parents are at fault for trusting anything phone gaming related at all
That's fair Yoshizuyuner, I definitely should've touched on parental controls in this video. Good call out!
I think my main focus was on trying to drive home that Nintendo isn't above these kinds of tactics / pressuring, but a part of the responsibility definitely falls to parents to protect their kids.
Thank you for checking the video out, I really appreciate you!
You're blaming the victims of the scummy monetization practices, not the perpetrators. Stop that.
"Go through your kids phone"
"your kid's phone"
Excuse me, but kids DON'T NEED PHONES.
You want a way to keep in contact with them? Cool. Get them a shitty little flip phone.
I'm all for it, but then they would get bullied at school by their peers with smartphones, the solution is somewhat more convoluted than that. I think the best way is to follow NYF's advice, talk to your kids about the content they engage with and maybe limit their time through apps that force the game to close if they spend too much time in a day on it.
I was 2 when I started playing Mario
That's amazing @TheLucarioMaster-uw4fb! I think the first time I played a Mario game I was like ... 6 or 7 years old. It definitely blew my mind 😂
Now THIS is a proper example of toxic monetization in mobile games
It really annoys me how many people bring up children when talking about monetization in mobile games in general even for games that clearly are meant for older audiences, I mean stuff like Blue Archive or Arknights
When Nintendo is clearly making games designed for young children and still trying to trick them with predatory tatics, they don't have yet the maturity and responsabilities of a properly educated adult and parents really need to keep a eye on their kids and call out companies for using supposedly "kid-friendly" mobile games to get rich at the cost of little children
I agree @akiradkcn; I'm also overly concerned with Nintendo's gamers because so many of them are young children ... they're not ready to get their brains shredded by these types of monetization tactics. 😭
Thank you for checking out the video and for the kind words, I really appreciate you checking it out! 👋
8:07 I found the Feebas!
Real good video, liked and comment to boost your stuff in the algorithm, you deserve more attention.
The sad part is that Super Mario Run, which initially was just a single 10$ purchase with an entirely free-to-play demo beforehand, is now their double-edged sword: it sets the precedent that Nintendo's other mobile games are like this and therefore not aggressive like the rest of the mobile gaming scene, acting like they'd just be demos you can play for free but buy once to have the full experience,
but Mario Kart Tour immediately ditches that idea and so does every other Nintendo mobile game since, whether you're including Pokémon in that list or not. SMR has stuff to grind for but it's definitely a game you can enjoy a massive chunk of and then drop as soon as you're satisfied (and only come back for events because they sounded fun), but the other titles massively rely on you coming back all the time and on their subscription services (although that's a middleman that Pokémon Masters at least cuts out, tmk), being much more akin to every other predatory gacha game on that market regardless of the brand (which btw, I'd say suffers for it. Nobody wants to be slapped with the label of "includes microtransactions", and just because brands like Mario or Pokémon can SURVIVE having it, does NOT make it a good look for them).
If any younger gamer wanted to ask me if they could play Mario Kart Tour or Pokémon Masters, I'd say they should wait until they're older, or at the very least until they have some form of income of their own they can spend on it; and have developped their own spending habits separately so as to not be influenced. These are sides of the franchises you should be experienced in how games work as a market before attempting them, so as to show proper self-restraint and the ability to calculate other solutions beyond money (such as attempting to farm out as many of the free ressources as possible).
That's a great point @extremmefan7305; it's a shame that the market didn't like the idea of single-purchase mobile games like with Mario run. I think if it had been successful, their other games might not be so aggressive with their monetization!
(Then again, that might just be being naive ... I'd like to hope, though.)
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for checking out the video, I really appreciate you! ❤️
Peter is right and nintendo not only has that mario also animal crossing and fire emblem for phones
X-force
The problem here is the ever lowering qualiry of the parents.
Nintendo and pther companies can achieve their goals because of that, I wouldn't spen houndreds of dollars on these things beacuse I didn't had the money for that in the first place, I didn't have a cellphone until I've got 12, when I kids actually start to go outside more frequently and farther creating the need for remote comunication with thier parents.
How terrible are parents nowadays It's beyond me.
Companies are getting more and more smart as sellers e we are getting more and more stupid as consumers, that's the problem.
this happens way to much with mobile games
Legit video. Editing, comedy, and commentary on point. Keep up with this man. As a gamer, and a dad this resonates big time.
Thank you for the kind comment, @CISRtv - really appreciate you tuning in!
