GameGemini – Video Gaming Heaven

Nintendo has successfully and effortlessly done something that no other gaming company has done before (or has appeared to ever tried before) – They have widened the market to include females, adults and young kids. Most gaming companies fight it out for the small demographic of 18-30 year old males. While they’re all
fighting over the same scraps like two rats in an alley, Nintendo has come along and sat down in the restaurant. It’s not the best analogy, but you see my point. Games such as ‘Wii Fit’ and ‘Wii Sports Resort’ have broadened the industry, and made people question ‘what is a video game?’. Since for many of these games you can use a controller that only has two main buttons on it, and is operated mainly by movement, or you can use a step that monitors your weight and balance, it’s very different from anything 5 years ago, and a million miles from the days of Space Invaders.

Nintendo have marketed this idea brilliantly by showing adverts of famous families (such as the Redknapp family) all playing the Wii together. It all started with Wii Sports, a game that families will gather round and play together. People would have previously played board games in events such as these, but the video game has taken over. Monopoly and Cluedo hae been replaced by Wii Bowling and Wii Tennis. The obvious downside with this approach, however, is that this is only suited to the casual gamer. There are few games for the Wii that allow the serious gamer to get any real substance out of, although this is beginning to change, as Nintendo have addressed this. Everything about the Wii reeks of that Nintendo enthusiasm and charm, and it’s intoxicating. The other main drawing point of the Wii is in it’s price – a console can be bought for as little as $199, whereas a Playstation 3 would cost you at least $299.