We’ve all complained about Friend Codes in the past and now it seems Nintendo agree with us. President Satoru Iwata has been speaking about Nintendo’s online system and explaining why the system might not be perfect, but it is necessary.

The implementation of Friend Codes into Nintendo’s online system has been a major point of complaint for many gamers. Whilst it adds increased security and safety, it certainly isn’t the most streamlined and simplistic way to play people online. Speaking with GameDaily after E3 2008, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata was questioned on the use of Friend Codes and explained his views on the system:

BIZ: For a console like the Wii, which reaches the mass market, friend codes don’t seem like they’re very friendly for mass market consumers. It’s like entering a string of credit card numbers. How will Nintendo’s approach to online be changing?

Iwata: First of all, I don’t think the current system we have with friend codes is perfect. However, if it’s an online world where you can get access to anybody without any restrictions, I as a father do not feel like allowing my daughter be engaged in that kind of world. So for Nintendo, especially in terms of the people who have never experienced online video games before, we think that it’s still very important to create a world where we can assure that there will be no harassment for these online beginners, and we really want to assure the security and safety for them to do that. So we will be studying this on an ongoing basis in order to improve Nintendo’s own circumstances where people can freely and safely enjoy the communications through the net.

Whilst we’re not massive fans of the Friend Codes system, we can certainly see where Iwata is coming from. Whilst the codes don’t make the online system all that ‘friendly’, they certainly do make it pretty safe for the general public to enjoy, especially if children are involved.

As a final titbit from the interview, Iwata was also questioned on the announcement of Wii MotionPlus.

BIZ: Is this kind of functionality [Wii MotionPlus] what Nintendo really wanted to launch the Wii with from the get go, and now you’re finally realizing that complete design?

Iwata: As a matter of fact, this kind of design was first conceived only after the initial Wii Remote design had been completed. And of course, as Wii Sports has already proved in the marketplace, the Wii Remote itself is pretty interesting [to consumers]. But as we came up with a great idea like Wii Sports, every other software producer and creator started to think about something more. That’s the reason why internally they started to demand that some more technology be brought to the Wii Remote.

So we weren’t swindled into buying what we thought was the finished product only for Nintendo to bombard us with more plastic. The full interview makes for an interesting read, so be sure to check it out.