[Vyse]

Article:

Konami is responsible for some of the most iconic video games of all time, such as Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, PES, Contra and many, many more. Founded in 1969 by Kagemasa 'Kaz' Kōzuki, the firm would move into the manufacture of arcades in 1973, producing a string of hits which established it as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning video game industry.

We've been speaking to a few former Konami staffers about what it was like to work at the coin-op hit factory during the '80s and '90s, and Yoshiki Okamoto (Gyruss, Time Pilot) has revealed that Kōzuki was something of a taskmaster when it came to keeping his staff in check, even going as far as to criticize them for being out of shape physically:

I think he was still pretty young at the time, but he was in a far higher position than me. I was a rookie hired fresh out of college, so I didn't have many chances to talk with him because he was the head of the company. I remember him being very harsh to overweight employees. He would come straight out and say stuff like, "If you gain any more weight, I'll fire you." Apparently, he was of the mind that people who work hard don't gain weight.

Okamoto quit Konami in 1984 (a common practice when an employee fears they might be about to get the sack) and joined Capcom, alongside fellow Konami alumni Tokuro Fujiwara and Toshio Arima. He would work on titles such as 1942, Gun.Smoke, Final Fight, and Street Fighter II. He is currently an investor/strategic partner for the metaverse gaming platform Creta.

Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/05/random-konami-founder-was-very-harsh-on-overweight-staff-back-in-the-1980s

 

[QuantumZebra]

I mean its a scientific fact that being overweight impairs cognitive function, energy levels, motivation, etc.

But in our new PC world you can't tell anyone that or you're a Nazi.

 

[and 3 others]

I mean its a scientific fact that being overweight impairs cognitive function, energy levels, motivation, etc.

Plus people's perception. I know I shouldn't immediately judge someone who's fat as "lazy and inept"...but.

 

[QuantumZebra]

Plus people's perception. I know I shouldn't immediately judge someone who's fat as "lazy and inept"...but.

Had an overweight IT guy who complained about having to go to other buildings/going up multiple stairs carrying stuff.

Needless to say he didn't last long; and while he was there I didn't go easy on him.

 

[Kalsonic]

Here's to all the overweight/obese people out there to get their shit together.

Try carnivore, it works really well for the morbidly obese.

 

[and 3 others]

Here's to all the overweight/obese people out there to get their shit together.

Try carnivore, it works really well for the morbidly obese.

Remember, it's not OCD, it's OBCD.

 

[Boss Mog]

Based Konami.

 

[FactsAreDead]

Had an overweight IT guy who complained about having to go to other buildings/going up multiple stairs carrying stuff.

Needless to say he didn't last long; and while he was there I didn't go easy on him.

You sound like a real asshole. I don't think people would call you a nazi for pc-reasons.

 

[Werewolfgrandma]

Had an overweight IT guy who complained about having to go to other buildings/going up multiple stairs carrying stuff.

Needless to say he didn't last long; and while he was there I didn't go easy on him.

Going up stairs carrying stuff sucks. I regularly do 90 stairs carrying about 50lbs and I bet half the people on this forum would vomit and cry before they got to the top.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

Based Konami.

I imagine he was the first true Big Boss

 

[Erdrick]

Should have sent them to some of their health clubs that they run.

 

[Rock And Roll]

Oink oink oink

 

[lock2k]

Based

 

[Barnabot]

konami is like a confused boner. you see some nasty pachinko games from games you actually wanted remake or sequels while you hear something like this thread and you kinda like it.

 

[kiNeMs]

Here's to all the overweight/obese people out there to get their shit together.

Try carnivore, it works really well for the morbidly obese.

A fellow carni. Hiiii.

There can't be that many fat people in Konami Japan. Or was this in an American office. Either way, it was along time ago. Now you say it indirectly by offering free gymnasium and aerobics bonding classes.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

'oink oink oink' literally made me laugh, and I am almost dead inside.

Thanks

 

[and 3 others]

'oink oink oink' literally made me laugh, and I am almost dead inside.

Thanks

@Torrent of Pork translate

 

[Kuranghi]

I could do with some of that "appetite" I've heard about, anyone got any spare? I didn't eat until 6pm today, I really need to pre-prepare my meals so I can duck through the back and eat them in 5 mins, being a commission-based salesman means you never want to leave the shop floor while cunts are vying for new tellabisons*

I just can't fathom being so overweight or the journey to get there, the heaviest I've ever been is probably 11 stone (I'm 5'8") and that was when I was on benzos for a month, that was achieved by staying up until 4am most nights and eating huge bags of crisps and chocolate bars. I felt worse than ever before, weed didn't help me fall asleep anymore like it had for the last decade so I was just filling time and my stomach.

*Off-topic - I sold a premium TV to a blind man today, I may be the greatest TV salesman that ever lived.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Obesity is rampant in all tech fields.

You can't build a pool of talent if they're dying off prematurely. Or, far more commonly, suffering from various illnesses and setbacks tied to their weight that interferes with their ability to perform work

 

[tillbot8]

I dont agree with it but fucking lol at the same time

 

[El Rey]

I mean, is he wrong?

 

[QuantumZebra]

You sound like a real asshole. I don't think people would call you a nazi for pc-reasons.

