My reason in writing today is not to denounce the Wii, rather to make it clear that Wii is simply not in league with real gaming systems. As I said I do not wish to denounce Wii, the reality is that Wii was a good marketing strategy for Nintendo. Being that the Wii is not a gaming system, it means that non-gamers can safely purchase and enjoy their Wii. Gamers, on the other hand, will not enjoy the Wii. The reason I say that this was a good marketing strategy for Nintendo is because of the simple reality that there are more non-gamers than there are gamers, therefore the Wii has a big market to attract. The point I want to make with this is twofold, non-gamers can successfully purchase and play with a Wii and will not have the risk of being labeled a gamer (though the label Geek might still be applied), and further they may even enjoy it.
As a gamer when I first heard that the newest Nintendo was going to be called the Nintendo Wii, I knew it was not going to be a system that I would enjoy. When I play games, it’s hardcore. The exclamation, “Weeee!”, is something a kid gliding down a slip-and-slide would say. Certainly not the vocal exclamations of one who is blowing carnage through the air with an M16. Gamers know that the Wii is not for them, and that’s my point.
The problem that I find with the popularity of the Wii is not that people enjoy it, let them. The problem I have is that when asked about my hobbies I state my love for video games, and I often get the response, “Oh I like games too, I have a Wii!”. At this point I am thinking to myself, oh boy, you think we have something in common because you waved a controller around in the air, believe me we don’t have anything in common. At all.
In my opinion comparing the Wii to a more serious gaming system such as the PS3, XBOX 360, or PC, is like comparing boardgames to sports. Sure both are games, but you would hardly categorize them together.