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VICE: Nintendo Losing Younger Gamers

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I'm just really not convinced the lack of voice chat is a reason for Wii U failing. I think branding, marketing, high price, no 3rd parties are bigger issues. Though I guess no voice chat adds to the 'image' gamers have with nintendo.

 

Isn't that the point though? It's a reason. One of numerous.

 

And let's not pretend the image gamers have with Nintendo isn't largely fuelled by Nintendo's own desired image. People will add to it, but Nintendo has consistently marketed and aligned itself as a family-friendly company and it means making sacrifices some other gamers (arguably the older ones) take issue with.

 

Funnily enough I've started playing Smash again (Melee) with Zell and it really made me realise how important it is to laugh and talk when you play games together.

 

I can remember playing/reviewing Mario Kart 8 online with @Hellfire and being annoyed I couldn't call him a dick when he was attacking me with items :heh:

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Isn't that the point though? It's a reason. One of numerous.

 

And let's not pretend the image gamers have with Nintendo isn't largely fuelled by Nintendo's own desired image. People will add to it, but Nintendo has consistently marketed and aligned itself as a family-friendly company and it means making sacrifices some other gamers (arguably the older ones) take issue with.

 

 

 

I can remember playing/reviewing Mario Kart 8 online with @Hellfire and being annoyed I couldn't call him a dick when he was attacking me with items :heh:

 

Don't worry, I felt the insults anyway.

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I understand that 99% of the forum users want it and it's a major bug bear for most of us, however NX's success won't be defined by it's inclusion. It seems to me they have much bigger things to worry about.

 

I find the first half at odds with the last - if we consider success to be sales, then I'm pretty sure I can name you at least 5 if not more people here who would instantly decide not to buy the system without voice chat and decent online. No, it won't be the sole factor, but I honestly do believe it will be a negative dealbreaker for many maybes. Whilst, of course, it could be argued we're a niche and non-representative forum of the greater population, I'm not inclined to fully go with that.

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Kinda related to this topic... This just came out of the newly English translated Investor's Q&A...

 

Kimishima:

 

The policy I have discussed (in the "Message from the President" on the Nintendo website as well as in the Corporate Management Policy Briefing in October 2015) is our mission to increase the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP. For example, due to changes in our industry, the proportion of young consumers who are first experiencing games on our systems has been falling. We want to have everyone become familiar with our IP by reaching as many people as possible from an early age within their daily lives. Our long-term strategy is to spark our consumers' interest in playing Nintendo game systems and encouraging continued growth of our games business.

 

I can provide a couple of examples from outside of Japan. In America, many children are using electric toothbrushes featuring Mario characters to brush their teeth every day. We have also worked with a shoe company to launch shoes that feature the designs of Nintendo game systems. As you know, we are also working on a theme park featuring Nintendo IP. Our policy and the focus of our current activities is to create more chances for our consumers to experience the charm of Nintendo IP, not just on our dedicated video game systems, but outside of game software as well.

 

Merchandising and mobiles seem to be a key component in their efforts to attract children...

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Kinda related to this topic... This just came out of the newly English translated Investor's Q&A...

 

 

 

Merchandising and mobiles seem to be a key component in their efforts to attract children...

Yeah, could tell that was the idea. I believe Iwata even said that a year or so ago which is why this VICE article felt out of touch to me. We knew this was the plan due to the situation.

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Yay toothbrushes and shoes. They can go right next to my collection of amiibo... in the hypothetical trash can.

 

I only know of one kid that owns a WiiU, and that's mainly down to me taking mine round his aunts to host 'Mario Kart parties,' who then bought him one (though I suspect it was also for her).

 

My nieces and nephews used to play Nintendo a lot, as I coerced them to play the N64, 'Cube and Wii as they were growing up. But not one of them owns a WiiU. They've got PC's, Xboxes and PS4's as they're of the generation that likes to talk to each other whilst gaming.

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Yay toothbrushes and shoes. They can go right next to my collection of amiibo... in the hypothetical trash can.

 

I only know of one kid that owns a WiiU, and that's mainly down to me taking mine round his aunts to host 'Mario Kart parties,' who then bought him one (though I suspect it was also for her).

 

My nieces and nephews used to play Nintendo a lot, as I coerced them to play the N64, 'Cube and Wii as they were growing up. But not one of them owns a WiiU. They've got PC's, Xboxes and PS4's as they're of the generation that likes to talk to each other whilst gaming.

