Q & A: The Forces Behind Wii!

[score]

From The Revolution Lifestyle (http://theboard.zogdog.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=11) :

While at E3 the New York Times interviewed both Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto. The interview was just released. Many questions where asked mostly about why Nintendo is going the direction that they are. Pretty interesting read :

Q. What has changed in the industry to prompt this change in strategy, of trying to expand the market rather than catering simply to existing gamers?

A. About 15 years ago, for example, if there was someone in your household playing video games and you saw them you might say, "Oh give me that, I really want to play." But right now, if someone is playing a video game and they ask other family members if they want to play, they often will say, "Oh no, that seems to be too complicated,'' or "Oh no, that's not something for me." That is how the environment and circumstances have changed and this is a big factor in why we have a different philosophy right now.

And that basic philosophy is why Nintendo introduced Nintendogs and the tennis game for the Wii that we have here. If you look at Nintendo DS or Nintendogs or tennis on the Wii, people never think "Oh this is too complicated." We are trying to remove that kind of hesitation and we are going to show that anybody can pick up and touch Wii and enjoy it, just as we have shown with the Nintendo DS. We remove that barrier so that people who have not been interested in games can be entertained.


Read More (http://theboard.zogdog.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=11&showentry=1500)

[Rirath]

I'll believe it the same day I see old grandmothers happily playing Brain Age like the pathetic advertisements running in Wal-Mart depict. Seriously, Nintendo is for /everyone/, we get it. Now just give me some games.

And yes, Tennis on the Wii seems complicated. You have to have timing, you have to have at least a bit of aim it seems. Accounts I read said that people were doing somewhat poorly at E3. It's not going to be a peace of cake, especially against a good, practiced player vs a total newbie to games in general.

[Ravenlock]

I'll believe it the same day I see old grandmothers happily playing Brain Age like the pathetic advertisements running in Wal-Mart depict. Seriously, Nintendo is for /everyone/, we get it. Now just give me some games.

And yes, Tennis on the Wii seems complicated. You have to have timing, you have to have at least a bit of aim it seems. Accounts I read said that people were doing somewhat poorly at E3. It's not going to be a peace of cake, especially against a good, practiced player vs a total newbie to games in general.I've seen it. Seriously. I was in Target last week trying unsuccessfully to get one of the accidentally-released-early DS Lites (why do they never screw up in my favor in my town? Sigh.) and there was a 50+ looking woman telling her 20-something son that she wanted Brain Age for her birthday. Unless she was a plant put there solely to convince me, I'd call that rather compelling (though anecdotal) evidence that Nintendo's plan is working just fine.

And of course you have to have timing and a bit of aim... you think that qualifies as "complicated"? The game doesn't play itself for you. The point is that the controls are intuitive - if I want to swing the racquet, I swing the racquet, I don't have to ask what 8 different buttons do.

[holysin]

About 15 years ago, for example, if there was someone in your household playing video games and you saw them you might say, "Oh give me that, I really want to play." But right now, if someone is playing a video game and they ask other family members if they want to play, they often will say, "Oh no, that seems to be too complicated,'' or "Oh no, that's not something for me."

So true... Many of my friends are like that too, only the people at my job really like playing like I do.

[benig]

The idea Nintendo is going for is that I don't have to tell the person I am playing with how to play. They can pick up the remote and just...play.

[bean19]

Q. What has changed in the industry to prompt this change in strategy, of trying to expand the market rather than catering simply to existing gamers?

I wonder if the next question is "When the Nintendo Wii is the biggest success of this generation, how do you plan to celebrate?"

Actually, I don't wonder. . . I lost interest when the reporter used Nintendo's own spin as the premise of a question.

(For the reading comprehension impaired - I'm pissed off at this reporter - NOT the Nintendo Wii. I still want to try one in stores before committing to a purchase because the lines were insane at E3, but the Wii does have some really cool looking games.)

[Savok]

The idea Nintendo is going for is that I don't have to tell the person I am playing with how to play. They can pick up the remote and just...play.
Exactly, you don't have to be an expert at it right away, but the design is very simple to understand, like with Tennis it's just "oh I just swing this like a racket?"

