The Console of Mass Destruction

Well its my first post, i' m not sure if anyone has already seen this article or posted it but i found it very interesting if somewhat long read. Heres the link

http://thewiikly.zogdog.com/article.php?article=51&ed=5&p=1

I was thinking shouldn' t it be ' console of mass DISRUPTION!'

Video games have been going in the direction of being more divorced from reality. The games keep getting larger, more absurd, with less use to everyday life, only to envelop the player into an electronic cocoon. As games keep going this direction, the stigma against gaming grows. Politicians become more embolden. Growth becomes flat and, in the case of Japan, decline occurs. Game players become seen increasingly as social misfits which demand massive advertising markets by Sony and Microsoft to convince their customers that they are not losers.

Nintendo has decided to swing the pendulum the other way. As gaming becomes more connected with our everyday life, the hope is that the stigma decreases. The politicians become fearful of gamers as they do of television watchers. Massive advertising budgets to convince the player that he is ‘cool’ and ‘mainstream’ vanish like vapor as gamers no longer feel the shame. Growth becomes monumental and previous declines, such as the Japanese Game Industry, are reversed.

I never really put much thought into Nintendos stragedy other then the focus on the Wii mote but this article puts alot of things into perspective.

are we not giving Nintendo enough credit with what they trying to do with the Wii?

I think the article speaks more of circumstance than shrewd business on the part of any of the companies involved. I mean, Nintendo was once in Sony' s position (top dog in video games), but that spot cannot be held forever, I don' t think. It' s just a matter of logistics. Eventually Nintendo may be on top, again, but then the cycle starts all over again.

Overall, though, I like what Nintendo are doing. They' re thinking outside the box and trying to invigorate a market that is hell bent on " more power" and sequels nowadays.

Oh, and very good first post! It' s sad that the posts created by the fleas of the board get more responses than an intelligent one.

Thats the thing, Nintendo tried the ' more power' approach with N64 and GCN, and it got them no where. sony had the technically inferior consoles (ps1 & ps2) but still enjoyed overwhelming victory over Nintendo - now sony changed its stance - now its all about power and who has the most. Its like they swapped management or something. Its funny Nintendo was on top for 2 generations (NES & SNES), sony has been on top for 2 generations (ps1 & ps2) but looks like stumbling (ps3) - i think less people believe it will dominate the next generation like its predeccesors. If anything can be said about the last 20 or so years in gaming is that superior graphics have never had any real influence on determining market leader so why has sony decided to focus on it this time around?

That' s the thing. I think Microsoft has tricked Sony into playing their game. Nintendo, meanwhile, is sneaking in the side door.

As I see it, Nintendo, who doesn' t have the cash to throw around like MS, and who' s not dominating the market like Sony is, has the advantage of innovation. When you reach the top you have a tendency to analyze market trends, do focus groups, blah-blah-blah, and all that garbage, while the smaller companies have more maneuverability.

Not saying that Sony' s product isn' t innovative. Blu-ray and Cell are that, but they are also just pushing the boundaries of size and speed. Nintendo' s controller is innovative in that it is a new direction, and people WILL be intrigued by it. Even the people on this forum who are skeptical want to get one " just to see" . THAT' s powerful!

It' s all just a matter of market position, really. That' s what I believe.

I think Nintendo are getting enough Kudos for what they' re trying to do. As CheeSaw said, the Wii is interesting. I' m still sceptical about the controller, but I definitely want to try it out and see how she goes. Even their competitiors are praising them. Nintendo have found a possible way of breathing new life into console gaming - and pretty much everyone knows it.