Who said anything about adult gamers being "mature" or even educated for that matter? People are so used to the same old arguments that they just turn off their brains and go into this automatic computerized defense mode. All I'm saying is cartoons and kid safe content are usually not used to attract adults to a product. Whether that makes people mature or not is a different discussion. If Nintendo games are "mature" then Nintendo is doing a horrible marketing job by allowing 90% of the games on their consoles to feature cartoon characters. Are Mii characters meant to grab the attention and interest of adults? The games may be fun for everyone, but the content is obviously manufactured to attract children. Joe Camel wasn't created to attract adults to cigarettes.Chris Remo said:
I have to say it a million times cause fans are extra sensitive on this issue, but I'm not saying adults don't enjoy Nintendo games. This is a marketing critique. Most adults without children aren't even going to take notice of a product that features the content we've seen on Wii, let alone buy it, take it home, play all the games and realize that it has enough depth and complexity to be appropriate entertainment for their age. We know what visual and contextual things grab the attention of adults when marketing or selling a product in America. If they're seriously attempting to market this product for adults (I honestly don't believe they are) then they're doing a terrible job with the content they are featuring. Third parties tend not to release any games with blood/gore, sexual content, bad language, or drug use on Nintendo consoles, while Playstation, Xbox and PC are loaded with this type of content. So Nintendo's consoles are at the very least the most kid safe. The only semi-adult game they've highlighted so far is Red Steel and it seems very tame compared to most of the adult content on PS3/PC/Xbox. It's not even a bad strategy for Nintendo to continue to focus on creating content that is appealing and safe for kids when you look at a system like Xbox 360 which is almost completely devoid of anything that is safe or appealing to kids. Microsoft's strategy to appeal to kids is just as poor as Nintendo's is to appeal to adults.
Let's change the classic argument from "Nintendo games are kiddy" to "Nintendo games look kiddy." Nintendo games have always been solid and pretty well respected within hardcore gaming circles. The problem is that to grab the attention of adults outside of that circle you need to create some content that is going to engage them and demand their attention on a more immediate superficial level. Nintendo games are going to continue to get the kiddy label slapped on them so long as they superficially look like they are meant for kids. The majority of people who do the retail positioning, retail marketing, and even purchasing probably don't even play video games. The only way they can figure out who this stuff is really meant for is by looking at the name and pictures on the box.
