3. Revenge of the Otaku

I've mentioned this a few times before, but it was such a slight against gamers that it bears repeating. In July of this year, managing director of marketing for Nintendo of Europe Laurent Fischer noted that the only people who want additional storage for the Wii are "geeks and otaku." I find it interesting that a director of marketing, someone who I assume has education and experience in marketing, doesn't see the connection that those who are running out of space are consumers who have purchased much downloadable content, and they want extra space so that they can continue to purchase even more downloadable content. One could grant Fischer a pardon due to his apparent ignorance, but resorting to name-calling demonstrates that Fischer has not advanced past an adolescent tendency to make ad hominem attacks when challenged.

Adding insult to injury was his non-apology apology: "I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offence and disappointment within the community." In other words, we're at fault for "misunderstanding." What is there to "misunderstand" about juvenile name calling? Claiming that hurt feelings are the fault of the victim's interpretation is nothing short of unfettered arrogance. While the previous items on this list are arguably just as outrageous, to have such a high figure in Nintendo literally insult their customer is baffling and reflects very poorly on the company. It's insulting at best and an utter mistake-hire at worst.