And that's why Nintendo are pushing various new initiatives to get kids interested again. Just because they may not be now doesn't mean they never will.

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My point about piracy was that outside of the UK and the West in general the game is played only on PC, pirated and immensely popular. There are countless YouTube streams and videos of non-English gamers playing the game and they all communicate via Skype. Hell I do exactly that with my students who are all playing pirated copies. Actual PC sales represent only a small fraction of the overall community and they play the game absolutely fine without built in voice chat. I'm not debating that little Johnny from from Windsor sits at home and plays online with his friends on a 360, but globally, I believe this is still the exception rather than the rule. But all this is beside the point. I WANT party voice chat on the NX, but I don't believe it's going to be the system seller some are making it out to be.

 

Man, when I saw these figures released by Mojang today, I just had to come back to this.

 

minecraft-sales-pass-the-astonishing-100m-milestone-146487641362.jpg

 

106 million sold - it's clearly selling copies and I don't see how the uptake of pirate versions could be anywhere close to this! It's also dirt cheap so cost was never going to be a factor. If prices are reasonable then generally most people will pay.

 

An interesting point to note is that the pocket version can also be very easily pirated, so even comparisons can be made. It shows that the PC version is far less popular in every single region.

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If you were wondering where all the kids went...

 

The rest of them are all watching Youtubers :heh:

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And with their weird copyright rules, it's not Nintendo they'll be watching on YouTube either :p

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And with their weird copyright rules, it's not Nintendo they'll be watching on YouTube either :p

I don't know why people keep saying that. Nintendo don't remove the videos. They just want to share money which is fair since it's their IP people are profiting from.

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And with their weird copyright rules, it's not Nintendo they'll be watching on YouTube either :p

 

You'd think so but it's not really stopping the big Youtube names it seems...

 

 

I still reckon that Livestreaming and the Youtube audience will play a big role on NX. They'll find a "Nintendo like" approach to it and really push it hard (securing exclusive content from the bigger names would not go amiss either...)

Edited by Dcubed

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I don't know why people keep saying that. Nintendo don't remove the videos. They just want to share money which is fair since it's their IP people are profiting from.

 

Sorry but their policy is at best half-cocked. It's only for certain countries but if you're not in one it's not clear from the site what they allow. From experience some get take down requests, others don't. Same with the list of games. It's past teething problems now and it's just clearly a poorly organised and implemented idea cyclically designed to make money. I understand the desire to do so, but there are better ways of doing it. It's turning away a huge audience, not just through those wanting to do videos but those that would watch.

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I'm not saying their execution is right, but they're not blocking videos from going up and they have every right to have a portion of the money considering people are profiting by showing off the entirety of their games on youtube.

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They're not blocking them from going up, but they are asking for them to go down.

 

Yeah from a business POV they have the right to earn money. But it's an old school way of thinking. The amount of money they could earn by encouraging it rather than taxing it is obviously an unknown, but other companies seem to enjoy success from it.

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How are they asking for them to go down? Not once has a video been removed by Nintendo

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How are they asking for them to go down? Not once has a video been removed by Nintendo

 

I think they have, at least it says so here.

 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-targets-speedrunners-with-youtube-copyright-claims/#:UI9oyCj0d68D_A

 

This is just a snip, it's worth reading the whole thing:

 

Nintendo’s notice continues: “Nintendo’s intellectual property constitutes its most valuable assets, and the unauthorized use of these assets jeopardizes Nintendo’s rights. Because of this, we ask that you please remove the video in question from your channel, and confirm that you will not post any videos using unauthorized software or copies of games, distribute or continue work on the modification, or take any other steps that would infringe Nintendo’s rights.”

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I know people that have had their videos taken down. So to answer your question, I assume email.

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That's not because they uploaded Nintendo content. That's because of rom hacks/tool assists etc.

 

It's because of both. You can't just pick out one of the reasons and say it's just that. Numerous "Let's Play" videos have requested be taken down.

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It's because of both. You can't just pick out one of the reasons and say it's just that. Numerous "Let's Play" videos have requested be taken down.

I have seen nothing of the sort regarding that and the link you provided was predominantly hacks

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Whether they do or don't take videos down, in creating this situation in the first place it has started the rumour around that Nintendo don't like you posting their content on YouTube and puts a lot of people off. It's just as damaging as their confusing message about E3. The practices and ideas might not be bad but the execution is often rubbish and confusing for fans. They have a serious communication problem.

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I have seen nothing of the sort regarding that and the link you provided was predominantly hacks

 

Because you've not seen it, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

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