By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - There are some representation factors at play.
Since Nintendo introduced icon elements earlier this year (only to active Nintendo Switch Online subscribers), many people have been customising their Nintendo Switch profile icons with a range of characters that aren't represented in the middling default selection. A default selection that has not and very likely will not ever expand. If you want more, you better subscribe.
I myself have gone and changed my icon from Lord Bowser to a Blue Spiny Shell. Because... that could be me inside the shell.
But some of my brothers don't have to rationalise what might be inside a shell because they're featured outright:
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| Morton Koopa Jr. is featured here, but Larry Koopa is also in the background. |
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| It's Iggy Koopa! He's not done with just appearing as a LEGO figure releasing in two weeks. Also, Lemmy Koopa is in the background... and you can barely see a cut-off Larry Koopa. Again. |
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| Roy Koopa is the solo Koopaling in this icon element. |
You know who never got an icon element or didn't even get in the background of one during the Mario Kart 8 collection? Myself and Wendy O. Koopa. We just happen to be the two Koopalings on the KoopaTV staff (while it may be very easy for YOU to forget Wendy is a KoopaTV staffer, obviously someone at Nintendo remembered). Anyway, all of the elements above are gone now if you didn't get them already... perhaps never to be obtainable ever again if you missed out. Or maybe they'll be back next year. We'll see.
But it's an example of a recent trend of “not all of the Koopalings get to appear if at least one Koopaling appears” that you're seeing with the LEGO sets (at least, for now), as well as other things like Koopa Kingdom's Team Koopa Olympic delegations (with just Larry, myself, and Wendy for Tokyo). That's...good, I suppose, unless I'm at the exclusionary end. Then I don't like it. But we are all really our own people. I'm not my brother's keeper.
We're well out of Mario Kart 8 territory and back for a second round of Super Mario Odyssey—but different Super Mario Odyssey characters than the first time. This time, instead of the Broodals, we got characters like male and female New Donkers:
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| This isn't just my shoddy camera settings: New Donker Man really is this dark-skinned. |
New Donker (there's a woman too who is also similarly pigmented) actually are one of the very few dark-skinned non-Mii options available to choose from. The default Switch profile features dark-skinned Inkling male, Marina the Off the Hook member, and then characters that actual dark-skinned human Switch players may not want or choose to identify with, such as Ganondorf, Urbosa, Daruk, and Donkey Kong.
Still... is it... appropriate to reduce dark-skinned New Donker to being COLLECTED and GOTTEN? Based on a currency payment? Isn't that human trafficking? In a week where a Sesame Street property is being cancelled and boycotted for perceived racism because a freak in a fursuit ignored some dark-skinned toddlers, I think people can read very nasty things from how this looks.
Personally, I'd rather have myself being an icon element first so I can have representation before New Donker gets in there. But the demographic that New Donker represents (and that's a larger group than... myself) probably disagrees with me. In any case, it's better than some of the other icon elements we're getting, like a Cappy-controlled car. Who would ever want to use THAT?
A new batch of Super Mario Odyssey custom icons are now available for #NintendoSwitchOnline members to collect by redeeming #MyNintendo Platinum Points.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 19, 2022
Icon elements will be refreshed each week. Learn more: https://t.co/JbepKkizkb pic.twitter.com/sAtv6mLxIF
Ludwig is sticking with the blue shell for the foreseeable future. Since Super Mario Odyssey is now on its second pass, perhaps they'll come back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for a second go-around... or Ludwig can get representation if they go to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. What icon elements are you looking forward to? Alternatively, what do you think of the selection so far? Have you missed any that you've really wanted to get? Are you even a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber?
Two weeks later and Ludwig got his wish: His own profile icon.
I’ve never used Nintendo Switch Online but i always thought they would just use your Mii characters face as a PFP, never thought they’d do something like this.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is the Switch... that's what they did back on Miiverse (Wii U and 3DS) but it's different now and the Miis have lost emphasis.
DeleteAnd that's fine with me, since Miis have a massive human bias.
Join the club. I haven’t seen any Gordo icons, despite them being flagship enemies of a certain franchise. I mean they even guest stared in super Mario land (2?) and links awakening. Their global influence is unparalleled.
ReplyDeleteI'd say Gordo's star cameos in King Dedede's Kirby and the Forgotten Land appearances ought to have earned him an icon during that icon element run.
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