WiiChat has a LONG article up on the claim that Nintendo is kiddy, how the image came to be, and how it may affect Nintendo’s future (or vice versa). To be honest, it’s so long that I’ve been here and have only read half the article, but it’s definately a good read so far, and I figured I’d share it before finishing the rest. Excerpt below.
Nintendo’s image is a large factor in all this, yet the perception of Nintendo equating with “childish” is something that has emerged regardless of whether the company wanted it or not. Videogames come from an era where it was indeed accepted by the young because, as with any new medium, the young are the easiest to fully acknowledge new things. Mascot gaming was huge in the 90s because demographic expansion demanded as much, and with Mario being the biggest at the time, Nintendo was attached to gaming which was a medium also synonymous with ‘child-like’. And since, it’s become something the company has failed to totally shrug off, especially after confusing messages via green blood Mortal Kombat compared to latter day throat clutching death sequences in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. As the market changed to embrace older targets, Nintendo has tried to change too – but mainstream perception has made that very difficult.
Hit the link to head over to WiiChat and read the full article – and make sure you have some time on your hands. Then leave a comment for Corey on what you thought about his article. He deserves it.
WiiChat
