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TalkBack / Teens Still Controlling Game Market
« on: March 05, 2003, 06:29:31 PM »
The way I see it, Nintendo appeals to the kiddies and the TRULY mature crowd who don't care about image - college students, for instance. I realize that's weird to think of college students as being mature and in a lot of ways they're not but, the point is, most college students are past the age of caring what others think of them and will play a game just because it's fun and don't give a damn whether it's "kiddy", "mature", or whatever. Games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros are huge hits on college campuses. It's just the group in between the kiddies and the truly mature crowd that is the problem. Mostly highschool kids who are basically posers who rebel against anything they perceive as "kiddy" and are always out to prove their maturity and, in the process, end up acting more immature than the kiddies.
If the only way Nintendo can compete with Sony or even MS is by somehow winning over these types, then I don't think it's worth it. Making a few "M" rated games won't make any difference. Nintendo would have to sacrifice everything that makes it great in order to win over that crowd, and even that might not do it.
I'd rather Nintendo be a company I can respect and be in second or even third-place than have to sacrifice its integrity for the sake of the poser crowd.
The day when all these highschool students who currently think the Gamecube is kiddy and aren't willing to touch it with a ten-foot pole suddenly change their minds and think Nintendo is "cool" is the day Nintendo has done something very, VERY wrong. It's the day I will abandon Nintendo without hesitation and root for its demise. I just hope that day never comes.
Sometimes you have to choose between integrity and popularity and I really hope Nintendo makes the right decision.
What Nintendo really needs to do is accept it will never have the poser crowd and work on getting the people it does appeal to because, unfortunately, the majority of them haven't bought a Gamecube yet. Nintendo's biggest problem isn't Sony or MS. It's the economy IMO. The economy is bad in America and worse in Japan. Parents just aren't willing to buy Gamecubes for their kids no matter how much their kids may want one. They're buying GBAs for them instead because the system and games are cheaper. A lot of the older Nintendo fans who tend to be very casual gamers also aren't buying Gamecubes because they're just not in a position to spend money on luxury items at a time like this. I really think dropping the price of the console to $99 by the end of the year could make all the difference. Hopefully the economy will get better too, but I'm not counting on it. I think the key to the Gamecube's success is it being sold for as cheap as possible.
If the only way Nintendo can compete with Sony or even MS is by somehow winning over these types, then I don't think it's worth it. Making a few "M" rated games won't make any difference. Nintendo would have to sacrifice everything that makes it great in order to win over that crowd, and even that might not do it.
I'd rather Nintendo be a company I can respect and be in second or even third-place than have to sacrifice its integrity for the sake of the poser crowd.
The day when all these highschool students who currently think the Gamecube is kiddy and aren't willing to touch it with a ten-foot pole suddenly change their minds and think Nintendo is "cool" is the day Nintendo has done something very, VERY wrong. It's the day I will abandon Nintendo without hesitation and root for its demise. I just hope that day never comes.
Sometimes you have to choose between integrity and popularity and I really hope Nintendo makes the right decision.
What Nintendo really needs to do is accept it will never have the poser crowd and work on getting the people it does appeal to because, unfortunately, the majority of them haven't bought a Gamecube yet. Nintendo's biggest problem isn't Sony or MS. It's the economy IMO. The economy is bad in America and worse in Japan. Parents just aren't willing to buy Gamecubes for their kids no matter how much their kids may want one. They're buying GBAs for them instead because the system and games are cheaper. A lot of the older Nintendo fans who tend to be very casual gamers also aren't buying Gamecubes because they're just not in a position to spend money on luxury items at a time like this. I really think dropping the price of the console to $99 by the end of the year could make all the difference. Hopefully the economy will get better too, but I'm not counting on it. I think the key to the Gamecube's success is it being sold for as cheap as possible.
