My Wii Epiphany

I had a bit of an epiphany today while I was sitting on the couch watching TV.

One reason Nintendo has done so phenomenally well with the Wii is that they have accepted that their target market isn’t comprised of hardcore gamers. They have embraced the casual gamer and Nintendo is cool with that and so cool in fact that they are taking their strategy strait to the bank.

The light-bulb moment – if you will – happened as I watched a commercial for the Wii Fit Plus. I’ve searched YouTube for the video and can’t find it so you’ll have to make do with my description of it.

The commercial takes a woman through her entire day from the time she gets up in the morning to when she gets home after work and you see how seamlessly the Wii is integrated into the woman’s lifestyle. Her life is hectic and Wii Fit Plus is portrayed as a way for her to get away from the craziness and recoup. Near the end of the commercial, you get a shot of the woman’s kid using the Wii so even her kid is getting in on the Wii fun.

Nintendo has had to accept that the Wii’s core market isn’t a bunch of people who would ever identify themselves as “gamers”. The Wii’s “fan base” is comprised of people who want to have some fun at parties or maybe with their kids. The fact that they’re playing a game is secondary to the whole thing.

Many a gamer has expressed their disdain for casual gaming as it seems to cheapen something that we all love so much. For a lot of people, being a gamer really is an identity and the idea of a 40 year old woman playing table tennis or golfing on a game console shakes that image that some gamers have created of themselves.

I don’t think I’ve yet to read an article that give accolades to the Wii for amazing games for “real” gamers but I’ve read a lot of press about how enjoyable the console is and how much fun people have while playing it.

At the end of the day, your average consumer doesn’t have the time or desire to dedicate days to a game. They want to switch on a game, have a good time and then forget about it.

I don’t know if I will ever get a Wii – though it does seem interesting to me. I’ve always been a one console kind of girl. But, I do know that the Wii is here to stay and this is something that “real” gamers are going to have to embrace or at least accept.

And if you can’t accept that, maybe you can enjoy yourself while you watch the infamous “Hula Hoop” girlfriend.

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