@Toasticus: FINALLY someone that credits a team instead of just Miyamoto. I mean he is great an I admire him, but I also like giving credits to the other people in the development team that made it possible.

Reminds me when I was seeing the G4 or was it GT? anyway, they where giving story of Nintendo and they mention that it was Miyamoto who SINGLE-HANDLY brought Nintendo back...WTF?!? What about Gunpey Yokoi who made the toys that save Nintendo when they only had cards that where selling less and also who help made the NES. Hiroshi Yamauchi power to see what would sell and what wouldn't even if he never play the games himself (and of course who saw the potential in Gunpey Yokoi's designs of toys). Can't forget Minouro Arakawa and Howard Lincon's help on establishing NOA...but sadly the show only mention Miyamoto and never credited anyone else. I stop watching that 'thing' when that happen *sigh* I know Miyamoto had a lot to do with the success of Nintendo then, but he wasn't the only one that help Nintendo become what they are.

daknight

I think the Wii just has publicity on it's side. Sure the games have progressed and the Wiimote is a little more accessible. But there have been cute games since the beginning of time.

As for SMG, the boyfriend refuses play it with me anymore. He says it is too frustrating. Oh well, more Harvest Moon time for me.

Perky Peanut

The shield is cracking Brian, it's cracking! Tread lightly and good luck!

The GBA (first gen) got my wife gaming - she plays allthe time on her DS,odd enough though she doesn't get on consoles very much.

Sadkermit - Wii # 4595 8878 8498 7021

@cokpendejo: You know how to turn off the Wiimote sound now, though, right?

erlik

Usually only people who don't know anything about games are anti-game. They have some strange idea that ALL games are like one particular game they saw that *looked* dull or violent or whatever (which is about as reasonable as thinking all movies are like Schwarzenegger movies).

Once they experience something they like, they start to understand otherwise.

erlik

I am sooo lucky to have a fiancee that is big into games (well some games, she HATES Halo haha)... in fact, she is WAY better than me at particular games, like Oblivion for example... she clocked up 240 hours (somehow?!) and got 1250 gamerscore LONG before me...

Vegan Shinigami

heartwarming story lmao

King Seafoam

Awesome story.

Dudemeister

@Legion329: Christ, I have never been this jealous. Where the HELL do these people come from?

Bernard McGraw

that reminds me of my live in. Who was full of enmity whenever she would be waken up by the stupid noises coming out of the wiimote that I couldn't figure out how to turn off. Still haven't cracked that nut yet. By the way she hates all games including this one. Except guitar hero sometimes.

cokpendejo

@wild_world_girl: It was overrated... amazing, but ultimately fell short. I felt ripped off because you had to do everything twice. Between clearing levels, clearing them again to save Luigi, those speed/daredevil runs and those bosses that turned up later in the game which were identical to earlier bosses but with the added element of fire, there must've only really been 80 original stars in the game, if that.

Bernard McGraw

my girlfriend loves to play SMG shes slowly catching up to how many stars I have since i havent played it in a while

AllKindsOfRalph

@wild_world_girl: ur not the only one
I have 2 friends who think halo 3 is the only good game of '07 and refuse to admit any problems it has.
one of them actually said I had bad taste in games when I got REZ HD and that "any game that isn't a huge challenge is stupid"
"I thought they were for entertainment and fun"
"with that attitude you'll never win any tournaments"
"O.K.?"

mferrari

DUDE MIYAMOTO'S WIFE-O-METER TOTALLY WORKS, whoa. whoa whoa!

Kikouken

Miyamoto is neither an art director nor a composer. Let's give credit where credit is due, please. I would say that Mahito Yokota, Koji Kondo, and Kazumi Yamaguchi (disturbingly difficult names to find, BTW, given that no credits are listed in the game's printed manual) are at least as responsible for the game catching your wife's attention as Shiggy.

He's certainly talented, but it's not like he's wholly responsible for these games. Game design isn't what initially caught your wife's attention. Granted, once her attention was gained the gameplay made her want to learn more, and I'm sure Shiggy had some general pointers for how the art and music of the game were executed, but Miyamoto simply is not responsible for the fantastic visuals and music of the game. Those are what got your wife to sit down in the first place.

I understand the need to have "stars" in the industry, but come on now. Koji Kondo ain't a nobody!