I've tried to explain a Dual Shock to my mother, it didn't go well. Wii on the other hand, she could come to terms with... eventually, she hates push button telephones afterall... well so do I but that isn't the point.

[Rirath]

And of course you have to have timing and a bit of aim... you think that qualifies as "complicated"? The game doesn't play itself for you.

No, I don't think it's complicated. I think it's complicated to someone who finds even the simplest of video games complicated. I had to explain Mario Bros 1 to my Grandmother back in the day. She rarely made it past the first goomba, or the first pit, much less off level 1.

It's not that games are overly hard or complex or even the controllers, it's simply that non-gamers suck at games, and will thus label it complicated. Just watch, it'll happen with the Wii the same way it happens with DDR, with arcade racing games, with snowboard-simulators... They will still suck at it, and they will say it's too hard and not for them.

[Draft]

The idea Nintendo is going for is that I don't have to tell the person I am playing with how to play. They can pick up the remote and just...play.Yes, and the controller has absolutely NOTHING to do with that. A simple game is a simple game, whether your pressing the A button, swinging a Wiimote or dragging the mouse cursor.

Zelda: TP, Mario Galaxy, Red Steel, Metroid Prime 3--- all use the Wiimote, all are just as complex as any other game, all are gonna send your mom packing after about 2 minutes of running aimlessly into walls.

The only Nintendo game that even comes close to following their simple is better policy is Wiisports, and if you think your grandma is gonna gonna buy a Wii so she can play a gimmicky tennis game, you have another thing coming.

[Ravenlock]

It's not that games are overly hard or complex or even the controllers, it's simply that non-gamers suck at games, and will thus label it complicated. Just watch, it'll happen with the Wii the same way it happens with DDR, with arcade racing games, with snowboard-simulators... They will still suck at it, and they will say it's too hard and not for them.Wow, so you're not just a pessimist, you're a dick. *Shrug* Your statement is still wrong. There's not some magical segregatory line between gamers and non-gamers. There is, I agree, a generational gap between people who never got used to interacting with any digital interface and people who grew up doing so, but I think that's all you could argue for.

My wife, as a rule, really disliked video games when we met. Still does, usually... She thinks they're a waste of time, primarily because she doesn't want to dedicate the time required to learn to play them well. She certainly didn't grow up playing them, and until we met I don't think she really had played any other than Mario.

She still managed to pick up and become addicted to Pikmin in the span of two days (and beat it in the next two days, and beat Pikmin 2 in less than a week), and is considerably better at it than me. The controls for it are simple and intuitive. Note: the GAME is not simple; the CONTROLS are simple. It's basically just a mouse pointer mapped onto an analog stick. On the Wii, Pikmin would be even easier to control, and she can't wait to play it when it inevitably comes out on that system. Draft is partially right, as evidenced by what I just said - it's not all about the controller. You can make simple controls for anything. Nintendo's just trying to make it easier to make simple controls.

What (as far as I can tell) the Wii takes advantage of well are three motions that everybody already knows how to do - swing, turn, and point & click. Draft, your example of Zelda is, I think, really a bad one. The GAME is and will always be complicated. I don't agree that the controls have to be. Managing an analog stick to aim the bow and arrow in Zelda was a giant pain in the ass, even for a good gamer. Pointing and clicking is easy.

Done correctly (will it be? Have to wait and see), I really do think the Wii interface can make what are currently complicated game interfaces much more friendly. Obviously so does Nintendo. We'll find out....if you think your grandma is gonna gonna buy a Wii so she can play a gimmicky tennis game, you have another thing coming.This part I agree with. I don't expect a lot of grandmothers to be playing the Wii. But that isn't what excites me about it. There are plenty of people in my generation who don't play games but probably would if they were more intuitive and interactive.

It's those people I hope Nintendo successfully targets. Based on my conversations with people like that who are excited about the Wii, I think they're doing pretty well so far.

[NoName]

A. The biggest issue now is to make enough amounts of the hardware available for the launch. We are saying we plan to lauch in Japan, North America and Europe by the end of this year and it's very important to ship a sufficient amount of the hardware in the launch window.
Here's to hoping there's a large amount of units shipped. At least that's Nintendo's main concern.

