Nintendo slammed by campaigners for banning gay characters in a simulation game

Computer giant Nintendo has come under fire from equality campaigners for refusing to allow same sex marriage in one of its games.

Nintendo has been slammed after refusing to allow gamers to play as gay or lesbian characters in its ‘realistic’ simulation game Tomodachi Life.

The game, launched in the West in June, is set in an alternative world, where players can use their Mii characters – created to look like themselves – can interact with each other.

The 3DS game publicises that it allows players to earn money, make friends, and fall in love other players’ characters – as long as they are of the opposite sex.

Gay gamer Tye Marini, 23, has launched an online campaign calling for the legalisation of same sex marriage in the Tomodachi world between Mii characters.

Tye said: “I want to be able to marry my real-life fiance’s Mii. You import your personalised characters into the game. You name them.

“You give them a personality. You give them a voice. They just can’t fall in love if they’re gay.”

But Nintendo has refused to allow same-sex marriage options in the handheld game.

In a statement, Nintendo said: “The relationship options in the game represent a playful alternative world rather than a real-life simulation.

“We hope that all of our fans will see that Tomodachi Life was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game, and that we were absolutely not trying to provide social commentary.

“The ability for same-sex relationships to occur in the game was not part of the original game that launched in Japan.”