Toasticus

When my ex saw me play Resident evil 3 on my Dreamcast she got really into it. The fact thst you were playing as a girl who was kicking ass appealed to her. Anywho I ended up not playing my Dreamcast for like a month untill she complited the game. The only time I got to play was when Nemesis poped in on screen (she couldn't beat him) so she always hand the contro;;er to me and waited for me to fend him off. She actually did manage to kill the last boss by herself.

I reckon that if a game has a good story that draws people in, anyone, even the game haters might get to like a game.

2SBs

Big with mainstream? Probably has something to do with the BAJILLIONS and KABILLIONS of dollars in advertising money Nintendo threw at the "mainstream" customers to convince them that a. they're not playing videogames, at least not the games that the D&D nerds or the manchildren are playing; and b. these games are not only fun, they're also HIP and FUN FOR THE WHOLE DAMN FAMILY, EVEN IF YOUR GRANDPA IS A PARAPLEGIC.

I mean, take a look at the Goddamn commercials for Wii Sports, or Wii Fit, or (God-bless) the Zapper. Everybody has a facial expression that looks like they've got a wad of meth the size of my fist jammed up their asshole, and in none of those commercials is a player ever by him/herself. Even the Zapper, a decidedly singleplayer experience, has another three people of various ethnicities jumping and shouting and pointing in glee.

What was that formula Zero Punctuation cooked up? something like "combine one-dimensional gameplay and cute sounds and visuals to make the gaming equivalent of crack cocaine".

I mean, I'm glad the strategy of appealing to the "mainstream" is working, I'm happy for Nintendo that they're probably rich enough to buy Denmark--but it disgusts me. Mainstream appeal hurts my interests in "proper" games directly--see the lack of Wii-exclusive quality games for example. I'll cling to the Xbox and the PC till they too are dragged down under by the twin monsters "approachable" and "family-friendly".

"Nowadays the cool people are playing videogames too. They could be out there having sex, with girls--why the hell do they want my hobby?" --Gabe (Penny Arcade, Duh)

P.S. I plan on buying a Wii for Smash Bros. Brawl...if only I can find one. Those Goddamned soccer moms and newlywed couples keep snapping them up like Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Gunhaver

@Korby: Crecente wasnt always a game writer. He used to be a Police writer / worked for the Rocky Mountain News Paper before was it Crecente? Sorry if I got the facts wrong. D:

Witzbold

Once again mario beats all the other gaming franchises togheter...

tocatl

My ex is the exact opposite of that. She only got interested when I was playing stuff like FolkLore, Metal Gear, and, oddly enough, RTSs.

She loved portal and Team Fortress 2 though.

She was anti-gaming prior to my play through of MGS3 partially because of stuff like Mario.

Black-Dog-Howls

The Wii and in no small part SMG has made my better-half more interested in gaming as a whole. She's now nicked my DS and copy of Phantom Hourglass and has proceeded to complete it and max out all her rupees... an astounding feat for someone that cant even play Mario 64 because "it looks too hard and the stick is funny to control"

I think nintendo have always made games and that engage people to watch others, back in the day my mum would sit for hours watching me play Donkey Kong on the SNES because she loved the music and the underwater levels.

Yes nintendo has that golden touch when it comes to niche and to a lesser extent cliché - you either love them or hate them and with consoles like the SNES, DS and Wii you gotta love them, don't you :D

Azrial

Similar thing with my wife.. she started to play games bec of Super Mario Sunshine. I was kind of surprised. I just got WII few days ago and I told "warned" her I am getting Mario Galaxy in March.

Snappywave

I can't wait until the day that crack dealers are shuffling you off to dark alleyways for a little bit of "Wii time."

Raynre

@Wyld:
I don't understand.

gamadaya

Hanna Barbera cartoons are mainstream as well. but in a bad way.

Wyld

Your wife did no what you did for a living when she married you, didn't she?

My brain is breaking because I forced myself to type that.

Korby

That's really cool. My girlfriend doesn't like video games (or boardgames), but after we dated for awhile I got her to play some board games ("they're social!").

Then she revealed that she loved Mario Kart 64. Naturally I showed her Double Dash and Mario Kart DS. The next phase was RPGs: I showed her Paper Mario on the Gamecube. She played through the whole game with me.

Then I told her that the Wii was going to get a Mario Kart game. Score, she actually helped me get the console on day one.

