Comments on: Has Nintendo changed the definition of 'gamer'?

Nintendo has enjoyed success once again in the video game space. But as Don Reisinger considers sales figures for last month, he's come to the conclusion that Nintendo has changed the face of gaming and he's no longer the typical gamer.

[randyscott99]

Hey I have a WII and I love it, if you want to play games with hi graphics, play it on a computer. I love the way the WII plays games with the remote, i think it makes the game more fun.

[dracoaffectus]

I totally agree, Don. I too get frustrated with the Wii control system, and much prefer more traditional controllers. And I also have noticed that the best Wii games are the games made by Nintendo, but those have increasingly become multi-player focused to the point where they're not really much fun to play by yourself, though I don't own a Wii myself, so I haven't had much opportunity to play these games alone; they just seem like they were intended to be played by a group. Though with the sales figures I keep seeing, it's apparent that Nintendo has successfully brought "gaming" to the masses, even if they had to redefine the term to make it work. I'm still a fan of more story-line driven games, though i'm starting to see more replay value in "party"-oriented games; I still have a terrible time with the Wii controls and wish I could opt to use a more old-fashioned controller instead.

[megustansalchichas]

"they had to redefine the term" -are you serious? they are going after the same market that they owned in the 80's, the people who will be attracted to cute, fun games, like Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers, Super Mario Galaxy, etc. do you remember Nintendo invented the rumble pack with Starfox and everyone thought it was a gimmick -then sony and xbox included the rumble feature in their controls. Nintendo has always dared to take risks, and the Wii paid off handsomely. if only Microsoft and Sony had the balls to step outside their young male comfort zone.

[aj37viggen]

Don, it's simple: The Wii has expanded the gaming community by bringing in people whose idea of "fun" (or "epic adventure," for that matter) is NOT focused on killing, stealing, and destroying.

That shift doesn't exclude or diminish the segment of gaming that you enjoy. But it does shift the boundaries of the gaming universe so that your group is no longer the center.

I'm old enough to remember when Honda did the same thing to the motorcycle industry back in the '60s, and believe me, the self-styled rebels and misfits who made up the traditional motorcycle base were just as upset about "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" as you are with the Wii crowd.

[megustansalchichas]

exactly right. Don is probably against Wal Mart too for driving prices down to the point where people can afford things. 'if it's not expensive it can't be good' seems to be his mentality, and that's the kind of mentality that eventually puts people into train cars and sends them off somewhere where we can't see them.

[Crash_Man]

it makes me really glad to see so many level-headed and understanding people responding to this article.

his opinion isn't any less valuable than anyone else's. but what's wrong is pretending that the Wii is "just" casual or "just" waggle or "just" anything.... just as it would be wrong to assume the PS3/60 do not have shovelware and try to appeal to an expanded audience.

please, all those who consider themselves passionate about Wii gaming, come hang out with us:
www.wiiaredeep.tk

[worsethannormal]

So the problem here is lumping "games" into one big category and then saying anyone that plays a game on a computer is a 'gamer'. This is inappropriate, since all humans play games for fun and relaxation.

Consider it this way. When I was in high school the term 'gamer' meant anyone who played D&D or the like. Now one could spend every evening playing Monopoly, Charades, Pictionary, etc. and never be called a 'gamer'. And I think that's a pretty good way of thinking about it. Most of what is on the Wii is like Monopoly, Charades, Pictionary, etc. games you'll play and then forget; games with small, non-complex rule sets, and without narratives. Where as, what is now termed 'hardcore games', games with more fluid rules sets that encourage experimentation, and have a narrative thread, are more like Pen and Paper RPGs, like D&D.

Now I'm not going to stand on a soapbox and say only those who play the second type of games are real gamers, since labels like this are silly and stupid. However, you can use these two categories to decided which kind of gamer you are. Do you only play "Party Games" when your friends come over? or do you sit alone in your bed-room gankin' noobs till 4am on a work-night?

P.S. I have a hard time thinking Nintendo and the Wii have changed much. I have many friends who were so enamored by the Wii that they ran out an bought one within weeks of launch. Out of the 20 Wii's I know of in the wild, not a single one gets played unless some one's having a party, which means, 95% of the time, or more, the thing is never turned on. But the PC's, Xboxes and PS2's,3's in those homes get played all the time. Just because Nintendo has sold a lot of Wii's doesn't mean they are being used. I don't know a single person that boots their Wii more than once every few months.

[Zoobie]

Your comment was good, until the PS. You did the very thing you complained about by lumping all Wii owners into people who only turn it on once a month or less; however, many people have commented already that they play Wii regularly.

