Konami controversy continues

» Game developer faces policy allegations

Adam Tatelman
Staff Writer

Konami representative

denied the accusation
during an interview this week
with Nintendo Life, following
recent reports from news sites
Gameblog and Eurogamer that
the game developer would cease
producing titles for their flagship
game franchises in favour of
mobile gaming apps and licenced
pachinko machines.

“I can promise you we're
definitely not leaving Metal Gear
behind or anything like that,”
said the unnamed representative
ina private release. “I know some
blogs were claiming that online
this morning, but I’m not really
sure where they'd be getting
that from. We're still definitely
working on console games and
franchises like Metal Gear, Silent
Hill, Castlevania, PES, and all the
rest.”

Considering the recent
success of Metal Gear Solid V:
The Phantom Pain, this comes
as no surprise. Following the
controversy surrounding Metal
Gear creator Hideo Kojima’s
leaving Konami before the title
was even released, the game

: sold three million copies during
: its launch week. According to

: Konami, they have no plans

: to abandon such a lucrative

: franchise.

However, Kojima is not

: Konami’s only critic. According
: toa report this week by Yuji Nitta :
: at Japanese news blog Nikkei, :
: anonymous complaints regarding :
: the company’s treatment ofits —:
: employees have surfaced. The :
: report claims that the unexpected :
: success of 2010 mobile game :
: Dragon Collection caused the :
: company to shift focus from AAA :
: gaming titles to quick and cheap:
: mobile gaming. Allegedly, this

: shift brought with it numerous

: restrictive corporate policies. :
: Nitta claimed that employees :
: are time-carded and kept under
: constant video surveillance.

: Reportedly, employees who

: do not promptly return from

: their lunch breaks are publicly

: shamed. Only sales and PR

: employees are permitted

: personal email addresses; all

: others must use randomized

: internal addresses that change

: monthly. The former Kojima

: Productions has now been

: rebranded as “Number 8

: Production Department,’ where

 

: staff have no Internet access and
: are only permitted to use internal
: servers.

Many of these allegations

: echo statements made by an

: anonymous former Konami

: employee in a 2013 interview with
: Asahi News. He claimed to have

: been demoted from working as

: a game developer to dismantling

: pachinko machines in a factory

: over a minor, unknown error.

: According to the Asahi article,

: other developers have been

oe

i Le

: reassigned to menial stations

: as janitors or security guards

: as punishment for unspecified
: errors.

Similarly, the creators of

: lesser-known gaming franchises
: Momotaro Dentetsu, Tokimeki

: Memorial, and Suikoden have

: all abandoned the company

: following Konami’s shift to

: mobile. Though their reasons

: were not stated, it is implied that
: they were not willing to remain

: with the company under such

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: restrictive policies.

: Konami’s management tier is

: largely insular. Company founder
: Kagemasa Kozuki and his son

: Takuya Kozuki are chairman and
: president, respectively. Kozuki’s

: nephew and son-in-law sit on the
: board of directors, and four of

: the company’s internal directors

: are also members of the Kozuki

: family. Nikkei has attempted to

: reach the management tier for

: comment, but has received no

: response.

 

Voting group says they re tired of low student turnout

» Apathy is Boring launches #5MMV awareness campaign

Nicholas Robinson
The Fulcrum

L the 2011 Canadian federal
election, less than 40 per cent
of those under the age of 24
voted, continuing a downward
trend of youth engagement in
federal politics.

Apathy is Boring, a non-

partisan, national organization, is :
: ignore youth,” he said. “Youth

: in turn are not inspired to vote,
: so voter turnout stays low. Same
: thing next election cycle.”

so sick of this.

“Our aim is to educate
Canadian youth about democracy
through art and technology,” said

Cavan Riordan, the organization’s
: begin in any level of government
: in Canada, be it federal,

: provincial, municipal, or even in
: student union elections. Voter

: turnout in Student Federation

: of the University of Ottawa

: elections has traditionally

: hovered around u per cent.

Research and Elections program
coordinator.

The Montreal-based group,
founded in 2004, is almost
entirely run by youth, and it is
partnering with Elections Canada
and several non-profits to boost
youth voter turnout.

The group has started
the #5MMV Campaign on
social media, which raises
awareness of the large number
of youth voters—5.5 million—
representing a significant
electoral force.

But this group is often
discouraged from voting.

Youth tend to face larger
obstacles to voting, such as
frequently moving and elections
that fall within academic

: sessions, when most students are
: busy studying.

Because voting is a habit—

: the more you vote the more

: likely you are to vote in the

: future—it’s especially important
: to start voting early, according to
: Riordan.

“Because youth are not

: expected to vote, election

campaigns of all major parties

Riordan says the habit can

Apathy is Boring is running

: a large ground campaign, getting
: volunteers to go to festivals and

: other events and talk about

: voting face-to-face with other
youth.

According to Riordan, in-

: person interactions are far more
: effective at promoting electoral

: engagement than holding formal
: conferences, which tend only

: to attract those who are already

: engaged.

Their work is especially

important this election

: considering the recent changes

: in the Fair Elections Act that

: makes it more difficult for

: students to vote, as well as

: prohibits Elections Canada from
: advertising the elections, except
: for telling people where and

: when to vote.

Apathy is Boring has

; partnered with Elections Canada
: to disseminate their elections

: material, specifically their Ready
: to Vote guides.

Riordan believes there are

: positive signs for this year’s

: election. “I have high hopes that
: (youth voter turnout) will pass

: the 40-50 per cent mark,” says

: Riordan, who also falls inside the
: 18-24 bracket.

“All opinion polls show a

: close race,” he said. “Historically,
: close races have increased

: youth voter turnout rate for all

: demographics. This is the closest
: ace ever.”

As of September 22, the CBC

: poll tracker says that there is only :
: a0.g per cent difference between :
: the first-place Conservatives and
: the third-place Liberals.

He is also encouraged by the

: 72-day campaign—the longest in
: Canadian history—which gives
: voters more time to get informed

: and get organized. Candidates
: and parties have never had so

  

Photo via Joel McCarthy

: much available information
> online.