She watched me play through Twilight Princess. The whole game. I wasn't allowed to play without her. It was awesome.

Then SMG came out. I thought it would take us our standard three to four months to play through a game.

WRONG. We played for around ten hours straight one Friday. Ten friggin' hours! It was pure bliss, mixed with bell peppers and and cheese and crackers. The next day she wakes me up early, Wii-mote in hand.

My friends, I knew that day that my battle was won. She was a gamer. <3

Legion329

@KaneTaker: What type of game?

My missus is big on games too, casualesque I spose but y'know.. she's clocked Puzzle Quest, not sure many girls have defeated Lord Bane before!

syl1985

As a lifelong gamer who is living with a lady for the first time as of, say, last week, I found Crecente's tale of non-dismissal pretty inspiring.

My lady's not a huge gamer by any means. But she's a graphic designer, so she'll be really impressed by stuff like Bioshock's well-thought out commitment to the whole art-deco look. It's actually pretty awesome playing games with her watching (or, in the case of katamari damacy or star wars lego, participating) because she notices stuff I wouldn't. And she loves to sing in Rock Band. I'm a happy dude.

caps

@jrjoe: Stop spamming your video, thx.

dipic

It's a combination of the cute graphics and active controls. But yeah, Miyamoto has unlocked the holy grail of mainstream gaming. Just out of curiousity, what boss was it. I'll be it was Bouldergeist.

gamadaya

@mywhitenoise: whoops forgot to proof it. :(

Brian Crecente

Excellent story Crecente! :D

Witzbold

A lot of people noticed the 'no', but there's also this part "She doesn't, however, ever have any interesting in playing games".
I'm just nitpicking, I like Crecente, he's my favorite Kotaku writer. It'd be cool if he deleted one of his friends on PSN and added mywhitenoise.

mywhitenoise

@jrjoe: Uh...what does that have to do with anything? Go advertise on youtube comments, not here.

Furious_Liver

Glad to hear it. My wife likes games but due to her inner ear, can't play FPS's ("Which is really annoying, 'cause I'd love to join in on Halo and shove a rocket launcher up one of you boys' asses"). Most of the time, she just likes to watch me play because, when she does play, she gets really obsessed. Diablo II came out and she'd play for hours.

Beelzebozo

I could never be with a person who did not at least like SOME games. Games are too big of a part of my life.

I'm proud to say my GF can kick my ass in Smash Brothers. She also owns me in the Phantom Hourglass multiplayer Minigame, Mario Kart, and a few other things.

z357x, su.

You got a basement bar? That's badass!

boopadoo

First sentence.
"no" should be "know"

ColdHeat

My gf has ordered a Wii almost entirely for this game. When we started going out 2 years ago video games were probably something she encountered maybe once a year, but she's ended up getting really into them, going so far as to buy herself a copy of Cooking Mama for my DS and often demanding that I play games for her to watch. (Which is a demand I am usually quite willing to oblige.)

Nintendo games do have a way with the ladies though. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but then it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there's something there that isn't in your typical FPS. If I play Halo online with some guy buddies, she will zone out or start poking me because it's "boring." Which, to watch when you're not playing, I can't really deny. Nintendo games don't seem to have that problem. Of course it's not exclusively Nintendo that manages this, but they do seem to have the most consistency.

The_PoT

Geesus peeple dont pail on for the guy pointing spelling out bad.

But I do agree Crecente, nintendo just has that appeal for all ages, races, gender, etc.

D3Anon

@DiSTiNCT: lol... hahah so awesome.

homelessvagrant

all that means is that she just has to be drunk to be able to put up with them, my wife's the same way with 3somes.....

DiSTiNCT

Crecente, get Trish in on the whole co-op thing. It'd be fun :D

ssjmichael

SEE THIS?!?!

[youtube.com]

jrjoe

Hell, even a game designer who doesn't even like Mario Galaxy had his wife fall in love with Mario on the Wii. [lostgarden.com]

Tonx

@KaneTaker: I'm with you on that one mate. If she isn't nerdy in the slightest, I ain't interested. I think games are a great way to understand the mind of another person anywho. Will they fold on your all in bet? Will they try to sneak in a low attack to take down your last morsel of life, or will they expect you to see that coming and instead stick with a high attack? Will they sacrifice their bishop for your knight? Will they blend? (I usually only resort to that question when the friendship isn't going too well)

I love learning about people through such interactivity.