[rfasbell]

What most people enjoy about the Wii is that many people can play it, and it is fun ona very innocent and light side--the Wii can tell a joke without getting it's panties ina wwas, but to be good the other systems have to push the line between realistic looking guts and glory, violence you would never even see on network television, and crap like that. Most of hte Wii titles are easyoing, fun games I can play with my five year old. If they made more games like tht for the Xbox 360, i might consider picking it up. But until i can play it with my five year old, condsider me a Wii afficionado.

[Hunnter2k3]

Gaming today, listed as levels of difficulty:
Average - PS3, 360, PC, PS2 (yes, PS2 DOES still sell, quite well)
Easy
Very Easy
Step-by-step guide
Step-by-step guide for non-native English Speakers - Wii.

Most of the games are a complete joke.
Yes, they might be targeted at families, but seriously, come on, release something that isn't a step-by-step guide!
Hell, Nintendo want to make games that play THEMSELVES! (they patented the idea..)
If this does come to pass, you can probably add Wii / Wii2 onto the list under "In Soviet Russia, game plays you!"
Nintendo don't seem to care much for the "gamers", the actual gamers, not the casual ones who just play it to pass time. Shame...
I will still keep my Wii for those few games that actually have some sort of depth.

[scribbles23]

Just because a console doesn't rely on M and T games for sales doesn't mean it can't be a serious console. I have multiple consoles and my PC, and believe that each has its merits. The Wii offers unique and light-hearted games with many of the same elements as the more gory PS3 and XBOX 360 counterparts, as well as the added challenge of control manipulation. Take for example, Elebits. Admittedly, the entire point of the game is to capture cute little creatures, but in essence, it is a first-person shooter with a significant puzzle element. Additionally, the physics this game churns out are quite stunning, considering the limitations on the console. Yes, there are a lot of games geared toward the less-serious gamer, and the games that are available often seem somewhat dumbed-down, but the end result is that a player can have fun, and get the same experience and gameplay, without having to watch the significant violence inherent with the standard 'hardcore gamer' titles. So, dear blogger, the definition of gamer has not changed, instead, it's about time that the gaming industry recognizes that some gamers aren't horror fans, and gives us all a choice of what to play.

[leo7278]

wow i cant believe i wasted 250 dollars for a system that has the running capabilities of a ps2 that has ******** games that are all about table tennis sports and other pointless ******** i can do in real life

[megustansalchichas]

"I don't like it"
wow. what a negative nellie. lots of people are having fun with Mario cart and you 'don't like' the fact that developers want to make games for a fun platform? jeez, do you 'not like' strawberry ice cream, just because chocolate is your favorite? should people not make caramel for the ice cream market because you happen to loooove chocolate?
who the hell are your editors, and why are they paying you?

[platomaker]

nintendo wii V. the traditional controller? what is it that you don't understand? the wii mote nunchunk combination IS the traditional controller, it may be a while before people start to feel for it but there is not anything you can't do with one analog stick and four buttons that you can't do on a wiimote-nunchunk combination.

should the need for two analog sticks arise then just point dang it. the very traditional dpad could actually pose for the 4 face buttons you see on modern systems- its small but you will not mispress any buttons.

i think you just got an issue with the image. There's a lot lacking, but do you have an alternative? you mentioned traditional but if you think about it, there's no other company more traditional than nintendo.

[Zoolander86]

gUYS RELAX..... i dont see how hes being a fanboy, he has a point. The only good games on the wii only come from nintendo, name me a few games that arent published by nintendo that are soooooooooo awsome u gotta get a wii 4 it. The wii is a great machine, and i could see it doing much more in the future, I know wii sells like crazy and its still hard to get ur hands on one, but its onestly just a fad.... people go nuts, buy it, play it 4 a while.... and just let it collect dust. trust me... dont insult the guy for speking the truth! its just that too many people are scared to cause of crazy old nintendo fanboy's like urself!!!

[patriotolo]

I think the key difference between wii and xbox/ps3 is the designer's idea of games.

Xbox/PS3 has been the ongoing supporters of traditional definition of games which are supposed to provide visual impact and content experience through the use of cutting edge hardware technologies, especially in terms of processing power and 3D rendering capabilities.

However, as for Wii, it simply has no means of following the traditional definition of games. The design of Wii made a 180 degrees turn from the way games were designed and played. The interactive controller design is what I consider the major breakthrough of Wii and therefore, differentiating it from the traditional gaming consoles.

