Trivia Time!
While you may know that Pikmin began as "Super Mario 128", a tech demo created to see how many AI-driven NPCs could run concurrently on the GameCube, you may not be aware that the change to 6 different colored tiny character models was a subsidized colorblindness test funded by the Japanese government.
Growing concerns of widespread colorblindness (and its close link to リグマー Disease) caused the Japanese Secretary of Health, Labour, and Welfare to reach out to Nintendo, requesting that colors such as Quant, Hoxozo, and Blorgle be added to a game in which telling colored characters apart would be crucial. Pikmin Director Shigefumi Hino devised the plan to include those three colors alongside the three hues which they are most often mistaken for: Red, Yellow, and Blue.
After much playtesting, it became apparent that over 95% of players only saw three colors of Pikmin, so rather than leaving the game unplayable for them, the total of individual roles of Pikmin was halved from 6 to 3, combining their abilities (fireproof Quant Pikmin and attack-buffed Red, for example). However, in accordance with the Japanese Cabinet's direction, each Pikmin rendered in-game would have a 50/50 chance of being Red or Quant, Yellow or Hoxozo, and Blue or Blorgle, respectively.
Are you able to tell Quant Pikmin from Red? Let us know if the comments below!
Stay tuned for more Trivia Time segments in the near future!
While you may know that Pikmin began as "Super Mario 128", a tech demo created to see how many AI-driven NPCs could run concurrently on the GameCube, you may not be aware that the change to 6 different colored tiny character models was a subsidized colorblindness test funded by the Japanese government.
Growing concerns of widespread colorblindness (and its close link to リグマー Disease) caused the Japanese Secretary of Health, Labour, and Welfare to reach out to Nintendo, requesting that colors such as Quant, Hoxozo, and Blorgle be added to a game in which telling colored characters apart would be crucial. Pikmin Director Shigefumi Hino devised the plan to include those three colors alongside the three hues which they are most often mistaken for: Red, Yellow, and Blue.
After much playtesting, it became apparent that over 95% of players only saw three colors of Pikmin, so rather than leaving the game unplayable for them, the total of individual roles of Pikmin was halved from 6 to 3, combining their abilities (fireproof Quant Pikmin and attack-buffed Red, for example). However, in accordance with the Japanese Cabinet's direction, each Pikmin rendered in-game would have a 50/50 chance of being Red or Quant, Yellow or Hoxozo, and Blue or Blorgle, respectively.
Are you able to tell Quant Pikmin from Red? Let us know if the comments below!
Stay tuned for more Trivia Time segments in the near future!
2 Comments
@UrLocalBanktoad
Dude, respect
Dude, respect
UrLocalBanktoad
3 months ago
Shigeru Miyamoto has spoken in interviews about how his inspiration for the creation of Pikmin came from watching ants in his backyard perform natural tasks, such as delivering resources to their nest. Miyamoto had also had an interest in seeing how ants reacted to his actions, including the act of lighting a match and moving it closer to the ants. Many of the ants immediately caught fire, but not the fire ants. The fire ants would act quickly to shield their non-fireproof brothers from the flame, allowing for the red ants in the group to quickly climb onto Miyamoto and bite into his hands deeply, causing immense pain for him. These events not only taught Miyamoto the difference between these two colors, but they also served as inspiration for these Pikmin types.
Now, back to our main question. How do we tell the quant Pikmin from the red Pikmin? Well, look at the pictures of the fire ant and the red ant again. Notice how the quant colors of the former contrast from the harsh reds of the latter. Now, take another look at the Pikmin presented in the picture. I'll be revealing the truth about which is which in the next paragraph, so please take a moment to try to solve this puzzle yourself before reading any further!
Ready? Okay, as Mario says, here we go! Based on these observations, we can quickly come to the conclusion that the quant Pikmin is the one on the left, and the red Pikmin is the one on the right! All you have to do is keep the images of the ants next to each Pikmin, and before you know it you'll begin to see the difference. Give it a try for yourself if you haven't already!