Miyamoto Concerned About Gamer Image Stereotype 76
kukyfrope writes "In a recent interview with MTV News, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto voiced his concern for the stereotypical image of gamers as kids alone in a dark room. He says that Nintendo wishes to change that image with the Wii, a sentiment made obvious by the wide array of people shown playing Wii in Nintendo's recent promotional videos." From the article: "I think it's time to break free from that stereotypical definition of what a gamer is, because until we do, we'll never truly be part of the national or worldwide culture."
Worldwide? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Worldwide? (Score:2)
Ever visited the USA? We've got plenty of those too, albeit perhaps more "unofficially."
The further along a society is economically or socially, the more likely it is to have such disparities.
Incidentally, Japan is often considered a "Western" country, as far as economic advancement goes. I guess it depends on whether you mean western by geography, or by material wealth.
Re:Worldwide? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Worldwide? (Score:3, Informative)
Steal? No. Borrow? Yes, please.
What you have to understand is that your typical "Western Otaku" (heh) has no real idea of what Japan is like, has never visited the country, and likely never will. I mean, if you base your entire opinion of a country on a very small set of media exported from it, you're going to have a skewed vision of the society. Watching the entire run of Urutsei Yatsura twenty times through is not going to make anyone an expert in Japanese cult
Re:Worldwide? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Worldwide? (Score:3, Interesting)
Tell me, is there a serious cultural movement to ban birth control in Japan? (I'm going to laugh at you if you say there is.)
If by "birth control" you mean "the pill" (and not, say, abortion) then you might be surprised to learn that it was not available in Japan until 1999 [princeton.edu].
Any gay people crucified on fences over there? No?
Homosexuals in Japan m [japan-guide.com]
Re:Worldwide? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Worldwide? (Score:1, Insightful)
Personally, I think Nintendo is the company to break through the barriers because I have seen it in action in my life. Every girlfriend I have ever had started out not playing videogames and eventually bought one (or more) Nintendo gaming systems for themselves; if I was more popular with the ladies I could single handedly give Nintendo market dominance
Re:Worldwide? (Score:1)
This incident, plus seeing a mother and her daughter playing a game together wirelessly on 2 DSes, just reconfirms my affirmation that Nintendo is headi
Casual traincommuter gamers (Score:2)
...and if I remember correctly, it was precisely this market the DS was intended to capture. Score one for our cartoony overlords.
Culture shock throws patterns into stark relief (Score:3, Insightful)
With respect: you've passed through the looking-glass.
At home, in uhMURRkuh, you are so thoroughly immersed in your culture and sub-culture that you're not aware of it. You might as well ask whether a fish notices water.
Abroad, in Japan, or elsewhere, you have to deal with a new culture, and how you "slot in" to that new culture. While I accept (and know from my own cultural/linguistic experiences) that many things *are* in fact different in each culture, I have noticed that the very strangeness of a new
Korea? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Korea? (Score:2, Funny)
sorry, it had to be said
Re:Korea? (Score:2)
Re:Korea? (Score:2, Funny)
There have also been rumors of mass chanting involving the words "Power Overwhelming"
I was glad to be of assistance.
Adun Toridas!
Re:Korea? (Score:2, Funny)
Here, fixed it for you...
Re:Korea? (Score:2)
Re:Korea? (Score:1)
The full interview is available (Score:5, Informative)
That's why... (Score:2, Interesting)
I will be purchasing a Wii, and the extra controllers, and will be taking it to a friend's house rather immediately.
Re:That's why... (Score:1)
My philosophy: There is no better control sys than a mouse and keyboard
Not so dark... (Score:1, Funny)
Console Vs Pc (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Console Vs Pc (Score:2)
That's the wrong problem (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:That's the wrong problem (Score:1)
Re:That's the wrong problem (Score:2)
Re:That's the wrong problem (Score:2)
Re:That's the wrong problem (Score:2)
Back in the early days of GameBoy, my mom would steal mine to play Tetris on.
Nintendogs and Brain Age sold millions of copies to non-gamers.