So, why do the traditional gamers feeling left-out of the scene? Well, simply because Wii lacked the power to provide a platform for high-end gaming, lacked the capability to provide visual impact and gaming experience traditional gamers are used to. I'm sure Nintendo designers had thought about this and made their decisions when they designed Wii--a game console that only consumes one tenth the power of PS3 (in turn the lack of processing capabilities). I would argue that, it is simply a market strategy that Nintendo used to avoid heads on clash with Xbox and PS3, and at the same time lower the risk of an experimental platform reaching out to the customers (really successful experiment) with lower unit and investment costs.

I wouldn't doubt that in just a few years time (maybe even before end of this decade), we would see a Wii2 coming forth with much improved processing power that is capable of taking on the challenge against Xbox/PS3, and I am also sure that other gaming platforms would learn the lessons and have more interactive gaming devices added on in the near future. Hence, the definition of "gamers" will not become totally obsolete, instead, it would embrace both its traditional identity as well as new era gaming concepts in the foreseeable future.

[ozkidzez91]

Rather than make a long winded assessment, I'll sum it up instead.

XBOX 360 (and PS3 I guess) is for gamers. Those who own them and play them often are gamers. People who own and play Wii often AREN'T gamers. They are people who like playing video games.

See the difference?

[fcz1]

I guess I'm not a true gamer. Sure, I got the Atari 2600 when it came out. Sure I spent every summer through high school and some of college working in an arcade (7 years). Sure I have played every console that has hit the market. But since I have currently settled on the Wii (currently playing Okami), I suppose I'm not a "real gamer" just because there are some games on the system I can play with my elderly parents as well as children.

[rnaoncfixd]

But wait! Shouldn't old school gamers like the Wii because it has the virtual system that can play all the old games that were on the original NES, Sega and Atari?

Thanks to the Wii, I don't have to reconfigure all my old systems to my new HDTV. Sure, I have to re-buy the games, but who didn't do that when you bought new movies on blu-ray or DVD. Also, Nintendo magic (blowing on the cartridge for those not in the know) is something I would rather not have to do anymore.

[Nataku4ca]

that was fun though... lol

my old nes ac adapter burnt, so sad...

[Cyborganizer]

You wrote the only logical defense of virtual console games. Many older games still have incredible graphics. I know I am using Kirby's Adventure too much as an example, but it is a nearly perfect game. Even the graphics for that game are future proof. They still look good compared to any game made. I know they are not realistic, but they are realistic enough for a game about a large marshmallow that eats everything it sees. Now that I think about it, I would like to see "Kirby's Adventure" or "A Link to the Past" on a large screen TV. I always say graphics are never important, but exceptions pop up every now and then. I am never impressed with graphics that will be surpassed in 5 or 6 years, but some graphics never go out of style. "Call of Duty 4" and "Crysis" look great until the next generation of video cards or consoles are released.
I also agree with you other statement. Every loves to buy their favorite movie on new technology, why not video games? All of the PS3 fanboys never shut up about how they bought their favorite movie on VHS, DVD and now Blu-Ray. However, buying buying an VC game on the Wii is stupid. Other gamers say they can get the games on emulators for free, but this is illegal in the United States and I can illegally download Blu-Ray movies too. I love my high speed connection. Currently I own one VC game because I still think Nintendo should lower their prices. However, I probably will consider buying more VC games after reading this comment.

Thank You.

Yes, that's you Don.

Shoot-them-all games are typically played by American and Western European 19-35 males. Tastes are different if you come from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, if you are younger or older - and of course if you are a woman.

Nintendo has not changed the definition of gamer, it just put it in perspective.

By the way, you can use old Nintendo controllers on the Wii, we use it when we have more than 2 players. You can also use the Wii to play the old favourites, from the vintage SuperMario to Sonic, etc. Even 'core' gamers play them with fondness and nostalgia...

[Cyborganizer]

I think you are unwilling to try something new even if it improves gaming. Many gamers like a formula that works and never want to see it changed. I love "The Legend of Zelda" series, but I want something new. Trying to convince other fans of the series to make any changes is impossible. They want the same game over and over again. Some gamers like the fact that Final Fantasy has not made any significant changes in 22 years. However, as an older gamer I am tired of the same game rereleased over and over again.

[MLewis416]

Nintendo has successfully segmented the market. You do you - I'm a do Mii !

[sjordan54180]

Call it a toy, a whim, whatever you want. Nintendo is going to the bank while cry babies like this guy whine about it. Play your XBox 360 and keep a lid on it man.