Mii Talk: Why I Didn't Rate You "Fantastic"

The Nintendo 3DS Street Pass feature is generally a lot of fun. This weekend was especially great because it was National Street Pass Weekend! I get a little thrill every time I fill in a new region on my map, or when I come across someone who has a particularly desirable puzzle piece. Miis are cute, and Nintendo has obviously designed all of the Mii Plaza animations to give off a warm and friendly vibe.

In fact, you could say that Nintendo goes out of its way to keep things clean—there are pretty serious limitations on how you can communicate with other Wii U and 3DS users who are not your friends. The nastiest dialogue choice you have when playing Mario Kart online is basically "No fair!" Even microphone time among friends while playing Super Smash Bros. is strictly limited.

But it's unavoidable. People will still go out of their way to be assholes. 

If you encounter someone's Mii more than once, you have the opportunity to give that Mii one of two ratings: "Fantastic!" or "OK, I guess…" This rating cannot always be based on actually knowing the person. If I've picked your Mii up a couple of times because we go to the same Burger King, then I have no idea what you're like as a human being. 

I almost always choose to give a "fantastic" rating. Why not brighten someone's day? I already know that we both like video games, so we probably have a lot in common. But there are always exceptions. When I deny that sweet, sweet "fantastic" rating to Miis that I encounter, I do so for two main reasons:

1) You're cocky. If your Mii comment is "Get on my level," or perhaps the ever-classy "f u n00b," I am going to think you're rude. Probably because you are. You get a pass if your comment is obviously playful—I can grin at a "Hail to the king, baby!" or "Settle it in SMASH."

2) You're outright mean. I've encountered several Miis who say things like "your stupid" (sic) or "hey ugly." Seriously? Maybe that seemed funny because you were planning to Street Pass your little brother, but your Mii is also saying that to everyone else you encounter. You're a jerk, and "OK, I guess…" is too nice a rating for you. 

Nintendo goes to tremendous efforts to keep things clean on its network, sometimes at the expense of fun. But when it comes to Street Pass, I'm glad they work to maintain a friendly environment. Sometimes a random Mii saying "u suk" provides enough insight into someone else's personality. No need to see more.