Wii : For Dad's and Daddy's girls

Jason Fontenot


MARIOKART YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




More like Mariokart BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The idea behind E3 ( Electronic Entertainment Expo for you noobs ) is to interest people in upcoming video games or systems. This clip is was from the new mariokart coming out for the nintendo wii in 2008. The idea is to watch the clip and get hyped about the release date. Only problem is, I dont feel hyped about it. Don't get me wrong I <3>
He starts by telling us " its not your father's mariokart".. Its not my father's mariokart because you can play it online ? How is this any different then the mariokart for nintendo DS which has wifi? Now we will have two mariokarts that aren't my father's mariokarts? The second "new" and crazy thing about mariokart for wii is the new WII WHEEL ! Such a great new idea for a racing game, amazed noone ever thought of it (sarcasm, there has been plenty)......... Ultimately the message the speaker is sending is "dont expect anything new and great out of mariokart for wii, just more of the same". And I dont think that ever got anyone hyped about a release date.
Another thing that bothers me about this clip is wondering who the audience is? Surely nintendo wants to market the games to people who will buy them. Who buys the majority of the games? The mariokart gamer community. Being part of that community, I can not describe how disgusted I felt when I heard the words "Where a first timer can immediatly stay bumper to bumper with a kart veteran"... To a gamer , the speaker is saying " we took out the skill in the game so dont bother buying it". Why introduce online play with the game that doesn't take skill? Obviously the target audience for this presentation isn't the gamer community. No, the target audience is the casual gamer. Another slap in the face to diehard mariokart fans, ouch.
The more I think back to other presentations of video games, the good games speak for themselves. Mariokart for wii will probably be a good game when its all said and done... It sounds like I'm contradicting my first three paragraphs, but its not the game I have a problem with, its the method. Nintendo chose to use this method. I cant imagine what they were thinking at the big executive table "lets not be fun at all with our new wii system and just present our big game for it as informational and lame as possible". A better method would have been to relate the game clips to what the speaker was saying. Its online and for begginers.. show some kids in various countries laughing and playing together. They could even get creative and show them driving the new Wii Wheel ! Its a good thing for nintenod that most gamers don't judge the game by the method it is presented.
The game alone doesnt have a cultural significance, but the wii does. In case your not up to date on the latest console gaming competition. Theres 3 competing consoles on the market right now, the xbox 360 (halo 3 yeah ! ) , playstation 3 ( blue ray player ok!) , and the nintendo wii (fun for your girlfriend system). I have never known many american girls to play console systems ( ok yeah we know you like the princess and tetris), but the wii is changing that. Now you can get toned up by playing video games! Heres a quote from an online article:

http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm


"The newly announced Nintendo Wii game Wii Fit, is set to be a hot seller and could have women reaching for their purse strings. Wii Fit is a full on exercise game set to give you more of a workout than Wii Sports. The game features over 40 different activities and is designed to keep you physically fit via a dedicated peripheral, the wireless Wii Balance board which comes with the game. Training falls into 4 different categories: aerobics, yoga, muscle conditioning and balance games"

Not impressed? You should be check it out.



I have to say.. the target audience is clearer (for everyone, including you Dad) and the method is 100x better than the mariokart video. The wii fit screams neat-0-rific, if you could scream that word. It targets a wide range of audience and the video examples of it speaks for itself. Even as I'm typing this blog a girl behind me says she wants one. When you compare the mariokart for wii clip and the wii fit clip you can see, its all about the method.

Bibliography:

1. http://searchwarp.com/swa238159.htm. July 30, 2007. Searchwrap. October 5, 2007.

2. Atwan, Robert. Convergences. New York: Bedford/St. martin's, 2005.