[Draft]

What (as far as I can tell) the Wii takes advantage of well are three motions that everybody already knows how to do - swing, turn, and point & click. Draft, your example of Zelda is, I think, really a bad one. The GAME is and will always be complicated. I don't agree that the controls have to be. Managing an analog stick to aim the bow and arrow in Zelda was a giant pain in the ass, even for a good gamer. Pointing and clicking is easy.

Done correctly (will it be? Have to wait and see), I really do think the Wii interface can make what are currently complicated game interfaces much more friendly. Obviously so does Nintendo. We'll find out.A lot of previews said that it's more difficult to shoot arrows with the wiimote. The aiming mechanic is the same (z-targetting,) but instead of pressing a button you have to "draw back" the wiimote from the nunchuck. How anyone can call that less complicated is beyond me.

[Lutheran]

I have to agree , this thought that the Wii will make people who have no interest in gaming all of a sudden change that thought process is wishful thinking at best. I can't wait for it to come out , I will preorder it the minute its available but only because I can't wait to play the new Mario and Zelda and the old ass games I used to love. Also the new controller looks like it will be a lot of fun. But will my aunt be interested? Not in a million years..would she like Brain Age? You bet , she would love it..its the type of game that matters and if they can find interest in it..sure making it easy by providing less buttons will help but people who don't game don't care about making sure Mario finds all the stars in a level or if he can find the princess. They have no interest because they just aren't gamers. You need to give them something a person who isn't a gamer will be interested in , stuff like Brain age or Tetris type games etc. No matter how easy a game is to control , if a person doesn't love to play games they won't be buying a Wii just cause its easy to swing the racket in some tennis game.

[Rirath]

Wow, so you're not just a pessimist, you're a dick. *Shrug* Your statement is still wrong. .... but I think that's all you could argue for.

Or you could, you know, be wrong on all counts. I prefer to call myself a cynical optimist.

[Ravenlock]

A lot of previews said that it's more difficult to shoot arrows with the wiimote. The aiming mechanic is the same (z-targetting,) but instead of pressing a button you have to "draw back" the wiimote from the nunchuck. How anyone can call that less complicated is beyond me.Well, I obviously wasn't talking about the Z-Targeting, since I specifically compared it to when you had to manually aim with the analog stick. I have absolutely no idea whether shooting with the Wiimote is more complicated when using Z-Targeting. I don't think I saw any videos where anyone did that.

The only videos I saw had people manually aiming the bow and arrow / hookshot with the Wiimote by pointing and clicking. Pointing and clicking is an easier mechanic than fiddling with analog sticks, and they didn't seem to be having any trouble.

Rather than be hung up about how the specifics of how something we haven't seen yet works, though, let's just apply it to any generic first person shooter. Halo. I'm relatively sure that someone who isn't familiar with FPS games would have a pretty steep learning curve picking that up on a console. I'm a computer FPS gamer, and the first time I tried Halo on XBox I was awful. I find it hard to believe that you would argue against the idea that "want to look that way? Point that way. Want to shoot that? Point at it" is simpler than dual analog control. I can MAYBE see an argument that the nunchuck for movement would take some getting used to, but it's still a definite step in the "easier" direction.

[Ravenlock]

Or you could, you know, be wrong on all counts. I prefer to call myself a cynical optimist.Sure, I could be. It's tough to argue that I am, though, without presenting any argument at all.

So far all you've said is that grandmas won't play Brain Age - untrue - and that nongamers suck at games, which doesn't even mean anything.

[Draft]

Oh, I agree that the Wiimote seems better suited for FPS games than dual analog. That hasn't really panned out yet (neither Red Steel or Metroid Prime are supposed to control omgwtfbbq good), but I could see that happening.

[Rirath]

I'm a computer FPS gamer, and the first time I tried Halo on XBox I was awful. I find it hard to believe that you would argue against the idea that "want to look that way? Point that way. Want to shoot that? Point at it" is simpler than dual analog control.

