Apparently I’m not alone, and Nintendo recognized the “casual” gamer as being an untapped market compared to the “hardcore” gamer, and they have done fantastically well with their Wii console. In much the same way that the Wii ambushed XBOX360 and Playstation3 last Christmas, it was reported yesterday that Nintendo has snuck up past Canon and is now the 2nd largest stock on the Nikkei, behind only Toyota.
...
In really big companies, there are often only two speeds in their gearbox: Glacier, and Panic. Nintendo’s success may have finally forced Microsoft and Sony to shift into overdrive and treat gaming as mainstream, family entertainment, instead of a niche market aimed at hardcore young gamers who have both money and time on their hands.
I was a little concerned that I might come across like Andy Rooney (who is kind of an ass) as I was whining about "kids today and their fancy games" but I hope I got my point across okay.
Sphere: Related Content
1 comment:
So what's wrong with being Andy Rooney? He does five minutes occasionally for "60 Minutes" and perhaps has a syndicated column and that seems to pay the bills. We should all be so lucky and listened to.
Digressions aside, I know you're on to something here. When my kids were actually "kids" we didn't own a gaming console even though I sold Playstaions. We'd bring the demo home on a long weekend once in a blue moon with all the demo games and the boys would play until their eyes went square. Often I'd join them. Susie not so much.
We graduated to playing on our computers. The guys would play Command and Conquer then they moved on to Baldur's Gate. I'd play golf and Susie developed a taste for puzzle games and the Myst series. But my early fun experiences playing Galaga, Tempest and Arkanoid were never really recreated in the new console systems. Mario Brothers took too long and the racing games were hopeless without a steering wheel. And priorities changed for us, too.
Duncan now has one of every gaming console and he and his wife, Morgan, both have Nintendo DS units - but no kids; big surprise. Steve, our youngest, bought a Nintendo 64 while Matt (in the middle) moved on to Neverwinter Nights - but who has the time when you've got real bills to pay?
Then Duncan brought his Wii here over the summer. In no time we were boxing, bowling and golfing together as a family. It was fun. It was easy. It was relaxing. It was social. Even Duncan's first impression of the Wii was shaped by its inherent playability.
He's still a "brave new world gamer snob", but he does agree. Playing is the whole point. No matter what you want to play.
Shalom
*Occasionally waving my arms in joy with Wii controller in my hand.*
Post a Comment