The video game community should be where gamers of all ages and types can come to have fun, chat with one another, and enjoy the gaming experience further. However, as time has proven repeatedly, that couldn’t be further from what happens many times. Multiple people make it their mission to harass and abuse gamers that they “don’t like” or don’t think “are gamers.” Ask Twitch streamers about the terrible people that come into their streams, and you’ll see exactly what we mean. Plus, even video game developers aren’t immune from being harassed. That’s why Nintendo of Japan has put a caveat in their terms of service to protect themselves.
Specifically, we’re talking about the terms of service that come with you asking places like Nintendo of Japan for repairs or a replacement on your Nintendo Switch. They have made it so that if you harass the people trying to help you or call them up to “waste their time,” you’ll get refused service. That policy is not unlike the ones that certain stores around the world have if they feel a customer is being unruly or destructive, and they’ll outright refuse to serve them.
“We made the decision after concluding our customers would understand because of the reputation we have built of faithfully responding to them,” Nintendo said in a statement.
That is true. While Nintendo isn’t perfect by any means, they are known for helping their customers with problems as best they can, especially in the repairs department. After all, if their consoles don’t work, they can’t play games, and if they can’t play games, they’re not buying new games for the console.
At first, the new policy might seem “out of place,” but it’s really not. Multiple people have already said that Nintendo is in the right for making such a policy due to the harassment that has been growing on social media and other platforms as of late. One professor in Japan said that Nintendo is basically “keeping up with the times” by having a policy many can accept.
Plus, the ones who wouldn’t accept this policy are the ones to whom Nintendo is refusing service anyway, so it’s a win-win.
Whether Nintendo adapts the policy across their brands worldwide remains to be seen. Still, if nothing else, this is proof that Nintendo takes the mental welfare of their employees seriously and doesn’t want them to be put under stress they don’t deserve.
Source: Twitter