I'm a computer FPS gamer since the days of Blake Stone, Raise of the Triad, Wolf 3D, and I think it was called Abyss or Catacombs... (a mage character that shoots fireballs from the hand in a FPS maze setting...), but I never had any real problems adapting to Golden Eye. When Halo came along, it fit like a glove as far as console controls are concerned.

Anyone can be given an analog stick and start fiddling with it to look around as easily as anyone can get used to pointing in imaginary space. It's a question of doing so well that'll be the true test, and while combining movement and combat into the mix. You ask people to start doing two or more tasks at once, and there's inevitably going to be mixed signals.

[Rirath]

Sure, I could be. It's tough to argue that I am, though, without presenting any argument at all.

You merely choose to see none, which is not the same thing.

So far all you've said is that grandmas won't play Brain Age - untrue

I never claimed there wasn't a grandmother in the world who would touch it. I never even claimed they won't play it. I said that like you, I'll believe it when I see it. Your single evidence is all you need to prove your entire world view, so congrats. I don't have that.

and that nongamers suck at games, which doesn't even mean anything.

It means what it means. It means something to me. If it means nothing to you, so be it.

[Ravenlock]

Oh, I agree that the Wiimote seems better suited for FPS games than dual analog. That hasn't really panned out yet (neither Red Steel or Metroid Prime are supposed to control omgwtfbbq good), but I could see that happening.Well, okay, that's one genre.

Leaving out the "universal appeal" argument for a moment and focusing on gameplay... (As I mentioned before, I agree with you, most grandmothers aren't buying a Wii; what interests ME is where the Wii will be able to compel interested people who otherwise wouldn't have picked up the controller to play.)

I think the Wii will be the ONLY place for RTS games, since point and click has always been the only reasonable way to control them. The ability to combine FPS and RTS, done occasionally with some success on PC, could now show up on console too. Turn-based strategy... well, it's turn-based. Doesn't really matter.

Sports games, it really depends on the sport. I think baseball, golf, and tennis could all be much better on the Wii than they've been on any other system. Wiisports isn't the answer to that claim, but given time I think we'll see some really cool stuff there. Football, basketball, hockey... nightmares. I can't imagine playing them with the Wiimote, and my guess is that ports of the "usual" games in these categories from other systems will just use the classic controller.

Vehicle games (racing, flying, parts of other games containing vehicle control, etc), I really don't know. Watching people play ExciteTruck (cute throwback, Nintendo, but that is a really bad name), I actually think it'll be harder for me to get used to something like that, but in the end could be more fun. Toss up.

RPG/fighting/action adventure... also don't know. I would love love love to see the swordplay part of Red Steel expanded into a whole fencing/swordfighting game, where the game actually does track every motion your arm makes and map it accurately with the game responding. I don't think I can properly envision all the ways developers will use the Wiimote for 3rd person games, but that's part of what's cool - I want to see what they come up with. Mario Galaxy looks fun.

Quirky games - limitless potential, and this is where most of the "non-gamer-attracting" creativity will lie, I imagine. Games like Warioware, or a symphony-conducting game, or... *shrug* I dunno, anything where your arm moves. Who knows. There have certainly been some crazy uses of the stylus and microphone on the DS Lite, so we'll just have to wait and see. Trauma Center Wii seems like a lock.

Is it gimmicky? Can be. It'll certainly be tacked on to some games as just a gimmick, and that's an unavoidable shame. But I don't think you can justifiably call it JUST a gimmick, and I do see the potential for it to get more people gaming.

[Draft]

Apparently the LotR game on X360 controls very, very well with the dual analog.

Ignoring that, I've never felt that analog sticks were what was holding console RTS games back. It's buttons. How many fucking hotkeys do you need to play a game of WC3? I know myself I use about 25.

[Ravenlock]

I'm a computer FPS gamer since the days of Blake Stone, Raise of the Triad, Wolf 3D, and I think it was called Abyss or Catacombs... (a mage character that shoots fireballs from the hand in a FPS maze setting...), but I never had any real problems adapting to Golden Eye. When Halo came along, it fit like a glove as far as console controls are concerned.

