Mary Beth Lehman of Ball State University News has written an article about how the Wii actually entices people to play. Check out the excerpt below:
Ball State University Graduate Student Mark Bell, who is conducting his own research on the console, said the Wii is gaining the sales because it presents gamers, and even nontraditional gamers, with an alternative to what they have seen from past advancements in video games.
“The biggest three complaints people have about video games are they are violent, not communal and sedentary,” Bell said, “And the Wii conflicts against all of those-most of the games are kid-oriented, and they have more E-rated games than any other consoles. Those three major criticisms are superseded by the Wii instantaneously.”
Bell said the console appeals to people of all ages because its high level of interactivity and communal involvement.
“You can play at the same levels as adults, kids, older people, and more than anything, this is a culmination of Nintendo’s appeal to the female gamer,” he said. “Usually, 30-year-old guys who work at computer companies are always going to buy your games, but that’s not the market you want-you want housewives. I cannot imagine what would happen to the Wii if Oprah had it on her show-and I think she should, because it represents all her same values.”
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I really do hope that the Wii somehow makes it onto Oprah’s show. Hopefully the results will be phenomenal, unlike Rosie O’Donnell’s giving away GameCubes with a copy of Wave Race several years ago…
