Why does it always have to be penises? Before the Wii U’s user forum, dubbed the Wiiverse, launched, I said that it would be a penis-drawing inferno. Little did I know that Japanese Xbox users would launch their own Wiiverse clone.
But, I’ll tell you what, I sure saw the penis drawings coming. Isn’t that always the case? These aren’t just penises for the sake of penises. OK, well, maybe they are.
The Wiiverse clone is called “Xboxverse”. In Japanese, it’s called “Hakoverse” (箱バース), with “hako” (箱) meaning “box” and being one of the console’s nicknames in Japan. To be clear, this isn’t a Microsoft Japan joint, but rather, the work of Japan’s fledgling Xbox 360 owners. In Japan, the Xbox 360 hasn’t exactly lit the country on fire.
The Xboverse is browser-based and obviously not part of Xbox Live. Community members, however, are uploading Wiiverse-style drawings — as well as drawings that would most likely be clamped down on pretty quick in the Wiiverse.
So far, all the penis drawings seem to be confined to the board on the Tintin game. There’s a clever reason for this! Did I say clever? Ha, I meant juvenile. SORRY.
In Japanese, Tintin (yes, Tintin) isn’t called TinTin. Instead, the comic (and its titular hero) is known as “Tantan” (タンタン). The reason for this is that in Japanese, “ti” is a tricky sound. In traditional Japanese, the sound for “ti” was pronounced as “chi” (in today’s Japanese, “ti” can be written out — more here). Thus, the name “Tintin” was changed, because it could be pronounced and written as “Chinchin”. “Chinchin” (ちんちん) means “penis”. The Adventures of Penis sounds like a very difference experience.
Hence, the Xboxverse thread on the Tintin game is covered with penises and “chinchin” jokes. So, for once, penis doodles are fitting, no?
箱バース [Official Site]
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