Furious_Liver

@Cloral: Don't you mean "Nintendo Wii: Now with Heroine!"?

Paviel

Remember the Miyamoto's "I want to make games my wife likes" speech he held at last GDC, Brian? Guess he was right and succeeded, huh?

El-Suave

I have to say that it is the commercials. It shows the whole family around the couch playing games like mario and wii sports. Normal people and gamers alike like to come together and have parties. This is what a pool table of ping pong table was at one time to nongamers. It is the next step towards everyone having fun.

Balmung576

Miyamoto's wife-o-meter strikes agian

eternalplayer2345

I think it pretty much is a combination off all that. The controls, the similar 'cute' art styles most Wii games have, and the timed released opiates. But seriously I think it may have alot to do with simply the presentation of the Wii and it's games. This clean cut family image of a console that also happens to have a really fun way to interact with it.

SLoth_112

@blehh:

Know, he doesn't.

^Fixed

:D

sugardeath

I think I must be the only person in the world who though SMG was a bit overrated. The unbridled orgasmic enthusiasm that came from most critics (and forum posters) just didn't prepare me for the "meh" feeling I got.

Cool about turning your wife onto gaming (a bit) however.

wild_world_girl

@blehh: Try reading again, you might "know"-tice something.

Luziphir

I know i've been wondering the same thing! my parents would never go near games but once we got a wii they actually seem interested! my mom is keeping up with the release dates and set-backs for wii fit. but i dont think this phenominon is only on the wii, because we also got Scene it for the 360 and about once a week they turn it on or make me get off and play a round or two. so personally, i think it is more the subject matter and the accessability that can make grandparents pick up a controller.

Thrash16

"We were on one of the boss battles, one that we kept losing at."

You're fired.

goodgravy

My girlfriend is an anti gamer as well but she made me beat halo 1-3 so she could watch the story. She also likes watching me play team doubles for some reason.

Wierd choice of games to watch I know but..its one of the few. She also liked watching Zelda OOT and TP, as well as The Legacy of Kain series.

parad0x360

@mywhitenoise: XD I no, right?!

I don't know what it is about the Wii either, but that's why it's printing money! I think they're doing this to pull in a bigger crowd then to ease them into the hardcore stuff. It's working as far as I know.

LionheartAce

Very cool for you.

Not sure I'd be married if my wife weren't into gaming of some kind. Video games, RPGs, war games, board games and card games are my LIFE. Hell, we MET at a game.

KaneTaker

It's fun to watch others play the Wii. The facial expressions and flailing of the arms... it makes me laugh every time.

fishtub

Beautiful story! You should tell her about...yaknow...having seperate files for different people. ;]

@mywhitenoise: ...Sigh.

Furious_Liver

Hah. Agreed.

b-tray

Nintendo Wii: Now with Heroin!

Cloral

thats was lolz worthy

mossberg

@mywhitenoise: no he doesn't

blehh

I had the same experience with my ex-girlfriend.
It's just like he said in his GDC keynote last year, he makes games that his wife will enjoy.
I think Nintendogs, WiiFit and a majority of SMGalaxy can be attributed to Mrs. Miyamoto.

jMonken

You need to proofread!

mywhitenoise

That is some weird miracle. My wife sees a game like Halo 3 and she watches because she thinks the forest looks pretty. Bid deal. Who cares.

Keegs79

@Legion329: That is awesome, congrats, she is a keeper :oD

I wish my bf was interested in something gaming, he doesn't care about games AT ALL!!! So damn annoying :o(

valhum

See if you can get her to try the 2-player mode. Start slow, showing how to get the Star Bits and freeze/destroy baddies on the screen. It's a nice way for an advanced platform gamer (like me) to cooperatively enjoy a game with someone not so skilled with Mario games (like my husband). I've never enjoyed a cooperative game so much since I used to play Bubble Bobble with my mom. :)

LovelyPeach

Crecente's got his own bar! When he presses a button under the bar, it revolves into the wall and a bed pops out. A disco ball also comes out of the ceiling.

Heh heh. Allriiiight.

Robotube

Hmm... introduce her to Animal Crossing? My aunt felt the same way about games, until she saw my cousin play AC. Not only did she think it's cute, but actually played it.

jaymac

@wild_world_girl: Nah man, lots of people are agreeing with you. Not me, I love the game (though still not as much as SM3), but I can definitely see where some people might fault it. It's just a matter of whether or not the game's faults are a big deal to each player's tastes.

