Video Games Go Boom Part 5

• Part 0 - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

In recent years, Nintendo has come under heavy attack from veteran gamers for being "too kiddy", "not serious about video games", or "ignorant of their customers' desires". Everyone else thinks just the opposite. Nintendo was once the king of gaming; now they are the third in sales (though their profits are actually greater than those of Sony or Microsoft). With their forward-thinking strategy and intelligent business tactics, Nintendo is positioning themselves for a revolution in the gaming world. They've seen the future and are ready to pounce.

Nintendo's Ideas

Nintendo practically created the video game industry we see today. Most Nintendo innovations became industry standards -- the d-pad, analog sticks, shoulder buttons, etc. Nintendo's ideas are laced deeply within the gaming subconscious and they hold a fuzzy nostalgic corner of many gamers' hearts.

But it's this nostalgia that hurts Nintendo. It's a natural part of life to grow up and want to distance yourself from your parents, your crib, your favorite He-Man blanket. You want to become independent and shun all things related to your childhood. Nintendo games became one of those things. And the characteristic style of many Nintendo games -- simple, colorful, and let's face it, somewhat kiddy -- hasn't given them any leverage in the minds of maturing gamers.

Nintendo's Strategy

Nintendo has always maintained their target audience is everyone, not just gamers. Their first step toward this was the Nintendo DS, a device that begins to remove the gap between player and game. For the well-initiated gamer, moving an on-screen character and manipulating a virtual world with a d-pad is better than second nature. However, these skills must be learned just as we learn to play the piano or to eat burritos without making a mess. Many seasoned gamers take it for granted that they are quite skilled at using a control mechanism that has little to do with real-world movements.

Enter the Nintendo DS and Nintendo's latest slogan: "Touching is good". The touch screen interface allows gamers to touch the game and affect the world on-screen. In games such as Yoshi Touch and Go, players actually draw platforms, toss eggs and manipulate the world around Yoshi by touching the screen. An interesting twist: we now control the world around the character rather than the characters themselves. And by directly touching, not using a symbolic button for an action.

This is slightly odd for some gamers, but they adapt quite quickly to the new ideas. The biggest bonus for Nintendo is that even the most technologically incapable person can pick up a stylus and go. It's a natural way to play a game.

Nintendo's Future

Nintendo has played a smart move by stepping to the side and allowing Sony and Microsoft to play "my numbers are bigger than your numbers". As they battle for the same small market, Nintendo begins picking up new customers. The casual gamer and non-gamer who previously ignored video games as "geek food" turn an interested eye.

Before the NES, avid video gamers were almost non-existent. Nintendo turned them onto gaming with simplicity and style. Now, when video gaming hits its next phase of evolution, Nintendo is ready to do it again. There are as many skeptics as there are hecklers, but Nintendo knows gaming. It couldn't be any simpler than that.

Article Navigation

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• Part 0: Introduction
• Part 1: Gamers and Non-Gamers
• Part 2: The Video Games Industry
• Part 3: Sony
• Part 4: Microsoft
• Part 5: Nintendo
• Part 6: Outroduction