Nintendo. At one time, the name didn't mean just unique software or quality hardware; it was synonymous with videogames. Single-handedly bringing the industry back from the brink of crashing in the mid-1980s, the Japanese entertainment company could do no wrong for nearly a decade. But now, with Sony's seemingly unstoppable Playstation 2 (PS2) leading the market, Nintendo's future is in danger of going, just like its mascot Mario, down the pipes.
According to the February issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo's console sales have decreased dramatically with each new system it has released. Its latest system, the Gamecube, has sold only 15 million units worldwide, dwarfed by the PS2's 70 million and barely more than newcomer Microsoft's Xbox's 14 million.
Those who remember the glory days of Nintendo should be shocked by the former king's present struggle for survival. How could the company that created Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and some of the most memorable videogames in history have been overthrown so completely by upstart Sony? The answer goes back nearly ten years to the days of Super Nintendo.
Sony's secret weapon
After a partnership between Sony and Nintendo to develop a CD-ROM-based add-on device to the Super Nintendo went sour, Sony decided to take the reins and used the technology to create the best-selling console of all time: the Playstation.
Through some self-proclaimed in-your-face marketing, open cooperation with game developers and several brilliant design decisions, the Playstation became the latest quintessential entertainment fixture for teens and young adults. Playstations started popping up in popular TV shows, such as Friends, while big-name celebrities like Bruce Willis began offering their likenesses and voices to new, big-budget action games. Not only did games become more accessible, but under Sony's influence, gaming finally began to shed its image as a pastime reserved for kids.
Twenty-year-olds who grew up with the classic-but-quirky Mario and his friends could now enjoy titles with more mainstream appeal, such as the critically-acclaimed Resident Evil, which dropped players into a horror movie, and the revolutionary Final Fantasy VII, which introduced Hollywood-esque cinematics and million-dollar production budgets to videogames.
From flowers to guns
The bright, colorful graphics of Donkey Kong and the cartoonishly-vague violence of The Legend of Zelda symbolize the hobby of choice for many older gamers, who remember a time before players could hijack cars and commit gruesome murders à la Grand Theft Auto III, a current best-seller. In a way, the shift toward grittier, more realistic games is embodied by Nintendo's declining popularity.
Up until a few years ago, Nintendo actively policed all games released on its systems, censoring excessive violence and controversial themes in the interests of preserving "family values." As the Disney of the videogame industry, Nintendo had success and memorable characters but was also completely focused on the kiddy market, alienating the growing segment of consumers who wanted to see their games grow up with them.
Nintendo's lasting dedication to the Disney brand of idealism showed in almost all of its games. Super Mario Bros. was essentially an interactive fairy tale, allowing players to travel through magical lands, battle monsters and villains who were really more mischievous than evil and save the princess. Not until Sony opened its doors to developers did the public see games with more risqué content and with them, a maturation of the industry.
Getting with the times
Today, Nintendo is slowly changing its goody-goody image by offering more varied subject matter, but its targeted age group is still younger than Sony's or Microsoft's.
While finally catching up to the times in some respects, Nintendo has fallen even further behind the pack with the advent of online play, which allows gamers to play over the Internet and is becoming more and more popular. Although online games are traditionally reserved for the PC, the PS2 and Xbox now have online services and release many games that allow online play, while Nintendo has made the questionable decision to ignore this trend for now.
Fortunately, the Big N can stay afloat with its strong brand name and stranglehold on the portable gaming market through the hugely successful Game Boy. It still has surefire franchises in its bag, but the relative failure of the Nintendo 64 showed that gamers aren't satisfied with waiting six months for one great game.
Nintendo still seems to think and act as if it owns the videogame market, but the numbers speak for themselves. Unless Nintendo wakes up and smells the gaming revolution that Sony has set off, Mario will find himself next to Pac-Man and Frogger on the long list of retired classics.
International sales for video-game consoles:
Information compiled from http://www.pcvsconsole.com
Terry Li. Terry Li is a senior in the magnet program who enjoys writing feature articles and reviews. His obsessions are playing videogames, watching TV, and surfing the Internet. He plays tennis and volleyball, and is on Blair's boys volleyball team in the spring. He came to … More »
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