Is Wii for younger gamers only?

[Dr Zaius]

An idea I hear put forward quite often is that Wii is for younger gamers while PS3 and Xbox 360 are really geared towards older gamers. I don't know if people believe this because of the hardware itself, or if it is because of the lineup of available titles for each system.

Do you think Wii is for younger gamers?

 

[Aries]

That's not how I hear it.

The Nintendo demographic is actually the young and the actually old.

The middle demographic is where Sony and MS rule. The late teen 20 something market is theirs.

I have no interest in the titles that Sony/MS makes consoles for. They are all violence drive games like GTA, or sports titles, or quest rpgs. That's the meat and potatoes in some ways, but I have no interest in it.

When I get an urge to play something, it's either a genuine wargame ie thinking not action dependent, or I want something light and funny ie Mario type stuff.

I don't have the young male macho drive needed to give a hoot about blood and gore, not the competitive urge for sports. I have been past that for 20 years.
To me, an ideal game is light entertainment, that's where Nintendo rules. I don't have the interest in plunking done in front of a console for several weeks to hack my way through a quest RPG. It's not about whether the game is good, I just don't feel like playing games that intensely.

 

[Adamaniac 791]

Definitely not. Recently, with the DS and the Wii it seems Nintendo have managed to appeal to pretty much all ages. I have heard adults who would usually call a PS2 a "game boy" talk about the Wii and how good it looks and generally I have overheard people of all sorts of different ages talking about the Wii, it seems Nintendo's advertising campaign in the UK at least has been very successful as a diverse range of people are aware of the Wii and are rather interested in it.

 

[-Whiplash_XII-]

The gamecube was, In general.

The Wii isn't. The lineup is very balanced, CoD3 doesn't seem like a 7 year olds cup of tea.

 

[DarkSora]

i wouldnt say its just for kids. Its mixed.

However, i have to say im extremely disappointed with the choice of games available with the only good game that i have played on it being Zelda.

 

[-Whiplash_XII-]

i wouldnt say its just for kids. Its mixed.

However, i have to say im extremely disappointed with the choice of games available with the only good game that i have played on it being Zelda.

Play more CoD3.

 

[ehandlr]

If we broke down the types of games...and put out a percentage for each system..yes the Wii would have more games that are aimed at the younger crowd.

Also....blood and gore aren't the only attributes that make games geared towards adults. Thats a more stereotypical outlook on things which is only half true.

I think Nintendo is doing a better job this time around by distancing their self from "kiddie" outlook. However stereotypes are there for a reason. People don't say Nintendo is kiddie just for fun. There has to be a splurt of truth to it.

I mean Nintendo now has Manhunt and Prince of Persia..games like that..which actually shows they might be trying too hard..but they also have Cooking Mama and Disney Meets the Robinsons....

 

[Aries]

When I think Nintendo, I think all of their products, not just the Wii.

I think Wii as well as DS as well as anything previously made.

Currently the DS has some very adult value games. Brain Age is a very cool product. It's also very successful.

And it should be remembered, it isn't just kids that value "fun".

 

[ehandlr]

Brain Age isn't geared towards an age bracket at all which is one reason its so successful above and beyond being fun.

The majority of the DS games are more childish then that of the Wii. Still not a big deal bc they have some awesome games too. I'm enjoying Final Fantasy III right now on my DS big time.

 

[Dr. Winston O'Boogie]

This is sort of a stigma attached to Nintendo itself, more than the Wii, and if anything the Wii has tried to distance itself from it.

I understand where it comes from, and it's mostly because most of Nintendo's AAA games are on the whole, less "mature" than those on the 360 or PS3. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, etc. are much more tame than Halo, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid, etc.

I do think that there's a difference between games that are targeted at kids and games that are simply not mature, or realistic, or cartoony. Mario is a game that everyone can enjoy, and it's not explicitly "for kids". It isn't only for teenagers or adults like games like Halo might be, and because younger kids can play it, sometimes it's received as a kiddie game.

Although personally, I don't care who a game is actually intended for, so long as I enjoy playing it.

 

[ehandlr]

I don't think it has anything to do with Mario or Zelda honestly. I think its simply that Nintendo has more cutsie child like games by far compared to the other systems.

I understand I'm personally the opposite end of the spectrum...the mans man who might think alot of things are kiddie..but I have no problem and I enjoy playing Mario and Zelda. Its all the other games that give Nintendo this name.