If you take a job knowing the requirements (we made clear you must lift 25lbs and be able to go up/down stairs) then complain about it regularly you're a whiny bitch. Go work a construction site then cry about the heat and labor. No one will want you around.

 

[Kuranghi]

If you take a job knowing the requirements (we made clear you must lift 25lbs and be able to go up/down stairs) then complain about it regularly you're a whiny bitch. Go work a construction site then cry about the heat and labor. No one will want you around.

Its not just manual labor jobs as well, my whole job is being likeable & persuasive, sometimes being energetic and dancing around like you want to blow all the televisions in the local area. Yet they still hire people who are shy and take no for an answer and I'm like get them to fuck, we need energy in this role. I don't have much say in the hires but if you can't get someone competent at selling TVs - be that technical details or just enthusiasm - then they need to be a tall, handsome guy with blue/grey/green eyes, darker complexion and dark hair or a pretty woman, perhaps with big tits and a big ass.

You need to get the work done, in some cases its working hard, manually, being strong and sometimes its being knowledgeable and savy, sometimes it just being a walking fantasy so customers want to buy from them just to spend more time with them.

 

[regawdless]

Make fat people pay more taxes.

There, I said it.

(And make unemployment money dependent on you fitness. Let's fight the fatsos)

 

[Mountain King]

Make fat people pay more taxes.

There, I said it.

(And make unemployment money dependent on you fitness. Let's fight the fatsos)

Everyone on unemployment or any state funded help need to be in shape, take regular drug tests, and be sterile

 

[and 3 others]

Everyone on unemployment or any state funded help need to be in shape, take regular drug tests, and be sterile

That took a quick turn.

Personally I think those that get food assistance should be limited to uncooked food; eggs, milk, raw chicken, raw meats, and fish. Soda and straight up candy should be excluded.

Having worked a short stint at a gas station its common to see $80 in junk food paid with government assistance, then they go on to buy $5 in gas, $40 in cigarettes, and $50 in lotto tickets with cash.

 

[HariSeldon]

That took a quick turn.

Personally I think those that get food assistance should be limited to uncooked food; eggs, milk, raw chicken, raw meats, and fish. Soda and straight up candy should be excluded.

Having worked a short stint at a gas station its common to see $80 in junk food paid with government assistance, then they go on to buy $5 in gas, $40 in cigarettes, and $50 in lotto tickets with cash.

It is of course a displacement problem. If food is free you spend your cash on other things. In that situation clearly there isn't actually a need for that government assistance, but if you're getting it you don't have the incentive to become a functioning adult.

 

[and 3 others]

It is of course a displacement problem. If food is free you spend your cash on other things. In that situation clearly there isn't actually a need for that government assistance, but if you're getting it you don't have the incentive to become a functioning adult.

I guess I just don't understand why junk food was ever allowed to be purchased with it. WiC seems to be more stringent with what's purchasable.

 

[HariSeldon]

I guess I just don't understand why junk food was ever allowed to be purchased with it. WiC seems to be more stringent with what's purchasable.

It's a tricky one because it starts to become a freedom issue - if we have the government give you money and then decide what you can do with it.. well there are some philosophical problems with that. It may start with no junk food, then to vegan only because the government doesn't want to be seen to be funding meat, then not from certain suppliers deemed too right wing or too left wing, and so on and so on. It's the same argument that people have against UBI or government digital currencies. By placing the government in the transaction, the government has responsibility for it, which obliges it to ensure that it isn't against its wishes.

A better solution is to not have the government give people money. Instead, focus on creating conditions where that's not necessary. A good supply of jobs that pay enough to live with dignity, ensure the housing market makes that economically viable (ie actually build enough houses for people to live in so rents aren't exhorbitant) and then people can live as grown-ups and make their own way in life. Sure, have safety nets, but if they're being widely used then the safety net is no longer doing its job of catching the fallen, instead it's pulling people in.

 

[regawdless]

Everyone on unemployment or any state funded help need to be in shape, take regular drug tests, and be sterile

I'm all for strong "motivations" for unemployed people to get a job. That sterile part though, nah man, a step too far. How do you determine it, after what time of unemployment. And western societies desperately need children, no matter if from employed or unemployed, but we should motivate people more to get out of that.

 

[ManofTwo]

Lose da weight Fatsos

 

[DonDonDonPata]

It's a tricky one because it starts to become a freedom issue - if we have the government give you money and then decide what you can do with it.. well there are some philosophical problems with that. It may start with no junk food, then to vegan only because the government doesn't want to be seen to be funding meat, then not from certain suppliers deemed too right wing or too left wing, and so on and so on. It's the same argument that people have against UBI or government digital currencies. By placing the government in the transaction, the government has responsibility for it, which obliges it to ensure that it isn't against its wishes.

A better solution is to not have the government give people money. Instead, focus on creating conditions where that's not necessary. A good supply of jobs that pay enough to live with dignity, ensure the housing market makes that economically viable (ie actually build enough houses for people to live in so rents aren't exhorbitant) and then people can live as grown-ups and make their own way in life. Sure, have safety nets, but if they're being widely used then the safety net is no longer doing its job of catching the fallen, instead it's pulling people in.

it just so happens that a lot of politicians are tied in with these major food producers, either by family relation, a stake in the business, and/or donations from said companies.



$20k hammers and $40m school food programs