Defining the Wii

In Briticanna’s entry about Nintendo’s Wii, they thoroughly detail the revolutionary piece of equipment the Wii was. They discuss the way they took the video game world by storm, and the way the release of the Wii impacted families everywhere. Mike Finnerty’s article on Entertainment.ie only furthers this argument. The Wii defines childhood in the way it brought so many families together. While other consoles were expensive and catered to a specific audience, the Wii was relatively inexpensive and had a wide variety of games that even children could enjoy.

While in our age, where even virtual reality headsets and self-driving cars have been integrated into society so much so that we barely blink an eye at them, motion-sensor controls seem almost dull. However, back with the release of the Wii, these controls are one of the many things that set the Wii apart from its competitors. Children could now “[swing] around a controller like Luke Skywalker to defeat enemies” (Finnerty) which brought a whole new level of fun to video gaming.

Another thing that set the Wii apart from its competitors was its low price. The Nintendo retailed for about $250 in America and came with one game, according to an NBC news article that was released shortly after the release of the Wii. The Wii’s release brought countless to line up at the Toys-R-Us in Times Square and the Wii was sold out almost immediately, despite having “stocks that far surpassed those of the rival PlayStation 3, which went on sale two days earlier” (Svensson). Thanks to this low price, more families could afford to purchase the Wii for their children as the Wii was nearly half the price of its competitors and even included a game.

Both entries also discuss the fact that the Wii brought a whole new audience into the video gaming world. Each game that was released brought in a whole new demographic into the Wii’s users. Games like “’Wii Sports’ could be enjoyed by anyone from a 5-year-old to an octogenarian.” (Finnerty).  Even games as simple as Nintendogs were wildly popular and brought in a new audience as those who weren’t interested or were too young for games such as Call of Duty now had a game more suited to their tastes. Truly, what brought so many to love the Wii was the variety it brought.

The influence of the Wii’s grand success in the childhoods of many can even be seen today, beyond those who are still using and purchasing the Wii. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an incredible example of the Wii’s influence on today’s world. As pointed out by Mike Finnerty, although the game was not initially released for the Wii console, many of those who began playing video games for the first time because of the Wii and played Animal Crossing back then are still playing and got Animal Crossing: New Horizons to sell over 35 million copies. The game was especially popular with teenagers and adults who played Animal Crossing as children, who now enjoy the nostalgia of the new game. This only shows to highlight the Wii’s success as a console for families and children, as children grew to have such a deep connection with video games that it translated into them purchasing games from the same series they played as kids.

The Wii was a revolutionary console for its time and, even years later, still holds its ground against newer consoles. It revolutionized the way people could play video games and made it easier for children to participate. Thanks to it’s accessibility, and wide range of games many families were able to bring a Wii into their homes and allowed countless to grow up playing video games they loved.

 

Works Cited

Finnerty, Mike. “The Nintendo Wii at 15: The Unorthodox Gamble That Changed Gaming History.” Entertainment.ie, 2 Dec. 2021, https://entertainment.ie/gaming/nintendo-wii-15-504040/.

“Nintendo Wii.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Jan. 2017, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nintendo-Wii.

Svensson, Peter. “Nintendo’s Wii Launch Goes Smoothly.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Nov. 2006, https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15802977.