Topic: What's wrong with Club Nintendo...

[UncleBob]

I *love* Club Nintendo.

In theory.  I haven't actually ordered anything from them yet - I'm afraid that, as soon as I do, they'll add something awesome and I won't have enough coins for it.  But that's not their fault - it's mine, for being crazy.

Anyway, pre-Club Nintendo, virtually as soon as I got a game, I would log into MyNintendo and register it.  As soon as Nintendo would e-mail me surveys, I'd do them - for free.  I liked being able to give Nintendo instant, current, up-to-date market information and feed back.

Now I don't.

I have 2,390 coins.  I have 11 Post Play surveys left to do, with a few coming up for downloaded titles and recently registered games.  I have three games I haven't even registered yet (One I've had for three whole days!).  But, see, if I register these titles and do the surveys, the coins will go toward this year's Elite Coins total.  I've already reach Platinum Status and I don't need the coins to order something (well, I would like to order stuff though...)  So why register/take surveys?  If I wait, I can register everything when the new Club Nintendo year starts and be over half way to Platinum.

And yet, it's not giving Nintendo accurate data.  Thus defeating the purpose.

I *know* I'm not the only one doing avoiding registering products and taking surveys until the next Club Nintendo year - so I'm sure this is all skewing the data they're obtaining.

So what can be done?  Should Nintendo just deduct 600 Elite Coins at the end of the Club Nintendo year and ship out the Platinum Prize?  That means I could go about four more years without buying any Nintendo stuff (hah) and be a Platinum Member.  I'm not sure that's the solution.

Any other ideas?

[Mop it up]

I too have stuff I'm saving for the new Club Nintendo year.

Hm, maybe instead of a yearly bonus, they could award bonuses for reaching milestones? Though 600 is kind of low for that, so it should be, every time you get 1,000 coins you get a bonus reward?

[TJ Spyke]

600 is fine for most people, that is 9 first party Wii games (counting post-play surveys) per year or 15 DS games. Really hardcore games will reach that, but the average gamer will not necessarily reach it easily.  The fact that the program just started may be a factor too as you are registering all of your past games. I doubt this will be as big of a problem next year.

I haven't registered Wario Land: Shake It! since I don't buy a lot of video games (due to not having a job) and I want to make sure I get as many coins as possible for next year and can reach Platinum Status next year too.

[Nick DiMola]

Nintendo should do this:
floor(Number of Coins / 600) = # of years you are Elite

Then all they'd need to do is keep track of the current Club Nintendo year:
if # of Years you are Elite >= Club Nintendo Year Number then current status = elite

So for instance if it is next (Club Nintendo) year, and you have a history of 1200 coins:
2 >= 2 therefore current status is elite.

I can't fathom why Nintendo wouldn't program the system this way. It only makes sense since there are already incentives for people who buy the game close to release date.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Nintendo should do this:
floor(Number of Coins / 600) = # of years you are Elite

Then all they'd need to do is keep track of the current Club Nintendo year:
if # of Years you are Elite >= Club Nintendo Year Number then current status = elite

So for instance if it is next (Club Nintendo) year, and you have a history of 1200 coins:
2 >= 2 therefore current status is elite.

I can't fathom why Nintendo wouldn't program the system this way. It only makes sense since there are already incentives for people who buy the game close to release date.

Easy, if Nintendo would of done that then they would have to give out more prizes, with the current system if people want next year's prize they will have to buy games that will equal to 600 coins let the people be responsible with how much surveys they do.

[Stratos]

I'm 50 shy of the Platinum mark. I'll probably save some of them for next year if I do go over. I don't see much of a problem with waiting. Though I always have several surveys sitting there waiting to get done. I don't find as much of an incentive to do the surveys when I don't get coins for them.

[Nick DiMola]

Easy, if Nintendo would of done that then they would have to give out more prizes, with the current system if people want next year's prize they will have to buy games that will equal to 600 coins let the people be responsible with how much surveys they do.

How do you figure? Whether you buy the games last year, or you buy them this year, you still bought them. They can't stop me from waiting to register more stuff (which like UB I am) so that doesn't change anything.

Plus, if there is extra expense to send out more stuff, it'll be worth it since they'll have more accurate and useful data.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Easy, if Nintendo would of done that then they would have to give out more prizes, with the current system if people want next year's prize they will have to buy games that will equal to 600 coins let the people be responsible with how much surveys they do.

How do you figure? Whether you buy the games last year, or you buy them this year, you still bought them. They can't stop me from waiting to register more stuff (which like UB I am) so that doesn't change anything.

Plus, if there is extra expense to send out more stuff, it'll be worth it since they'll have more accurate and useful data.

Like Nintendo usually states, "We do things the Nintendo way".

[Stratos]

They've been doing this for a while in Japan so I think they know that some of the data will come at a delay from people holding on to points. They probably have it worked into their estimation statistics how many of us will hold on to points till the next year.

[GaMMa]

I just registered my DSi, Phantom Hourglass and Pokemon Platinum this weekend and broke the Platinum/Elite mark. I'll probably continue to register my games and take surveys as you still get points for doing so.

What were last year's Elite/Platinum prizes? Is it worth saving them?

I think Club Nintendo is a pretty cool system. They get data directly from gamers and we get prizes in return. I don't see any other gaming companies doing it.

Has anyone redeemed any prizes yet? I'm enjoying my Wiimote holder.

[TJ Spyke]

There were no prizes last year, they just started the program (in America) in late December.

[vudu]

What were last year's Elite/Platinum prizes? Is it worth saving them?

As TJ said, this is the first year they're doing this.  Past prizes in Japan have includes Golden Wii Wheels, game soundtracks (Mario Galaxy, etc.) and a SNES classic controller for Wii.

Also, just to clarify, you don't have to have 600 points remaining in your account at year end to get your prize--you just have to have earned at least 600 points during the previous 12 months.  You can spend your coins now and still get a prize come July.

[Adrock]

Wow.... I never actually signed up for Club Nintendo. I thought I did, but I must have been thinking of the My Nintendo account. I just transferred my account to Club Nintendo. Crazy.

[Mop it up]

Past prizes in Japan have includes Golden Wii Wheels, game soundtracks (Mario Galaxy, etc.) and a SNES classic controller for Wii.

It's too bad they aren't offering those things as the normal rewards for the coins because that's the kind of stuff which I would want.

[Stratos]

Past prizes in Japan have includes Golden Wii Wheels, game soundtracks (Mario Galaxy, etc.) and a SNES classic controller for Wii.

It's too bad they aren't offering those things as the normal rewards for the coins because that's the kind of stuff which I would want.

Maybe they will eventually add them to the regular catalog a few years from now or offer them multiple years in a row so people have a chance to get all of the special prizes.