Somewhere in the past, I have frequently been accused of being a Nintendo-basher. Now let me make it clear that this is not true per se. I like Nintendo, and their guts for pulling off experiences in gameplay no developer might have thought of, some of them more successful than others.
That having said, however, I do think that they need to take a long and hard look at their business and marketing practices. It is common knowledge that the average gamer has matured since the nineties, when Nintendo reigned supreme. It is my belief that the gameplaying public (those who are not deemed hard-core) look at Nintendo games as something they played with as a child. Given Nintendo’s insistent use of eye-catching color, it is no wonder that their hard- and software is often perceived as being something for children. With this perception in mind, one could hardly fault a young adult of being of the assumption that Nintendo games were nothing but a fond childhood memory. After all, they have matured, and given the offerings of Nintendo, it might not seem that the developer has been synchronizing itself with that maturity. That is not to say that Nintendo games are immature, but their catalogue of games featuring brightly-colored cartoon characters is very dominant. In a world where the target demographic has grown up with MTV, franchises like Mario and Kirby just don’t have the appeal anymore they once had. Although the games might be brilliant, only hard-core gamers can actually find this experience, since they have the willingness look past the wrappings. Penny-Arcade recently featured Nintendo in one of their articles, aptly pointing out that Nintendo offerings feel like toys in the sense that they focus primarily on the gaming aspect. And in that regard, Penny-Arcade is right. Nintendo makes something which can often be considered pure gaming pleasure which should appeal to all ages. But by covering these experiences in a guise which appeals to a younger demographic, like bright colors and cartoon characters, they are in danger of having themselves be perceived as a developer which specifically caters to that demographic.
Unfortunately, Nintendo is caught in a catch-22 situation. They have a very large stable of recognizable characters and games with a high awareness among the general populace. It would be foolish not to capitalize on these assets. But by doing so, they are in danger of alienating the more mature gamer. Although this age group cannot be clearly defined, it stands to reason that a 20 year old male should not have a hard time considering a choice between a Mario and a Tony Hawk game.
I do not have a clear answer, but it seems that Nintendo does need to make a choice. One possible answer could be to diversify their offerings into two separate channels. One cold be aimed at the “regular” Nintendo gamer, while the other one might be a completely other brand in itself, aimed at a more mature audience. If this approach can be taken by most multinationals for other products, then why would this not be possible for videogames? I sincerely hope that Nintendo is able to break through the perception it has generated, for it would be a shame to lose an innovative developer with a unique approach to gameplay.
