• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Nintendo are on something.

W

WordAssassin

Member
GilloD said:
Here's the problem. My Mom told me she wanted to play BT, so I replied "Oh, you get a DS Lite. They're like 130 bucks".

AND THEN SHE DROPS THE BOMB

"Well, what other games would I want to play?"
"Big Brain Academy"
"And?"

Good question, Mom. BT is a nice lead in, but how many games are there for non-gamers? This is a nice start, but my Mom really isn't interested in Castlevania or Phoenix Wright and 130 bucks is a lot of cash for a portable Sudoku machine.
Click to expand...

Big Brain Academy
Brain Training 2
Nintendogs
Polarium
Magnettica
Tetris
Animal Crossing
Pheonix Wright

Also I can see why she wouldn't be interested in Castlevania but anyone who like reading and humor will like Pheonix Wright. It's basically an interactive detective story.

I was playing my DS at work on my brake last week, and some lady asked me what I was playing. (Trace Memory) She then told me she'd just gotten Brain Training and a DS for her dad for Father's Day, and wanted to know what other kinds of games he might like. I suggested NSMB and Pheonix Wright, and she seemed to think he'd like PW pretty well. I mean it really is just a choose-your-own-adventure detective story. Everyone loves a good mystery!
 
N

Netrunner2k2

Member
WordAssassin said:
Big Brain Academy
Brain Training 2
Nintendogs
Polarium
Magnettica
Tetris
Animal Crossing
Pheonix Wright

Also I can see why she wouldn't be interested in Castlevania but anyone who like reading and humor will like Pheonix Wright. It's basically an interactive detective story.

I was playing my DS at work on my brake last week, and some lady asked me what I was playing. (Trace Memory) She then told me she'd just gotten Brain Training and a DS for her dad for Father's Day, and wanted to know what other kinds of games he might like. I suggested NSMB and Pheonix Wright, and she seemed to think he'd like PW pretty well. I mean it really is just a choose-your-own-adventure detective story. Everyone loves a good mystery!
Click to expand...


That is a good list of games right there that a person that likes Brain Age would like. All are on the simple, but very enjoyable side.
 
B

Belfast

Member
GilloD said:
Here's the problem. My Mom told me she wanted to play BT, so I replied "Oh, you get a DS Lite. They're like 130 bucks".

AND THEN SHE DROPS THE BOMB

"Well, what other games would I want to play?"
"Big Brain Academy"
"And?"

Good question, Mom. BT is a nice lead in, but how many games are there for non-gamers? This is a nice start, but my Mom really isn't interested in Castlevania or Phoenix Wright and 130 bucks is a lot of cash for a portable Sudoku machine.
Click to expand...

This is what I've said every damn time a thread like this comes up. This kind of software is NOT a "gateway drug" to the actual gaming world. You're not turning them on to a new hobby, just giving them an electronic way to do things they'd probably still do otherwise.

It's great for Nintendo...to a degree. It only has the potential to grow as far as this type of software does, but there's still an incredible barrier between non-gamers and real games beyond maybe Tetris.

Nintendo will make some money from it, but this isn't some miracle software that'll expand the entire gaming market.
 
T

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
This marketing of Brain X type software you speak of. I have yet to see *any* in Canada. Are there TV spots and what not? I wonder why they haven't been pushing it as much up here :/. Regardless, you guys have convinced me to get a Lite and all the Brain software I can get.
 
R

Red Eyed Soul

Member
TheOMan said:
This marketing of Brain X type software you speak of. I have yet to see *any* in Canada. Are there TV spots and what not? I wonder why they haven't been pushing it as much up here :/. Regardless, you guys have convinced me to get a Lite and all the Brain software I can get.
Click to expand...
I havent really seen much in terms of like TV ads but I have seen quite a few in magazines and especially in store ads....in fact i think there's a poster at the mall near me.
 