While i am always a fan of supporting IPs that you enjoy, Nintendo and many gaming companies are turning to extra greedy practices with no remorse.
What baffles me the most, is that Nintendo will put all this stuff on phones, but still refuse to put anything on PC.
I will be *so* happy if Nintendo ever decides to bring their games to PC. It may never happen, but a fan can dream ... 😂🙏
Thank you for checking out the video, appreciate you as always Minronis! ❤️
@@NotYourFriend-YT Same to you.
What does your viewer demographic say? 25-40? You should have more cuts, more flashy this and that, xD. No just kidding, I'm 35 and this is the exact amount of cuts I can handle and heavily enjoy your content. Don't change.
And yes, naive to say but the governments need to force Nintendo and other companies to stop their predatory sales tactics. Otherwise nothing will change.
Your comment made me laugh SO MUCH @allicedee, thank you for giving me the giggles. You're definitely right ... I went a little overboard with all the memes / jokes in this one, I'm going to do better next time!! 😂
As always, thank you for being a friend and for tuning in. I really appreciate you ❤️
Seems, as a whole, Nintendo's gotten a lot worse with their policies. I still love their latest games, but they've done a lot of sketchy things, like locking older titles behind a subscription wall if not just charging $60 for ports. Then, of course, the way they treat their own fans and have an iron cage over their IP's, even shutting down Super Smash Bros tournaments. Their tactics with phone games is sadly becoming one more example of Nintendo's decaying mindsets.
I feel simlarly @VGamingJunkieVT - I have such incredible memories growing up with Nintendo as a kid, but the more I learn as an adult it makes it harder to support them.
I hope that someday they're able to embrace these fan communities (and their amazing creations!) I'll keep hoping ...
Thank you for checking out the video and for sharing your experiences; I really appreciate you tuning in! 👋
@@NotYourFriend-YT
Yeah, same. They’ve still got some incredibly talented developers, their management just needs to rethink the path they’re headed towards
Another great video! Keep going 😊
Thank you for the kind words @gabrielmoro3d, I appreciate you!
Hey! I'm just saying hey while I enjoy the video! Keep doing the work of Gods!!
Thank you @milky__1748 - I really appreciate the kind message! ❤️
What’s funny is the daily rewards don’t work on me I mean it. I forget to play the game anyways.
That's good, @Godsaidson! I'm concerned for kids these days getting "hooked" on so many games. I hope that they're like you, and able to tune it out!
Thank you for checking out the video, I appreciate you! 👋
Iwata wouldn't have wanted this.
100% agree -- I hope that Nintendo can reflect on these types of monetization practices some day. I believe they could be an industry leader, a real trend setter on this front!
Thank you for checking out the video, IaeyanElyuex! 👋
Hi, what if you did a Sega is your friend series
That's a *great* suggestion, @AverageAmphibiaFan! I love that!! ❤️
I actually have a moment in the upcoming episode that says, "Now THIS company is your friend!" but a whole series of episodes looking at positive moments would be fun, too!
Thank you for checking out the episode and for sharing your thoughts, I'll definitely give that idea some thought. You are appreciated! 👋
@@NotYourFriend-YT your welcome ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Man, im so glad nintendo and especially gamefreak removel all gambling mechanics (aka the arcades) from their games to get their age rating down
Because those definitely were the problematic gambling features in games these days, and not stuff like lootboxes or anythign mentioned in this video, nonono, its definitely a pink thing wiggling its fingers and the players getting coins in a positive loop
guten tag, yodx!! 👋 Completely agree with you ... the list of addictive mechanics is too long for one video to highlight them all. I hope Nintendo can be a force for good in this industry someday!
12:28
Nice advice but I’d recommend reading How to Raise a Healthy Gamer by the HealthyGamer channel, or Dr K! 🙂
Thank you for sharing the recommendation, Seditor!
Free to Play: 100 hours of grinding to unlock level 2 or $1.99.
I thought this was a channel with 100k+ subs but only 500+?!? What
Thank you for the kind words, @Mr_Jorge! Don't laugh at me too much, but on Sunday I only had 150!
Seeing the wonderful response is really pushing me to want to do even better for future videos. Thank you for tuning in!
Thank god I don't even touch mobile games other than Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, and even that I rarely touch because I prefer to play that with friends
Plus one, @neotheharpyking6322! I genuinely think about just how much I'd be addicted to phone games if I'd grown up with some of these apps installed. It's a different time!