Anyone can be given an analog stick and start fiddling with it to look around as easily as anyone can get used to pointing in imaginary space. It's a question of doing so well that'll be the true test, and while combining movement and combat into the mix. You ask people to start doing two or more tasks at once, and there's inevitably going to be mixed signals.Yeah, I played ROTT too, at least until they started having enemy eyeballs hit the screen. That was just a little too over-the-top for me. I wasn't as into the "hey, cool, disgusting!" thing as the other kids were.

As for the multitasking, I don't disagree, and I don't expect anyone to pick it up and immediately be awesome at it. I'm arguing that it's easier to point at something and click than it is to use analog controls to move a targeting reticle. I haven't heard anyone, including you, make a logical rebuttal to that. I've never met anyone who couldn't figure out Duck Hunt, including parents and grandparents. Have you?I never claimed there wasn't a grandmother in the world who would touch it. I never even claimed they won't play it. I said that like you, I'll believe it when I see it. Your single evidence is all you need to prove your entire world view, so congrats. I don't have that.I'm pretty sure I labelled my evidence as anecdotal. Lemme check. Yup, I did. But the one day I go into Target and end up in their Nintendo section, I randomly run into an older woman hoping to end up with Brain Age. I live in the middle of Central Pennsylvania. If OUR nearly-grandmothers are looking to play DS games, Nintendo isn't doing so badly getting the traditionally non-game-playing audience.

[Ravenlock]

Apparently the LotR game on X360 controls very, very well with the dual analog.

Ignoring that, I've never felt that analog sticks were what was holding console RTS games back. It's buttons. How many fucking hotkeys do you need to play a game of WC3? I know myself I use about 25.If that's true (about LOTR), I'd love to know what the secret is. Using analog control to target a tiny, moving object among hundreds of other tiny, moving objects on a screen just doesn't seem workable to me. Still, if they made it work, awesome.

As for buttons it depends on the type of RTS. For something like W3C, I agree it would be pretty hard to do without lots of hotkeys. For a tactical RTS like Total War, though, I don't hotkey anything other than groups, and it'd be easy enough to compensate for that with the nunchuck. Good point about the buttons in general, though, that would be tricky on pretty much any non-keyboard controller.

[Rook34]

Wow, a funny observation: Grandma's have come up more in this thread than any before it!

If nintendo were smart they'd make a slot machine game that ties into bank accounts and grandmas could bet from home using the wiimote to pull back the bar. Lol! Grandma's and grandpa's acoss the nation would be broke in no time flat, what with not having to go to an actual casino!

[EternalGamer]

Anyone can be given an analog stick and start fiddling with it to look around as easily as anyone can get used to pointing in imaginary space. It's a question of doing so well that'll be the true test, and while combining movement and combat into the mix. You ask people to start doing two or more tasks at once, and there's inevitably going to be mixed signals.

This is only somewhat true. If I give someone an analogue stick and tell them to point the cursor at the enemy on screen, they probably would have a very hard time aiming. If I give them the Wiimote and tell them to point it at the guy on the screen that is incredibly simplier to do. Anyone can point at things. It requires no special skill. Mainipulating an analogue stick to aim, is much more complicated and alien.

It is also obvious that there are two tiers of games we are talking about here. It's not just all simple or all complicated. Nintendo has said as much. They want to continute to make complex and innovative games with the Wii controller for gamers. But they also want to develop more intuitive style games. So, yes the aiming mechanic in Zelda is more complicated--that's a game for gamers. But yes also that Wii sports is easier for non-gamers.

I guess I would be skeptical too if Nintendo didn't already have a precident for this in Nintendogs and Braintraining. You give those two games to a non-gamers and they can figure them out almost instantly. They are more intuitive than any other game I can think of in recent memory, and they sold to non-gaming audiences. My landlord who is 71 years old just bought his first videogame system ever, a DS. He bought it for Brain Training and now he also plays Nintendogs and Animal Crossing on it daily. If you want non-anecdotal evidence just look at the success of the DS in Japan. It isn't gamers who are buying all those versions of Brain Training, Learning English, Sudoku, and Animal Crossing games. The DS has expanded it's base in Japan and that's why it is such a success.