N

Neomoto

Member
Brain Training is the game that has world wide appeal and that brings in the custumers with the accompaining marketing. Once they are "in" it doesn't mean that they all of the sudden throw it away after playing Brain Training. They made an investment in the device, so they'll likely find other means to entertain themselves. And there a alot of games that they may find interesting:

(Another Code: Two Memories)
Big Brain Academy
Brain Training
Brain Training 2
Brick’em all
Bubble Bobble Revolution
Common Sense Training for Adults
Cooking Mama
Cooking Navi
ElectroPlankton
English Training DS
Magnetica
Meteos
(Metroid Prime Pinball)
New Super Mario Bros.
Nintendogs
(Phoenix Wright)
Polarium
Sudoku Games
Tetris DS
(Trace Memory)
Wario Ware Touched
Puzzle Games

Etc..

So - in a way - the likes of Brain Training realy are expanding the market.
 
B

Belfast

Member
Neomoto said:
Brain Training is the game that has world wide appeal and that brings in the custumers with the accompaining marketing. Once they are "in" it doesn't mean that they all of the sudden throw it away after playing Brain Training. They made an investment in the device, so they'll likely find other means to entertain themselves. And there a alot of games that they may find interesting:

(Another Code: Two Memories)
Big Brain Academy
Brain Training
Brain Training 2
Brick’em all
Bubble Bobble Revolution
Common Sense Training for Adults
Cooking Mama
Cooking Navi
ElectroPlankton
English Training DS
Magnetica
Meteos
(Metroid Prime Pinball)
New Super Mario Bros.
Nintendogs
(Phoenix Wright)
Polarium
Sudoku Games
Tetris DS
(Trace Memory)
Wario Ware Touched
Puzzle Games

Etc..

So - in a way - the likes of Brain Training realy are expanding the market.
Click to expand...

Um, no. My point was that your train of thought is only theory at this point. I haven't seen sales of most of those games matching those of the Brain Age, etc. software.
 
C

Clever Pun

Member
Belfast said:
Nintendo will make some money from it, but this isn't some miracle software that'll expand the entire gaming market.
Click to expand...

but wouldn't getting people who had never picked up a gaming console to buy a DS (even if it's just to play brain training) constitute expanding the market? Assuming traditional gamers continue to purchase games as before?

Depending on the level of success it may not be a huge expansion, but it would be expansion nonetheless.
 
B

Belfast

Member
Clever Pun said:
but wouldn't getting people who had never picked up a gaming console to buy a DS (even if it's just to play brain training) constitute expanding the market? Assuming traditional gamers continue to purchase games as before?

Depending on the level of success it may not be a huge expansion, but it would be expansion nonetheless.
Click to expand...

Perhaps a smidgen, but what I'm saying is that you're not expanding the *current* market, the video game market we've come to know and love. Nintendo's kind of split off a little chunk of it and they're just growing that. It's not making GAMES more popular, it's making edutainment software more popular. :p
 
L

loosus

Banned
Just my anecdotal experience, but I really do not think most of the people buying Brain Age are so-called "non-gamers." I think most are very much hardcore, maybe even more so than "real games," because at least licensed and franchised games can sell to "non-gamers" with the non-game licensed attached. Brain Age doesn't really have that luxury.

If non-gamers are playing Brain Age (at least in the U.S.), I think it's only because they've been shown the game by people who are really deep into games. And I don't see these people magically getting into games because of it.
 
M

Mr Furious

Member
FoxHimself said:
HAHAHAHAHAHA LETS LAUGH AT THIS REALLY REALLY OLD JOKE ON THE INTERNET!!!! HHAHAHAHAHAHA IM CHANGING MY NAME TO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA'ndbabwe!!!
Click to expand...

Don't be nasty now..... come on, I don't scour the Internet for references to jokes made here at GAF and I just started playing Brain Age. So how the ****ing hell could I have know that?

Did you have to be an a**ho** about it?

Maybe you could change your name to Asshole or Cockbane....
 
L

Lapsed

Banned
TheKingsCrown said:
I think we knew Nintendo were on to something when Sony attempted and failed to copy the Wiimote.

And yes! The Sony-biased mods have changed the thread title to suit their ocd needs! And I will probably get banned for saying it!
Click to expand...

