How to shut down anti-gaming haters, confusing fan art guidelines, an N64 personality test, and a Zelda arrest.

Video games permeate pop culture like nowhere else in Japan, where the biggest stars of the interactive entertainment world aren’t just heroes to their fans, but symbols of the potential for Japanese artistry and creativity to reach all the way around the world. There was plenty of news in 2021 that made us hit pause and take a moment to let it all sink in, and here are five stories from across the Japanese gaming landscape, plus a five-part expansion pack of Nintendo news.

Top video game stories of 2021

● “How is playing games going to help you in the future?” Japanese gamer has perfect comeback

Even in Japan, sometimes gamers run into a startling lack of respect for their hobby, but here’s a firm, polite, and undeniable comeback that’ll provide you with invincibility from snide remarks.

● World Record? Japanese trainer holds gym for 1,422 days and counting in Pokémon GO

We patted ourselves on the back when we held onto a gym for week, but this Pokémon Master can count his reign in years, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever lose it.

● Nier Automata’s creator is confused by Square Enix’s new fan art guidelines

Yoko Taro is as famous for his…let’s call it “eccentricity”…as he is his unique style of game design. So when even he says something sounds weird, he might have a point.

● Breast material shortage causing delay for explosively popular US$479 busty anime girl mousepad

Sure, the sky’s the limit for bust sizes within games. When you want to bring that character into the physical world, though, those gargantuan gazongas can crush the supply chain.

● Japanese gamers vote for most frustrating, spirit-crushing video game

It’s Dark Souls, right? Nope. The game that asks you to prepare to die, and reminds you that you just did every single time it happens, isn’t number one, or even number two, in the results.

Top Nintendo stories of 2021

● Zelda hacker arrested by police in Japan for selling modified Breath of the Wild save data

Yep, that’s a crime in Japan, and the guy got caught by police officers half-way across the country.

● Super Mario Bros. is actually a three-person co-op game, as long as you play it like this【Video】

It turns out nobody ever really had to play as Luigi after all, and the solution to the having to wait your turn was right there in front of us all along.

● With 3DS repair service ending, Nintendo once again shows its god-tier customer service【Photos】

You know all those tales you hear about how amazing customer service is in Japan? Even by those standards, Nintendo’s service department operates on an entirely higher level.

● Retro game personality test: What the way you wrapped your N64 controller cord says about you

Zodiac symbol? Blood type? Look, those are just silly superstitions. The real way to instantly reveal someone’s personality and future is to give them an N64 controller and tell them to wrap the cord.

● Mario isn’t number one? Nintendo plumber doesn’t win Super Mario series character popularity poll

The face of Nintendo put up a strong fight, and he can at least claim to be fans’ favorite human in the franchise, but there’s someone else gamers are even happier to see.

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