Does all this mean that the Wii's success is a given? Of course not, nothing is a given. But it means there is definitlely a good chance they will succeed in expanding their base. They aren't just talking out of their asses about the concept. They have a device that is designed to do just that, and they have a precident for it in the DS and its software that has already succeeded in doing just that in the portable realm.

[Ravenlock]

Thanks, EG. That's better than I would've said it.

[panopticon]

I highly doubt the Wiimote will magically make all kind's of gaming easier and more accessible, but I don't think that's the main idea. I think Nintendo's plan is to make ideal hardware for the kind of software they're planning to market, while at the same time catering to the traditional demographic. Just look at the first Wario Ware game. It is a perfect example of the kind of gameplay they want to push with the Wii, and yet it's based on an entirely conventional (GBA) control scheme.

The Wiimote provides developers with quite a few additional input options (besides the basic WW "press the button at the right time") which can make games like these a lot more interesting without necessarily making them more complex. These same new input options can, conversely, be implemented into hardcore games, increasing both their uniqueness and complexity. For a great example, see the DS. The Wiimote is basically the TV screen equivalent of the stylus, except it has even more (intuitive) flexibility.

Also, as far as gaming grandmas go, I agree that there probably isn't going to be a legion of old ladies standing in line at launch, craving their Wii Sports fix. But, again, I don't think that's Nintendo's plan. First and foremost, it's going to be a family machine, meaning that there will be something for everyone. Granpa may not rush to get his copy of Wii Orchestra ASAP, but he just might try it out if his grandson keeps nagging him, and he might see that there's something in there for him. And for Nintendo, that's already a HUGE advantage; it might not directly sell another Wii, but could potentially mean more software purchases for that particular household, especially if they put out enough Brain Training-style titles to hold their new demographic's interest.

[Wrongway]

we are going to show that anybody can pick up and touch Wii and enjoy it

The Beavis and Butthead inside my mind just won't stop laughing.

[RMan]

Yes, and the controller has absolutely NOTHING to do with that. A simple game is a simple game, whether your pressing the A button, swinging a Wiimote or dragging the mouse cursor.
This makes no sense, the control is an integral part of the gaming experience, how can it not influence the game’s ease of play. I mean, there are plenty of casual games for the PC that would be considerably less intuitive and certainly far less fun if they had to use the keyboard instead of the mouse (even Solitaire wouldn’t attract a 1/10th it’s audience if it had to use the keyboard instead of the mouse).
Zelda: TP, Mario Galaxy, Red Steel, Metroid Prime 3--- all use the Wiimote, all are just as complex as any other game, all are gonna send your mom packing after about 2 minutes of running aimlessly into walls.
As I think EG said, these are gamer games, not designed for my mom. Seriously, now you’re just trolling, if they had released just pick up and play games you would complain that they are abandoning the core gaming market, if they appealed only to the core market you’d say they can’t reach the market they are aiming for. Currently, they have games appealing to both and you’re just conveniently ignoring the casual titles to prove your ‘point’. Look, my mom isn’t going to focus only on games she would not like, as you seem to suggest, she will play the easy games.

[Wonka]

My mom is NEVER going to get into the Wii. Neither will my dad. It doesn't matter if its easier. They just *aren't* interested.

But I will.

I think the Wii will be a hit with gamers. And I expect that the Wiimote will help make the control side of things a little less alien for girls, (providing it also comes with games that appeal to them) but I don't expect a major shift across age groups. Older age brackets have a social stigma attached to games. And so they have NO social incentive to play. If they FOUND a good game that they liked, they would have NOBODY to talk to about it. So for them, it's an isolating experience. They actually DO NOT WANT to like them. And that is a TOUGH sell.

Things are different for those of us who grew up with Ataris (which is a lot of people now), but for our parents, there is just not much desire to play.

I think the bigger problem for Ninendo is that if their device becomes a major hit (suppose that they have some game that becomes HUGELY popular and that can only be done with a Wii), then copycat peripherals will be out within a year from their competitors to enable games like that.

