Miitomo app’s avatars worth its taxing load on memory

By: Haley Erickson

A new app for both Androids and iPhones came out this past week from Nintendo called “Miitomo.” This app has a social networking structure, along with some game features. The main premise is to answer questions about yourself and get to know the answers your friends leave to the same questions.

You can like and comment your friends’ answers, and you will earn coins and popularity points for interacting with people on your friendlist. The coins are used to purchase clothing and accessories in the store to dress up your Mii (your character). If you change your clothes every day, you earn style points, and with enough points, you will level up and receive prizes.

Usually the prize is a game ticket. These tickets are used to playing a game on the shop page. The minigame is called Drop, and it’s an advanced version of “plinko,” including circling barriers and moving obstacles.

The prizes for this game are scattered all over the board, and, depending on which prize you want, you’ll have to time your drop and make sure it’s positioned just right.

The possible questions are generated from Nintendo, but the responses are up to the users. This can become problematic for younger children playing the game because, unfortunately, there is no filter for inappropriate words or behavior. That’s a big con, and it’s because of the people who abuse their freedom. It is possible to report people, so that will help block out negativity.

Another con is the app is pretty heavy duty; upon downloading the app from the app store, you still have to download additional content through the app itself. The game can deplete your battery, and if the device it’s being used on can’t process everything, people complain about it crashing.

Personally, I think this app is really cute. My favorite aspect of any game is character customization, and that’s what this application is all about. When the app is opened for the first time, you get your opportunity to create a “Mii” that looks just like you, or maybe what you wished you could look like. The appearance of your character depends on your outfit as well. There are many options for your virtual mini-me: from animal costumes to casual and sporty get-ups, it’s not too hard to find something you like.

Miitomo is a lovely version of social media, with a very small chance of drama. You’re able to link your account to Twitter or Facebook and find and invite your close friends to converse with. The questions are innocent and as long as the users are polite, so a bad experience is hard to come by.

If you’re looking for a way to get closer to your friends or get to know more about your acquaintances, this might be a good download for you.