Thank you for checking out the video and for sharing your experience with Master Duel; I really appreciate you! 👋
@NotYourFriend-YT truth be told I always knew something was up with these scummy mobile games, most of them aren't even fun to play cause they're so linear
great video!
My parents thought me to be cheap... Nothing affects me.
And that's good!
um one thing
super mario run asked if you want the full game not a demo as all you have is 4 of the levels and 3 out of the 5 colours of toads as some toads oly apear in levels you dont have.
and ther is only 1 buy so it dousent realy count as the demow is free. it just asked if you want the full game
I won't let you take my phone
I will teach my children that if I’m not buying it on their phone it’s evil and manipulative. Stupid MTX
We're about as far from the moto rzer as it was from AOL cd's lol
That is ... a very valid point, @Guimhj! Now I feel *EXTREMELY* old, haha! 😂
Thank you for checking out the video and for the funny comment. I really appreciate you! 👋
Remember it's best to put money down on a mobile game you actually like to play. If it's a live service game, then it's best to get into the mindset that your helping to fund development. Although if it's a gacha game with no pity system you can bloody forget it. Ain't putting money down on a game with no 100% guarantee to get what I want. I'm playing a gacha game in 2024, not the unforgiving times of 2017.
That's a great point Samalik, and I hope users are thoughtful like you when they're deciding what mobile games to play. Thank you for checking out the video, and for sharing your experiences - I really appreciate you! 🎉
This is why iPad kids are a thing. The stuff they do to monetize mobile gaming should be _illegal_ and the fact that it isn't already is kind of depressing.
Probably because they bribe government officials to keep it legal wich is absolutely disgusting
Awesome video as always, Nintendo seems to get more predatory every year...
Thank you for checking it out @BigMole98 - it's a shame that Nintendo decided to copy the mobile formula so closely.
They could have really been a force for good in this industry!
i used to play Mario kart tour it was ....fine i guess but the gacha grind was compleat bs and really favored Whales over those that just wanted to play a fun kart game on the go and when the gacha was removed at long last their solution jack the price up for the karts and chracters was basicly a Triple A priced game EACH and then some i was like nope im done uninstall
Why the heck do we stop at children? Sure it's WORSE with children but can we please REFUSE to allow the normalization of this scummy garbage even on mature games? That someone can fight back doesn't justify me attacking them.
Well said, KV 👏
It's not nintendo's problem, it is fine for mobile game shit.
I was expectiong the Lootbox removal from Mariokart Tour to be mentioned.
Hi Bach, thank you for checking out the video!
At one point I had it in the script, but it didn't make it into the final video. In hindsight it's definitely an important point and should have been included in some capacity.
I think I was conflicted because Nintendo had the opportunity to remove them for years (the game launched in 2019) but it was only after lawsuits popped up that they took action / pulled them out of the game in late 2022.
Still, it's an important note that I should have touched on. Thank you for raising it in the comments, and for tuning in!
So basically, it's children's first experience in gacha (i.e., Mario Kart Tour). Yeah, it's very predatory, but that's nintendo for ya. Wait until you see Fire Emblem Heroes.
That's a great point @clippygoat, I didn't even get into how bad Fire Emblem Heroes is with its monetization ... that's worthy of an entire episode / segment! ️🔥
nintendo IS kid friendly.
nintendo ISN'T customer friendly.
the algorithm about to send this to the moon
haha, one can only hope. Thank you for the kind comment, @dekzYT -- really appreciate you!
hello
Subscribed
Thank you @cheesuschrist300! Appreciate you tuning into the episode!
Children shouldn't have smartphones
Completely agree with you Marigi, for so many reasons ... 😓
For how good your videos are, you don't have a lot of subscribers. It's kind of weird. Not complaining. Not critisizing, I'm just saying, you are criminally under viewed. Is your channel new or something? I'm a new subscriber.
Thank you so much for the kind words @Susanmugen - yah, I'm really new to TH-cam, and my first upload was a month or two ago!
I'm still working on finding a good "balance" between comedy and commentary, but comments like this really motivate me to want to do even better. Thank you for checking out the video and for being a friend! ❤️
i didnt know nintendo is releasing mobile games, all of them are region locked XD
I loved your video. However, I don't think you need to appologies for any of the points you're making. These practices are disgusting and abusive, and the fact that regulations lag so far behind is even worse. Also, you shouldn't have to take away your child's phone, why does your child even *have* a phone in the first place?
100% this, completely agree @2beyousucks. It's really frustrating that Nintendo is using their characters in this way. It's gross, and it really makes my blood boil. 🔥
The more we talk about it, the more we can help protect parents from these slimy practices. Thank you so much for the supportive comment, I really appreciate you!
