There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the new Ninetendo Wii gaming system. Some say that the Wii's ability to "democratize" gaming for people of all ages and abilities is revolutionary. Do you think this is a true technological revolution or just hype? Please defend your opinion.
About two weeks ago, I had my first experience with the Nintendo Wii in my hands (literally). From what I heard about the Wii, I came to a personal consensus that the "revolutionary" gaming system was nothing particularly special, so I wasn't expecting much from it. I thought I'd give it a whack since I was at my friends house, and we do nothing else except play with these senseless video gaming systems. (Yes, I said it... senseless. I'm not a big fan and i'm not a total gamehead, but I'll tolerate a game or two from time to time.) My initial impression after taking a few swings was that 'this thing was actually pretty fun'. Obviously the graphics and all the gameplay was nowhere up to par with the current systems (PS3, XBOX360), but it was certainly something different.
It was easy to get a hang of all the little tools and gadgets, and everything about it was certainly stylish. Today, it seems as though these gaming consoles are not just for the games, but it also attempts to make a fashion statement; White is the colour that seems to be in nowadays, considering all the high end technological toys are indeed white--iPod (most Apple products, in fact), XBOX360) Evidently, Nintendo isn't just trying to reach their apparent target market, but the entire world as well.
So to say that the Wii has the ability to "democratize" gaming for people of all ages and abilities is revolutionary, it could be somewhat valid. We have come to a point where, it is not just about the gaming, but it is a time where status is everything. What I'm trying to say is that, there is a majority of people that may purchase a Nintendo Wii, or any other system, just to say that they have one. And while the hype is being built about the Wii's unique capabilities, it exposes itself to those people who are unaware of the Wii's existence. Consequently, it can possibly democratize gaming for everyone, but then again, this will probably be said about the next generation of gaming systems... Hype it is!
3 comments:
Good that you defended your opinion, but i disagree. I think that it isn't hype and that more people will start playing the Wii because the system can be used by everyone. But your completely right about the Wii being really stylish and appealing to what society likes.
Good article!
Although the Wii seems to now be a 'everyones' console, is it really? I mean, when I think of gaming, I think of sitting on the couch, relaxing, eating perhaps, and just having some fun. But the wii exploits it by needing x amount of energy to get x amount of output. Just recently there were lawsuits to Nintendo that an hour of Wii activity and the person had back pain. What did Nintendo respond with? "You're out of shape." This totally contradicts their very base of the console, "Wii" (we) as in everyone.
I liked that you associated the owning of a Wii as the "in" thing because it's white and white is in right now. Interesting point to make :)
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