No one but a delusional fanboy can argue that each company of the big three (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) have brought some amazing games to the world. Hell there’s a reason that each one still exists and there are pros and cons to each. However, I don’t think anyone can argue at this point that Nintendo has any internet prowess at fucking all compared to the other two. Nintendo has been increasing their copyright enforcement online for the past few months, and the issue came to reach the mainstream after they recently took down several videos of YouTuber PointCrow. PointCrow is a gaming content creator who often installs and shows off mods in his videos with over 1.6 million subscribers. In other words, someone with enough fans to actually give a fuck and make a fuss to spread the word and make headlines. Nintendo took down several of his and others’ videos, some including modded content and others including nothing extra but regular old gameplay footage of the damn game itself. I’ll save you the nitty gritty, but essentially because PointCrow and others are clearly adding their own commentary to the game experience and transforming it, it absolutely should fall under fair use under Nintendo’s own guidelines. I’ll leave the video below for those wanting the entire breakdown from the man himself.

Now this one act is egregious enough of an attack on the community considering the year we live in is 2023 and the current understanding of the benefits of Let’s Plays and other gaming content. However this is merely one drop in the bucket of issues Nintendo has when it comes to the internet. Hell their Nintendo Switch Online service is often criticized by players for connectivity issues, uncompetitive benefits, unintuitive ways to add friends and the like. I remember in the old days with my Nintendo DS I never dared to try and take that thing online, nor do I ever remember using the Wii’s online store much. Back in the prime years of the DS I totally understood not focusing on internet-related capabilities considering the internet itself was still unreliable, slow, and shitty for many families (ay dats me). Times have changed though. It’s clear that one of the three big boys has failed to really take the rise of the internet into consideration and work around that both from a hardware and software perspective and a community engagement perspective.

Maybe if the mod did this, I'd understand the concern a bit more.

Unfortunately, PointCrow has admitted he doesn’t have many options. He can either stop making content that features Nintendo IPs, or they can reverse their decision and abide by, uh, their own damn policies they created. He doesn’t have the money and manpower required to take Nintendo to court to fight back that way. Essentially his conclusion amounted to pleading for Nintendo to understand that copyright “enforcement” like this only serves to hurt the community that they’ve worked hard to build, and that it’s not in the company’s best interest to hurt its own goodwill with consumers. Perhaps Nintendo will read his email and have a change of heart. In 2029 that is, when they learn how to make an email account. Have you heard about Nintendo’s rise in copyright claims? Are modders the punching bag of the development world? Has anyone you watch been hit with an unfounded strike? Grab your paraglider , fly with the carrier pigeons, and deliver physical mail to Nintendo in the comments below! They might actually see it!