@@NotYourFriend-YT "It frustrating that Nintendo would use their characters that way"
Meanwhile
Capcom, SEGA, bandai nanco, and Konami use their characters in that way too. What's the difference.
Splatoon 3 has no micro transactions, no loot boxes, social events / progression not needing paid for battle passes and only two single player focused DLC's. Get your child a Switch, not a phone if you want to protect them. If you do not monitor what your child is playing on mobile as a parent, you are engaging in abuse. If Nintendo games did not have micro transactions on mobile what is to stop "lil Timmy" from getting addicted to Fortnite or Roblox instead and getting and even worse result? Nintendo cannot ban loot boxes on mobile but they do on the Switch.
whats to stop them? the same responsible parent that wouldn't allow them near a Nintendo game
you think the switch is so much better ? all of the e shop games i purchassed on both wii's are not allowed on switch.. not that they dont work.. they are not ALLOWED and to access the same games that were once 5 or 10 dollars id have to pay every month and have no control over them beign removed.. id essentially be paying every month for access to things i dont want or have time for just to have access to like 5 i do want..
nintendo charges top dollars forgames from 10, 20, or 30 years ago and you have no real digital ownership from previous platforms.. no backwards compatabilty adapter, no game boy player, no gamecube player.. just less selection and fee's every month
how many times do i need to buy a copy of the same game before im entitled to it on the current device?.. it could be just copy pasted megabytes of data i already paid for... once on the N64 another time on a gamecube re-release.. another time digitally on the wii u.. and now i can only access it by paying every month.. that game is Ocarina of Time. something no zelda fan should miss out on and even if they did pay the monthly fee to access it that version would have input lag and broken graphics and be a generally inferior experience to the one from 30 years ago that didn't require a subscription
i have digital games on other platfroms already older than the recent Donkey Kong rerelease that is over 10 years old and costs like 60 dollars
i think the new zelda sucks btw nothing like what i enjoyed about the original games i think how overhyped nintendo fans get about mediocre cartoon graphics is ridiculous they just act like its hot shit in a martini glass cuz they know there wont be another one for like 8 years if at all.. where is star fox ? where is F zero? why is donkey kong 10 year old wii ports? mario and zelda and pokemon are not actually enough and i dont like anime games
@@D_Vice88 So you do not like Nintendo. Got it! What does the vast majority of this post have to do with the subject matter of this video? Nintendo's re-releases are for people who want to pay for them. If you do not, there are other means to play old games.
sorry or not sorry your face look like piter from deadpool (no hate peter is good guy)
I can totally see the resemblance! 😂
Am I crazy or did you shorten your channel name?
Nope, it has always been "Not Your Friend"
@@NotYourFriend-YT My mistake. I was worried they had sent their ninjas lol. Keep preaching!
@@temp_user_id You're fine, haha. When the day comes that I've tired of talking about Nintendo, I'll move onto other companies in the gaming industry.
Thank you for checking the video out, friend!
mac n cheese 🤣🤣🤣🤣
That mac and cheese is FIRE! Haha
Thank you for checking out the video @abthehedgehog3729, always appreciate you
Um... Why did you use a clip from Asmongold? I was really enjoying your content so far, but he's not exactly someone you want to be associated with...
video game addiction is not real.
if you're referring to loot boxes, nintendo stopped selling them in most of their games.
"Likewise, I want to flag that Nintendo stopped selling loot boxes in Mario Kart Tour in 2023-a point that I originally had in the script for this episode but didn’t make it into the final cut."
BRO? that's literally a point going against your point. it's very important to include and not including it is disingenuous lmao.
this is nothing compared to other mobile games plus 90% of their main console games are not as scummy
Do you really think "It's OK for Nintendo to be a little scummy as long as they're not being as scummy as others" is a great defense of Nintendo targeting children with deceptive and aggressive monetization practices?