The games are out there, they just need to be recognised and promoted properly.
Re: (Score:2)
In your parent's basement (Score:3, Funny)
Re:In your parent's basement (Score:1)
Re:In your parent's basement (Score:1)
consoles have cme full circle (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:1)
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:2)
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:2)
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:2)
I suspect ever console released was marketed this way to one degree or another. However, in the ~30 years since the 2600 was released, the only fundamental (non-gimmick) change in the way players interact with the games is that the controller now rumbles.
Re:consoles have cme full circle (Score:2)
Re:Thanks to... (Score:2)
go outside,
(this is important because the homeless enjoy many advantages from merely being "outside")
get in shape,
(Unless you're ready to go to Iraq, I never really saw the point of pushing my knees and ankles to the point they'll need surgery when I'm in my 40s - oh yes - because it was healthy at the time)
eat healthy, stop drinking Mountain Dew like its going out of style,
(yes drink more beer and vodka instead - because it makes you look cool -
Re:Thanks to... (Score:1)
Joke is both weaksauce AND syntactically incorrect (Score:2)
Can we please get over these stupid puns? I think all the hilarity in these jokes has been exhausted ever since before the first one was posted.
Shows what I know (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Shows what I know (Score:2)
The New Image should be... (Score:2, Funny)
uh? (Score:2, Insightful)
I applaud Nintendos efforts to increase the number of attractive models playing video games and am delighted by their commitment to encouraging a wide diversity of hot people playing their console.
However I doubt it'll increase profits that much ...
Re:uh? (Score:1, Insightful)
I think you might be looking at Microsoft's press starring 18-30s breakdancing around the sofa, skipping double-dutch, or playing gunfinger in public. Or maybe you are watching Sony's non-ads starring 18-30s throwing PSPs around in the air at other people after less than 2 seconds of "enjoyment" (along with hot squirrels, hot fuzzballs, hot whitespaces, and other miscellaneous kinds of bu
Re:uh? (Score:1)
Re:uh? (Score:2)
It's self-fulfilling, unfortunately. (Score:5, Interesting)
Thus rather than saying "OK, we need to broaden our appeal, let's try to get lots of people gaming!" (a message that would of course appeal to a BUSINESS selling good to the identified market segment), the members of the group behave rudely, and reject any broadening of the franchise to "outsiders".
Look, for example, at the level of scorn directed at casual players of World of Warcraft by 'hardcore' players in-game. Or (for a broader, but similar example) the sneers of derision by
Sure, it's a defensive reaction based entirely on protecting the ego. The lame geek KNOWS he lives in his parents' basement, KNOWS that while spending 12 hours a day playing a video game he's missing out on other social activities that are widely considered to be more constructive, KNOWS that virtual wish-fulfillment might be very satisfying, but really doesn't compare to actually accomplishing anything.
But to welcome in the unwashed masses into his 'world'? That would be to at least partially accept their 'yardstick' of normalcy, against which his self-image would measure smaller. Who would welcome that?
Sadly, I have to agree (Score:3, Insightful)
I've given up most online games not because I don't like to play anymore, but I don't want to put up with the subcultures that grow up within them.
Re:Sadly, I have to agree (Score:1)
Y dont U go j4ck ()ff with your WII
ROFLCOPTER! 1 just h34dshot Ur post! Ima put my pr0n spray on ur corpse now.
(P.S. I hate Counter-Strike)
Re:It's self-fulfilling, unfortunately. (Score:2)
Forunately, though, they're only a minority amongst gamers. A highly-visible minority (ironic, I know, seeing as they live in basements), but still a minority.
(In a way, this kinda reflects how Linux will take a LONG TIME to reach the mainstream desktop: it's mired in
an interesting gem in the article: (Score:2)
Huh. So your WiiSports avatar might be, say, an enemy in SMG? Make a cameo in a crowd in Smash Bros. Brawl? Methinks this ties into the WiiConnect24 service, as well...your little head popping up in other people's games and so on. I'm surpr
Red Steel (Score:1)