Nintendo cracking down on Speedruns and Rom Hacks

Destructoid

Honestly, this sounds like a MAJOR gray situation to me. On one half, yeah, Nintendo taking down speedrun videos based on player skills sucks (IF any of those are taken down). But on the other, considering most speedruns I see these days are using "tools" and Rom Hacks are self explanatory and both are unofficial to the point of being considered illegal by many, I can kind of see why they would do it.

Still, what do you think? Right? Wrong (which Destructoid thinks)? Gray?

I think Nintendo is in the right. I cant stand people being able to do ROM hacked videos and get paid off it. Even if not getting paid, they are supporting piracy against a company they are so called trying to help.

Its puts Nintendos rights in jeopardy and must be stopped. Either follow the rules to the game, or dont play the game.

Honestly, fucking with Youtube "Let's Play-ers" has gotten Nintendo a bad rep lately. It's free advertising, Ninty. Let it be.

Nintendo is really out of touch with the majority of Western civilization. I grew up in the NES generation, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I wish Ninty would go 3rd party already.

@Boddicker: This is not just Nintendo mate, any company would do and has done the same. The rules are simple, just follow them. Illegal content is illegal and hurts the gaming industry

I can see your point about ROM hacks, but if they are taking down skill based speed runs.........

Funny, I remember you saying that before, so I'm not sure how you "can't believe" you're saying that.

Besides that, how the hell is going third party going to fix shit like this? SEGA is technically a third party and look what they did to those Shining Force III videos (yes, I know YT didn't exist in the 90's but still). Hell, look at the mess they have now.

Nintendo is always right. Down with youtubers.

They are only taking down illegal speed runs, not the legal ones.

"This includes videos featuring tool-assisted speedruns, which require making a copy of a game's ROM file, and running the copied ROM through an emulator." - Nintendo Anti-Piracy Team

Even on Speed runs? Figures.

I'm sure glad Nissan doesn't go after me for doing speed runs in my 370Z and GTR.

Question, are Twitch streamers able to get away with uploading Nintendo games? I haven't gotten into Twitch yet, (don't know if Nintendo also take videos from Twitch) but I usally see people like AJ do stream Nintendo videos and never bitch about it other then he did on youtube.

I haven't heard much issue from Twitch, but I doubt that means anything.

@nintendoboy16: What I'm saying is, if anyone really wants to upload any Nintendo videos, (even Speedruns) they should be safe and not have to worry about Nintendo crashing Twitch because of this issue.

@davillain-: Twitch will remove your videos also if it violates the rules.

Taking down speed runs is ridiculous. Some of them are done for charity.

Of course they are.

Shitty of Nintendo. I hate with a passion when people say shit like Nintendo is a great publisher, unlike the other Evil publishers like Microsoft or EA. It's bullshit.

But on a side note, I do not recognize hacked speed runs to be legit, so I'm not butthurt about these ones getting taken down. For instance the fastest speed run in the world for SMB3... is not legit, due to the fact that the bug to be exploited in order to accomplish the "feat" is extremely rare, and the game had to be opened up and tampered with to make it occur. that is not legit. I don't think the answer is to take these vids down, but something should happen to legitimatize them. Censoring never works.

@mesome713: Oh I didn't know that.

@davillain-: Twitch is a different playing field, but i remember for Nintendos EVO 2015 event, only certain people were allowed to stream it. Same with Street Fighter and all the others, Twitch was removing all videos that violated the rules.

Nintendo gonna Nintendo.

Nintendo continues to not get the Internet and punish quite literally their most ardent fans. More at 11.

Interesting. I guess Twitch isn't safe from Nintendo after all.

Nintendo are essentially punishing fans for being fans. Of what harm do these tool runs present to them? What gain is being accrued contrasted to the animosity in the community being manifested by such controlling, anal behavior? But, Nintendo gonna Nintendo.

How anyone can see such action as beneficial to them (except under the mindless apologist rationale of, "they're Nintendo, and whatever Nintendo does is 100% correct, everytime"), I'll never understand. Sure, it's their right as copyright holders, but just because they have the right doesn't automatically make it right.

@MirkoS77: If they dont protect their rights now, they will lose them. Its the reason Disney and all them do the same. You let one person hack your games, you let them all in the court of law. Its pretty easy to understand mate. Hacking and supporting ROMs is bad for business, no company will tell you its good for business.

With Super Mario Maker coming out, I can understand cracking down on ROM hacks, but speedruns, that's not cool.