@@ThEjOkErIsWiLd00 Its near impossible to make a game on the mobile market succesful without being scummy. Phone games are hell. im just saying their console games are so much more revlolutionary and interesting
First, the video is specifically about mobile games
And second, plenty of games made for ADULTS manage to be less scummy than the mobile games Nintendo makes for CHILDREN who don't know better
@@akiradkcn what mobile games are made for adults lol
@@GraceCairns-v4d ignoring all the heavy monetization that no children should ever be actually exposed to... you aren't gonna tell me these gachas with almost naked anime girls like Azur Lane or Nikke are made for little children are you? Or the fact many of them have plots covering very heavy topics (Project Moon and, again, Nikke) on top of that and the fact many of them require heavy comittment to get fully into it (granblue fantasy)
Question: Is Nintendo still doing "loot boxes" now? Did Nintendo try to sell their mobile games at a set price initially only to have that market roundly reject the notion of simply paying $9.99 up front for Super Mario Run? So now we are faulting Nintendo for adapting to different markets expectations and needs using children as a pawn for your argument. Parents at this point who do not have parental controls on their small children's phone are basically engaging in child abuse for exposing their children to potential malicious and predatory content in a variety of ways. (Social Media anyone? Games is not the only dangerous spot on the web) How about all those predatory loot box laden games on the Nintendo Switch... Oh their isn't any? Oh well then. (Of which you should be handing your small child a Switch instead of a phone with open access to the web anyway. Still parental lock that Switch down like Bowser! If a Evil turtle dragon can use parental controls so can a human parent.)
Fans complain when Nintendo has micro transactions / paid DLC, they complain when Nintendo has free DLC and they complain when Nintendo says in the case of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom there will be no DLC. You can't win with this fan base. If Nintendo is not the perfect paragon of goods, services, pricing and virtue then their failing in the eyes of fans is magnified 100x. "Nintendo is EVIL!" "Nintendo employs every micro transaction strategy on the market!" However, when Nintendo does something good like have a "live service" game like Splatoon 3 have no micro transactions, no loot boxes, social events / progression not needing paid for battle passes and only two single player focused DLC's then those same people who cry "what about the children" go dead silent.
This is your worst video yet. You have me defending a multi-billion dollar corporation that does not need my help. You have definitely crossover into the sanctimonious rhetoric space now with this video. Last question: Has Nintendo been aggressively expanding in the space of micro transaction, loot box laden games or do they simply make a few games like Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, Mario Kart Tour, Pikmin Bloom, Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Bros Run in order to expose themselves to hundreds of millions of potential customers to their brands? (Hopefully to their real games on the Switch Platform) You know sort of like with the Super Mario Bros Movie?
Nintendo given their actions historically and today would have preferred to sell mobile games upfront with free updates but that market did not like that business model; as shown by the massively low sales of games like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7. All those games have been on the market for months exposed to 100's of millions of potential buyers and have all sold below 10,000 copies. (All of these games sold over 7 million copies on Console / PC) Show me the retail Nintendo product with loot boxes or Micro transactions.
You literally brought up conferences from other companies to make a argument against Nintendo. I think because Nintendo is so straight up with their core products that when they just do as the Roman's do in the mobile space it comes across as much worse than it is.
Howdy Shinji, thank you for checking out this video. 👋
I was excited to see your reaction, so thank you for tuning in!
The point I was trying to make in the video is that Nintendo should be above pressuring kids with fake timers, getting them hooked with login bonuses, etc.; those are slimy psychological traps that shouldn't really ever be aimed at young children that don't know better.
Maybe you feel differently, or that Nintendo had to resort to those things because the market didn't want to accept 10$ phone games. We agree to disagree, and that's okay!
As always, I appreciate you checking out the video and for leaving your honest feedback.
I hope the rest of your week is a good one!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I have to say that I think you're way off base with this one @Shinjiduo. I agree that parents do have a level of responsibility here to police their children's phone habits and to caution them on things to do and not do, but at the same time there have to be some brands that maintain a safe reputation to make things easier on parents.
If Sesame Street were to suddenly release an episode that goes into the details of how to play casino games like Blackjack and Poker, would you say it was parents' responsibility to police that? Sesame Street as a brand has a safe reputation for parents and they shouldn't have to pre-vet every episode to make sure that it doesn't have anything bad or objectionable in it.
Nintendo has had that same reputation and should be held to that same standard. I don't blame parents at all for trusting that a brand like Nintendo, which has historically been very kid-friendly, wouldn't suddenly dive into every available monetization scheme on the market at once, regardless of whether the market responded favorably to an upfront price tag or not.
Speaking of, I also reject your premise that the market rejected an upfront price tag just because they don't want to pay anything upfront for their games. I think there are plenty of examples out there of mobile games with an upfront price tag that do really well without resorting to free-to-play microtransaction tactics, the key is that those are games with a lot of time and energy put into them to make them compelling to justify the upfront price tag.
