Asahi pokes 'fun' at Nintendo's prominence

Cynical, heavy-handed editorial cites Nintendo's victory, subtly compares swine flu to Nintendo's monopoly.

Widely respected, Japan news service Asahi Shimbun recently composed an editorial that was curious at best. At worst, racist and cruel; on a very theoretical side mind you.

In the early 1990s, when trade talks between Japan, the United States and Europe became deadlocked, a disgusted French official reportedly made a comment to the effect: "We want America to remain a farm produce exporting superpower and Japan to remain an industrial goods exporting superpower. Europe will remain everyone's playground."

So starts the editorial; as it goes on, it is not so much worth repeating, or necessarily coherent. The piece keeps this rather ethnocentric tone in place. The Japanese should game more, "But are citizens of the world's 'gaming superpower' getting enough playtime?" The piece goes on to refer to Europe as the playground of the world again; and America.

The piece ends particularly strange:

"And while the current swine flu scare may be turning more people into homebodies, it can't be considered a 'tail wind' for indoor game system makers."

This heavy-handed editorial starts with the notion that it's 'Not much fun for world's gaming superpower'. The only citation is misdirected, referencing the ratio of the world's countries time for leisure activity.

They do give credit to Nintendo for creating what they refer to as "home-bodies," the out of work, sick persons who luckily have a Wii or DS from better times.

Read the editorial here at The Asahi Shimbun

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