In contrast, I do NOT see a way that Nintendo can evolve their box into a full multimedia center. And even though multimedia centers have less to do with actual gaming, then clever controllers do. I think that some of the newer multimedia capabilities could easily have more to do with console sales than the Wiimote.

Time will tell. We still do not know what amazing games could get made for the Wiimote. It only takes one killer app to put both Sony and MS behind by a good year while they scramble to come up with something to match... (Please note that I am deliberately ignoring Sonys controller here since it's not really in the same ballpark as the Wiimote.) And on the other hand we also do not know what sorts of services will be made for the other two consoles.

It's all going to come down to the software.

[EternalGamer]

My mom is NEVER going to get into the Wii. Neither will my dad. It doesn't matter if its easier. They just *aren't* interested.

Never say never. My dad is a conservative Christian and in a conversation during my last visit he told me he thinks he could vote for Hillary if she ran for President in 2006. That completely blew my frame of reference.

[agentgray]

show that anybody can pick up and touch Wii
Just wrong on so many levels.

[Rirath]

Never say never. My dad is a conservative Christian and in a conversation during my last visit he told me he thinks he could vote for Hillary if she ran for President in 2006. That completely blew my frame of reference.

Hilliary has been making power plays to the Christian right for quite some time now, so I rather doubt your dad is alone in this. It's to the point where I no longer think it's an act.

[EternalGamer]

Nintendo is obviously making an attempt to combat homophobia and I for one commend them. Just because you want to touch Wii doesn't make you gay or anyth... uh.. okay, maybe that sort of does make you gay, or at least bisexual. But the point is, there is nothing wrong with touching Wii or being gay... or bisexual. Nintendo is challenging you to expand your love maps and join them on an erotic adventure transcending hetero-normality... or so it would appear.

[EternalGamer]

Hilliary has been making power plays to the Christian right for quite some time now, so I rather doubt your dad is alone in this. It's to the point where I no longer think it's an act.


Yeah but, it's actually working, apparently. In a sane world such things would not be possible.

[Rirath]

Yeah but, it's actually working, apparently. In a sane world such things would not be possible.

Agreed.
...

[AnubisGP]

I work in retail, and in the last week alone I've sold three copies of Brain Age to some really old people, who walked out extremely happy, consequently validating Nintendo's strategy to me in some way. To be fair, these were the first three copies I'd sold to anyone in the grandma/grandpa category, and I was quite surprised and delighted when they asked me if I had any copies in stock, but it was still a pretty cool experience. Dunno why they all came in the same week.

As for the Wii, I showed my mom one of the E3 videos of Wii gameplay (she hasn't played a game since the original Super Mario Bros.) and she grabbed me by the arm and said, "Buy me one for Christmas!" It was hilarious.

BTW, this is my first post, but I've lurked here for a while. So, uh, hi.

[mister_slim]

I wonder if the next question is "When the Nintendo Wii is the biggest success of this generation, how do you plan to celebrate?"

Actually, I don't wonder. . . I lost interest when the reporter used Nintendo's own spin as the premise of a question.

(For the reading comprehension impaired - I'm pissed off at this reporter - NOT the Nintendo Wii. I still want to try one in stores before committing to a purchase because the lines were insane at E3, but the Wii does have some really cool looking games.)
Or perhaps the reporter has, I don't know, done his research and seen the changes in the Japanese market over the last 6-7 years?
Nintendo is obviously making an attempt to combat homophobia and I for one commend them. Just because you want to touch Wii doesn't make you gay or anyth... uh.. okay, maybe that sort of does make you gay, or at least bisexual. But the point is, there is nothing wrong with touching Wii or being gay... or bisexual. Nintendo is challenging you to expand your love maps and join them on an erotic adventure transcending hetero-normality... or so it would appear.
Touching myself makes me gay?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Are those love maps bump-mapped, by the way? You know what they say about graphics whores.

edit: Oh, and AnubisGP, hi.

[EternalGamer]

Or perhaps the reporter has, I don't know, done his research and seen the changes in the Japanese market over the last 6-7 years?

Touching myself makes me gay?



