Mii Cultural Analysis

Tomodachi Life is a game released for the 3DS by Nintendo in 2013. It is effectively a God simulator with the player's goal being to observe and assist the residents of the island they overlook. The residents are portrayed with Miis, Nintendo's personalized avatar system, and each has their own appearance, personality, room, and much more. The culture of the Miis is similar to that of real world cultures, albeit with a much less complex structure. Interactions between the Miis are scarcely shown in great detail, and even when they are, it is more akin to small talk than anything serious. In this article I will be laying out the foundations of an ethnography on the culture of the Miis on the island in Tomodachi Life.

Interpersonal Relationships

Miis each have their own personalities, which makes each of them have their own preferences in friendships and romantic partners. That said, the Miis are not programmed to be capable of being in homosexual relationships, certainly a decision informed by the generally negative Japanese consensus on homosexuality (especially in 2013.) Additionally, it is impossible for Miis which are under 18 to be in relationships with Miis over 18. Miis with these limitations are still capable of being friends. The society also promotes a monogamous lifestyle with both romance and with the concept of "best friends." While the concept is not unique to Mii culture, there is a required designation for each Mii to have a best friend.

Mii Personality screen, screenshot from Tomodachi Life Wiki

When Miis are friends, they will spend time together, whether that be in one of their rooms or outside at one of the social attractions. Each Miis friendship can vary in quality, with disagreements, arguments, and even fights breaking out when tensions rise. These are typically diffused, especially if a third party chooses to step in to help resolve the problem. Interestingly, the Miis will set aside their lack of connection if there is a professional reason to do so, such as performing at the same concert, or donating money to the player each day.

Romantic relationships are more intimate, and there is a general goal to work towards in this realm. The win condition for the game itself actually comes from the end condition of the romantic relationships. The progression typically goes friends --> sweethearts --> marriage --> parents --> child moves out. After the child is old enough to move out, the game has been "won" insomuch as it triggers the credits. Despite this, the process of romance is not exactly linear. Just as in nonfictional relationships, things can go south, with rejections, breakups, and even divorce being possible and actually expected within any given playthrough. These interactions are not without consequence, as Miis on both sides of the exchange will be left depressed afterwards.

The Individual

Each Mii has their own values, tastes, and sensibilities, but the general commodities and systems that they can make use of are much more limited than we see in the real world. For example, each Mii will get hungry and ask for food, but their preferences might dictate something more specific. Each Mii has three random favorite foods, as well as a few foods that they strongly dislike. The same sense of individuality applies for their taste in fashion and interior design, as well as their social preferences. This gives each Mii a distinct identity beyond just their name, face, and gender. Interestingly, male Miis can wear female clothing and vice versa, despite the perceived taboo against homosexuality. The preferences of the individual even manifest in how many friends they prefer to have. Certain Miis may want to be friends with everyone, while others may prefer to live a more solitary lifestyle.

Where this strays from real life is the quantity of options being significantly more limited in the game's world. An example of this is how there are only eight songs that the Miis can learn how to sing, whereas in real life this number is uncountably large. For another example, Miis can play video games, but their options are limited to the Wii U and 3DS. 

(Video compiled by ChristianKingFu on YouTube, idk what's up with the audio)

Conclusory Analysis

Tomodachi Life takes a very systematic and logical approach to culture. This reflects the status of the developers' culture, as Japan has a very well-educated population and a large number of academics. The same fact applies to the main regions where the game was marketed - USA and Europe. By gamifying life into such predictable but large systems, it creates a rather deep game with great room for variation, making a surprisingly open yet comical abstraction of a utopia as we would understand it. While other life simulator games allow for a greater level of freedom in what the characters can do, such as the Sims series, they lack the scale of an entire simulated island social network. Overall, the simplicity of the cultural mechanics make the game easy for players to superimpose their own culture on top of, while still allowing for a more active experience.

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