TheKingsCrown
Banned

:lol

My parents, in their mid sixties, tried out the Brain Age demo and loved it. They want DSes too now.

They also love the new console's name of "Wii". Go figure!
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
man, the reason why games are soo cool are because older people aren't into games. if this trend continues, nintendo will kill games for people who live for that being true! =(((
 
D

Deku

Banned
Mario's success refutes the rather simplistic theories about who are actually buying the DS and driving its success.

Granted none of us have demographic information to back up our claims either way, I'm more inclined to believe that the issue is more than just getting mom to play a DS. The accessible software certainly helps, but the phenomenon of adults turning to gaming and liking it isn't exactly a new phenomenon. Nintendo is just exploiting an aging population in the developed world, many of whom are technolically savvy and wouldn't mind trying new things.

That said, thats' not the whole picture. There are other groups being brought into the DS userbase that's probably more traditional gamer than non-gamer .and in Japan, it seems like the gaming world itself actually likes the DS and lots of gamers are buying the units.
 
arter_2

arter_2

Member
its wierd my mother just asked me about the ame today and wanted to by my ds and everything for it. i told her id pick her up a copy yeah i definelty think nintedos on to some thing
 
R

radioheadrule83

Banned
Just wanted to bump this to say I've picked up Brain Training myself, and I'm impressed. I don't think there's been a game thats made me think of it as part of my daily routine before... I think of it like having a shower or brushing my teeth - "Oh! I musn't forget to test my brain age today"

And I've had similar experiences to people here. I got my dad to have a go. My brother has a file, and my sister is freakin' addicted. She too enquired about how much a DS was to buy and balked at the price of the DS lite...

I told her she may be able to get the ol' chunky DS second hand at a reasonable price. Anyway yeah, I think this thread title sums it up for me. Brain Training is awesome, I wanna check out Big Brain Academy now...

The game understands when I say the colours perfectly by the way. The only thing I can't get to work is saying "Doctor Kawashima" at the title screen. Maybe they need to bring out an "Elecution lessons for adults" DS game. :p

I think its funny that some people who the DS can't understand, get worked up and even more incomprehensable for the machine with every attempt:

Blue. Blue! BLUE!! BLUE!? I have to advise people... talk like a robot or something, minimum expression, calm down!
 
F

Furoba

Member
Furoba said:
Mmm both my parents were talking to me about Brain Training, my mum even wants to buy the game. :D
Click to expand...

Crazy, she bought Brain Training, and asked me to buy her a DS.lite when I am in Japan. :lol
 
P

Poody

What program do you use to photoshop a picture?
man thats awesome. I wish my parents are receptive to these type of games. Just right now I told my dad to try brian age. He was doing the calculations just fine when he missed a question and decided not to play anymore :(
 
Y

yggdrasil

Member
I picked up Brain Training along with DSLite on June 11, and my mother was hooked on it from the time I brought it home. So my father and I got her the same combo for her birthday last week, and she hasn't missed a day yet. But when I tried to get her to play Tetris, she balked at the "standard" Nintendo controller orientation, which mystified me completely. So (speaking anecdotally) it does seem that it will be difficult for Nintendo to truly expand the market if their new customers are only accustomed to handling the DS like a book.
 
E

E-Nature

Member
ahaha that's fun. my mom was in denial when I wanted to show her the game. but now that the WHOLE family (some 40+ and some 30+ persons) are literally addicted to the game she lately asked me about the game :)
group pressure......... :D :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Nintendo Offers Senior Citizens Switch Games in Senior Centers in Japan
News
2
603
nush replied
A previously unpublished 2004 video interview with Satoru Iwata has been shared online (Iwata discusses the PSP, the Wii, Miyamoto and Yamauchi)
13
831
Porticus replied
[VGC] Nintendo has now dominated Japan game sales for 19 consecutive years
34
2K
Hudo replied
Anyone have any "gamer chairs" (barf) that they recommend?
49
2K
Gamer_By_Proxy replied
PS5 and Xbox largely unpopular with Gen Z in Japan, survey shows
News 2 3
134
7K
Toons replied
Top Bottom