@Kuromino: Their not stopping all speedruns, only those whose do them by illegal means.

@mesome713: I see. I'm a pretty big fan of GDQ. Would have been disappointing if they were unable to post their speed runs of Nintendo games.

Exactly. Skills should be kept up and the person earned that cash. ROM hacked ones can gladly go.

@Boddicker: They're taking down rom hacks, which is fair game. It doesn't seem like they're taking down speedruns played on actual cosnoles.

Seems Nintendo has a lot of free time to be hunting YT videos.

Don't they have a console to make? Or games for that matter?

Is that the sound of Nintendo digging their own grave again?

How is it bad for business? What these TAS are doing breeds and nurtures community and exposure . Whilst the means to it may be illegal, that illegality is so inconsequential to the overall picture in detriment to Nintendo but not in terms of the benefit to Nintendo's audience.

Do you honestly believe that these people that are using these ROMs for speedruns have not bought the original game, probably many times over? Rest assured, TAS are the byproduct of loyal customers who have bought the game legitimately and have played the original to death, that is exactly why they are now using TA speed runs. You explain to me how them utilizing ROMs to gain tool assists is harming Nintendo's business.

I'm not arguing that what these fans are doing is legal, obviously it's not, but I find it highly questionable as to whether this is presenting any real risk or damage to Nintendo's business as a whole. Show me how. I can assure you what it is doing is pissing off people who are nothing but fans yet are being thrown copyrights at....and for what? What immense benefit is Nintendo seeing here from this? Are you able to look past legal grounds and view this situation in context?

What benefit is being brought to Nintendo in squelching fan adoration, no matter the manner when that manner is not holding any significant financial ramifications? They are doing nothing but further pissing off loyal customers with such a move.

Of course you do!

@MirkoS77: If it were good for business then companies like Disney etc would allow it. Supporting people pirating your content is bad for business. No company in the gaming industry supports such practices. How does supporting people who promote stealing your product good in any fashion? It would only breed more pirates. The bad way out weights the good, it would destroy companies, please use some common sense mate.

Meh, Nintendo going to be Nintendo. Whenever that NX releases the only YouTubers who won't be giving Nintendo the finger will be Player Essence.

I can understand Nintendo cracking down on roms, but going after speed runs too makes no sense to me. Nintendo is a stubborn and out of touch company.

Nintendo cracking down on speed running is insane considering one of their major franchises is completely built FOR speed running.

(That's Metroid in case you didn't know that.)

Rom hacks is a shame too but I think they maybe cracking down on them due to copyright and brand reasons.

Leaving them be would weaken the say "Mario" brand or the "Zelda" brand.

Doesn't matter if the hacks are amazing or great, Nintendo could lose the branding if everyone could make a "Nintendo" game.

Doesn't surprise me. I don't understand why big bad Nintendo is the only one getting called on this shit. Their many others doing the same type of thing.

Yup agreed on the ROM hacks and highly disagree on speed runs.

Nintendo should spend more time making their back catalog more accessible and reasonably priced, and less doing this.

It's 1984!

It's nintendo being dick heads. I don't see PC companies doing this.

Nintendo is so out of touch that they believe that 3D is still more important than online gaming..... They haven't changed that view since Star Fox on the SNES, it's very sad.

Nintendo removing legit speed runs? WTF? Nintendo doesn't understand the internet and seem to want more obscurity than they already have.

It's been my life story seeing an amazing company I was raised with like Nintendo sunk to what they have today. I still buy their products, but it's becoming harder and harder.

It's something I've been saying, Nintendo is stuck in the passed to think that 3D is highly more important than Online gaming, hell, even social media. Someone tell Miyamoto that we have moved on from 3D and already we care for online capabilities!

LOL

I can't believe how brain washed you are. No PC devs ever do anything like this.

Nintendo is so backwards regarding anything online.

Total biscuit already covered this, which is the reason he is never covering anything by Nintendo since they want to take money from people essentially advertising their game. All Nintendo is doing is getting rid of free advertising.

This is why PC devs encourage people to monetize their videos, since the money isn't that much and the amount of copies the video brings in is worth it for them.

Taking down mods of games, something only Nintendo would do.

Only a buttered toast would defend this behavior. That video about embracing youtubers, and the online movement was a lie.

Well said.

hehehe :D

@Ant_17 said:

@ladyblue said:

Only a buttered toast would defend this behavior. That video about embracing youtubers, and the online movement was a lie.

Well said.