Beware, for the impossible is happening. And it’s just like Nintendo planned.
Where would I be without my dad? What would I do if I didn’t have all of those warm, cozy memories of riding a bike for the first time or making a flamethrower out of a match and spray paint during some quality father-son time? I just wouldn’t be the same. But the best memory I share with my dad is definitely playing Super Mario Bros. together when I was just a young lad. Once I first touched the magical words of video games, I never went back.
I bet you’re wondering how this will lead to the impossible happening. Have patience. I’ve grown beyond those young days of killing turtles by spitting fireballs. I’ve continued to play video games, and I’ll admit that I’m kind of obsessed. But my dad, on the other hand, just doesn’t have the time for that sort of thing any more. He gets lost too easily in today’s world of big, button-filled controllers and sprawling level designs. Oh well, I figured, his loss.
So it was no surprise to me when my dad again couldn’t make sense of whatever new-fangled gadgets were on the market. This time it’s the Nintendo DS. Now, I love my DS, and all of the innovative games like Nintendogs and Animal Crossing that it can play. It would be no surprise to find me at Target, buying a new game, like I was a few weeks ago. This time, I was looking for a replacement copy of my cherished Advance Wars: DS (darn those conveniently small games and how easily they are lost!)
But as I scanned the rows with my seasoned game-finding eyes, the world as I knew it came crashing loose. Squadrons of fighter pigs swarmed the skies like soccer moms to an “M" rated video game. Satan had to shovel snow from his drive way. My brother scored high on the IQ test (ouch!). What happened? My dad picked up a video game!
To be specific, it was Brain Age. He told me that he had heard that this game was pretty cool, and that he would like it. I couldn’t believe my eyes, or ears, or any other senses for that matter. But then it hit me- that was what Nintendo was planning on all along.
Brain Age isn’t like most video games. Instead of exploring, puzzle solving, or filling alien scum with hot lead, you do basic math and read aloud. While it isn’t my cup of tea by anyone’s standards, that sort of idea appeals to people like my dad, who don’t often get the time of exercise their mental muscle on basic things like that.
And with this revelation, Nintendo’s entire strategy became a whole lot clearer to me. The PS3 and Xbox 360, with their multimedia features and polygons out-the-wazoo, are trying harder and harder to win over the hearts and wallets of gamers. But Nintendo isn’t trying to do that. Instead, with low prices, free internet play, and downloadable classic games, is trying to supplement their shrinking fan base with newer gamers that aren’t looking for the “media center in a box" offered by the competition. And that is what sets them apart from the rest of the pack.
I’m not saying that the Xbox 360 or PS3 is a bad choice, or that Nintendo is the best ever, but in a market where anything with Madden or Grand Theft Auto slapped on the title automatically sells like hotcakes, a new approach is definitely refreshing. And if that gets my dad playing video games again, then Nintendo has done the impossible. They brought back the magic that changed a generation, and from there, the world. And you've gotta admit, that would be really awesome.