Most of the Nintendo mobile games are only a step or two above F2P quality games and don't justify a $10 price tag, so consumers rightly rejected it. The takeaway for Nintendo there shouldn't have been "oh well let's just do F2P microtransactions", it should have been "we should just make our mobile games better and more interesting so that they justify a $10 price tag".
@@NotYourFriend-YT I was a little late on this one. How many mom and pop shops have closed in the last thirty years? You cannot place Nintendo or any company in this position of being willing to fail happily because they are "above" doing business. Nintendo started as a business selling illegal playing cards. Nintendo has run "love hotels" in the past. No business if it wants to do right by their employees, stake holders and share holders can afford to be "above" the business practices of the sector they are in.
Nintendo has never in the modern era marketed their product explicitly to children. When is the last time you have seen a Nintendo commercial that only has children in it or is animated? 1994, 1995? Nintendo learned with the backlash from Turok, Conkers Bad fur Day and Metroid Prime that they need to target a wider demographic than children. Nintendo either make sure their commercials have full families in them or adults only. The Switches biggest age demographic is not small children but young adults aged 18 - 27.
Nintendo is actually the most moral of the platform holders in the console space with a "no money paid for loot box" policy on the Switch platform. On mobile, as shown with my Resident Evil example you have to do what that market expects. If you notice Nintendo does not seem to be interested in getting into the mobile space further as they have not had a mobile game release since Pikmin Bloom in 2021.
In June 2020 Nintendo's President Shuntaro Furakawa said translated:
"There are no new plans for games in the mobile area though the business still remains important to the company for different reasons outside of revenue including exposure of the brand of Nintendo, its franchises and the establishment of Nintendo accounts into customers."
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Nintendo whether you choose to focus on it or not is the closest thing we have to a "good guy" in the video game industry. For instance, where are the round of Nintendo lay offs this year? In fact earlier this year the press tried to say Nintendo laid off employees because they pulled out of a contract with a employee agency. Only to find out that Nintendo hired 90% of those contract workers on as full time employees. No one in this industry treat their work force better than Nintendo and it is not even close. Retro Studios is proof Nintendo simply does not take layoffs lightly as that studio has only one game to its credit since 2014 and that is Metroid Prime remastered (2023) and yet the studio still stands.
If you are going to trash Nintendo for relative nit picks you may as well bring those factors up too. Of coarse not too often as your channel name is Not Your Friend after all. I am not saying Nintendo should not be criticized. It is just that the intensity of the criticism seems to be way out of whack with the actual wrong doings. I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on this.
@@tbkilldtheradio6431 You clearly did not read my post completely on the subject of pay model. The Triple AAA game Resident Evil cannot command a up front price on the mobile market. If those games cannot justify a up front cost on mobile nothing will.
@@tbkilldtheradio6431 Nintendo has not appealed directly only to children since the early 90's. If you see Nintendo commercials today they either have full families in the commercial or adults only. I do not even remember the last time Nintendo had a fully animated commercial. Nintendo's largest demographic by far for years now is the 18 to 27 bracket. Hardly the small children people who make your argument claim Nintendo almost exclusively targets.
Moreover, Nintendo did try to do the "we are above doing business" in the early 1990's with censoring Mortal Kombat blood and fatalities and us pre teens at the time promptly begged our parents to purchase Sega Genesis holiday 1992 in which Nintendo got slaughtered in console sales. We then promptly in March of 1993 went on to rip off heads, tear out hearts, burn people alive, nut shot and kiss of death our way to our hearts content.
What did Nintendo protect us from with Mortal Kombat censorship? If people want to engage in an activity they will find the provider. Which Nintendo learned with Mortal Kombat. Which is why Nintendo changed their approach from there on out with edgier commercials like Kirby and friends beating up bikers in a bar. Do you remember the Gamecube commercials? Does that look like it was targeted to children?
Ultimately, Nintendo being too good to do business is protecting no one as if parents are that disconnected they do not know what their kids are playing with Nintendo mobile games what is to stop them from getting hooked on another game with micro transactions? At the end of the day Nintendo has restrictions in business practices on their Switch platform. I notice though you like a lot of other people zip pass what Nintendo does well and only point out the "wrong doings."
I will say it again: "perfect paragon of goods, services, pricing and virtue" No one can do business under those conditions. It is almost like you want Nintendo to go out of business like all those "Mom and Pop" shops back in the 1990's. Parents are the only ones who can protect their children from predatory business, if a child has unfettered access to the Internet with a phone they will find a way to get in trouble if not properly monitored: Nintendo or not.