Wii brings parties beyond gamers

People who aren't really gamers are getting into the Wii. Adage reports that Wii parties are all the rage. Retirement homes and cruise ships are planning parties where people get together and play the games.

"The Wii is great for parties because of the level of activity and the multi-player format -- it's fun to play and fun for others to watch," said Lariayn Payne, VP-marketing and public relations at Evite.

This is an interesting phenomenon to me because of how the Wii was created and how the community it creates.

Three or four years ago, Nintendo was struggling in an arms race with Sony and Microsoft. The Game Cube was becoming less popular because it lacked the graphic intensity and in some cases titles that the other platforms were getting. Instead of trying to catch up in the race, Nintendo thought outside the box. They created a platform that was about playing together, about activity rather than how quick you could click a button. Last Christmas season, when new platforms were released, Nintendo outsold the competition and hasn't stopped.

The article also mentions the Wii parties that are becoming more popular. What I really love about the Wii is that, beyond the games, owners can create Miis that look like a cartoon version of who they are or who they want to be.  These Miis can interact with other Miis. You can also participate in polls that are taken among other Wii owners around the world. What this does is goes beyond playing Doom online, it gets people to interact, communicate and try their hand a (albeit limited) physical activity. It's no wonder these parties are popular. They've tapped into ways that people have built communities through the ages. - Paul Herring

Comments

[John]

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. Having worked on the PS account for 4 years I have seen them go from the top of the mountain to looking up and scrambling to survive. I still remember sitting in the PS booth at E-3 when the "Next Generation" consoles were being introduced and seeing the lines around the convention center waiting to get into the Ninetnedo booth to see this new Wii. I've seen the potential power of the PS3, it is astounding, but eventually how real does a game really need to be? Does the fact that each strand of hair or blades of grass can blow independantly really enhance the experience? The ironic part is PS2 had similar capabilities with it's EyeToy, but it didn't have level of engagement with the controllers, and developers did really engage, but you could see how it would appeal to a larger untapped market. We used to say it could be the charades of the 00s. Apparently, Ninetendo figured that out. I knew it was something new when my mom asked me if she should get one.

[Mack Collier]

Nintendo hit a marketing homerun with the Wii, by aiming it at people that aren't hardcore gamers. They gave people that aren't gamers a way to get excited about the product, by giving them a way to use the product in a different way. When you see that you can get up and swing the controller as a golf club, or as a tennis racket, it opens up the Wii to an entirely new market.