No, that would be touching wii (lowercase-subjective). What Nintendo wants you to do is touch Wii (uppercase-objective). Meaning you should want to touch Wii in general, all Wii, not just your own. They want you to go Nympho for Wii. It is sort of like going cuckoo for CocoPuffs only with a lot more dick involved.

[bean19]

I work in retail, and in the last week alone I've sold three copies of Brain Age to some really old people, who walked out extremely happy, consequently validating Nintendo's strategy to me in some way. To be fair, these were the first three copies I'd sold to anyone in the grandma/grandpa category, and I was quite surprised and delighted when they asked me if I had any copies in stock, but it was still a pretty cool experience. Dunno why they all came in the same week.

As for the Wii, I showed my mom one of the E3 videos of Wii gameplay (she hasn't played a game since the original Super Mario Bros.) and she grabbed me by the arm and said, "Buy me one for Christmas!" It was hilarious.

BTW, this is my first post, but I've lurked here for a while. So, uh, hi.

Welcome Anubis. Nice first post.

Anecdotal to be sure, but it will be really interesting to see if Nintendo can regain some marketshare this time.

Nintendo is definitely riding a wave of good press from E3. The last 2 generations have left me increasingly cold to Nintendo simply because their system offered me the fewest fun experiences due to the very low number of games released on the system.

Nintendo really needs for the controller to be awesome and work great AND they need to deliver enough game titles that mainstream people will invest in it. We all-console fanboys (myself) and Nintendo fanboys are already sold on the system.

[bean19]

Or perhaps the reporter has, I don't know, done his research and seen the changes in the Japanese market over the last 6-7 years?

Spin is still spin even when you believe it. . . and actually I'm misusing "spin" here. . . I like the word "spin" for brevity, but I probably should be saying "company line".

A D-student high school journalism student would know better.

[mister_slim]

Spin is still spin even when you believe it. . . and actually I'm misusing "spin" here. . . I like the word "spin" for brevity, but I probably should be saying "company line".

A D-student high school journalism student would know better.
So, what part of the question do you have a problem with? Are you claiming there have been no changes in the industry in the last five years? That Nintendo isn't trying to change their strategy? Or that Nintendo's not trying to expand their market?

You'll notice, I hope, that Sony and Microsoft are both touting that same 'company line'.

[bean19]

So, what part of the question do you have a problem with? Are you claiming there have been no changes in the industry in the last five years? That Nintendo isn't trying to change their strategy? Or that Nintendo's not trying to expand their market?

You'll notice, I hope, that Sony and Microsoft are both touting that same 'company line'.

The correct way to do this would have been to get the interviewee to establish the company line and then to ask the question, or to prep the question with a quote:

Two Questions - "What is Nintendo's strategy with the Wii?" Then after they provide the answer that they are attempting to reach a broader audience the reporter could ask the second question: "Has industry change prompted this strategy?"

Neither of these questions assume answers, or, even worse, express the company's PR in the mouth of the reporter.

OR

Quote and attribute company line to the company for the premise before asking the question - "In your conference, you stated that Nintendo is trying to reach a broader audience with the Wii, was this strategy prompted by changes in the industry?"

The key here is that the reporter correctly attributes the company line to the company, instead of delivering it as if it is fact.

[mister_slim]

The correct way to do this would have been to get the interviewee to establish the company line and then to ask the question, or to prep the question with a quote:

Two Questions - "What is Nintendo's strategy with the Wii?" Then after they provide the answer that they are attempting to reach a broader audience the reporter could ask the second question: "Has industry change prompted this strategy?"

Neither of these questions assume answers, or, even worse, express the company's PR in the mouth of the reporter.

OR

Quote and attribute company line to the company for the premise before asking the question - "In your conference, you stated that Nintendo is trying to reach a broader audience with the Wii, was this strategy prompted by changes in the industry?"

The key here is that the reporter correctly attributes the company line to the company, instead of delivering it as if it is fact.
Did you read the interview? In particular, the question just before the one quoted in the newspost?

[bean19]

Did you read the interview? In particular, the question just before the one quoted in the newspost?

Yes, and that doesn't excuse stating the interview subject's words as a given.

Don't worry about this mister_slim. It's not going to make sense to you if you've never taken a journalism class.