However, I really don't understand when people say SMG isn't even a good game, or "it suxX0rz lololol." I don't care what your individual tastes are, Mario Galaxy is an objectively great game. I really don't think anyone with an open mind can rate it anywhere below "pretty fun." We all have different tastes, but there IS objectivity in every form of media as well.

Spiffyness

@kaichamp17: Word. YOU'VE GOT A BAR!? Bad ass.

Also, your wife doesn't like games? HOW DO YOU LIVE!? I kid, I kid.

y2kenjination

@DARK DVNT [XBL];8908-2379-8728-6953 [WII]

I come on here every single day, multiple times a day, probably once an hour. Just because I don't post often, doesn't mean I don't read the articles and comments.

mywhitenoise

That totally happened with my dad yesterday. He'll play Wii Sports or Wario with me occasionally, but he was completely shocked when Mario started making sense to him.

NoraHF

My wife has practically zero interest in games, but doesn't object to me playing them...and she does enjoy watching them sometimes.

The only game she ever got into was Animal Crossing, and she really got into it. Every fish, every bug that she could get (and she wouldn't play with the clock), she spent a lot of time in that little village.

Thinking about the upcoming Wii version makes me more than a little nervous.

Islandkiwi

My girlfriend was barely interested in games when we first got together. I bought her a pink DS and a couple games in preparation for a road trip we were taking. Now, she DEMANDS I buy Devil May Cry 4 for MY 360 so she can play it, begs to play Rock Band every weekend, and I just found out that she entered a Guitar Hero 3 tournament at a local bar last night and beat several guys early on. To top it all off, when we were at a local GameStop this weekend shopping for her nephews B-day I caught her checking out the box for No More Heroes. I'm pretty sure she is up to something, I'm just not sure what.

KingGorilla

It's PMS

neobooper

@daknight, DaiMacculate: Yeah, it's gotten to bothering me a lot lately how people seem to think that Nintendo = Miyamoto. Nintendo obviously has lots of extremely talented people working at their company, most notably Masahiro Sakurai (Smash Bros.), Eiji Aonuma (all Zelda games since OoT), and Koji Kondo (too much to list!).

I mean, you look at how many titles Nintendo is putting out, and even though it might not seem like much it's still a ton of projects for one person to be involved with. Your average game designer only works on one game every two to three years! It's simply impossible for Miyamoto to take a particularly hands-on approach to directing every Nintendo game that gets released, so giving him supreme credit on every Nintendo game is a gross misappropriation of praise. If Miyamoto were put in charge of an average team of developers working on a new IP with an average development schedule, I doubt we'd see results nearly as impressive. In lieu of crediting lead development members, I'd prefer people just say "Nintendo," as in, "Nintendo really did a great job with SMG."

Again, I believe that Shiggy is wildly talented, and probably the single person most responsible for Nintendo's success, but that doesn't mean he's responsible for all of Nintendo's success. Let's give some props to the other talent working for The House that Mario Built.

Toasticus

wait u got a BAR??!!

kaichamp17

The subject matter hasn't changed in 20 years, so it's probably not that. The graphics, while constantly improving, have always had the same theme; I find it hard to believe that a polygon count means anything to the mainstream audience. And the control scheme? I find it hard to believe that you and your son are doing much more than flicking your wrist when necessary. I'd claim that it's mainstream media telling the mainstream public that the Wii is mainstream, and as such, nerd-free.

crewwolfy

had the same experience with my fiancee.

she normally just ignores/gets annoyed at the amount of time i take up with the tv and on the 360 and wii. but she got really involved in not only playing shotgun to help me beat mario galaxy, but started her own file and is now mad that i gave back my review copy.

she's still insisting that it be the next game i buy! thank you miyamoto! thank you!

PGGB

that sounds almost just like my wife, crecente. she barely tolerates gaming.

AgainstOne

i think i may need me a lady who likes gaming or, at least, doesn't roll her eyes at the mere mention of it.

thaKingRocka

Wii is the best console ever made, as far as I am concerned, due to it's "gaping" of gamers and non-gamers. Especialy female non-gamers. I think it was about time this industry started making games for everyone, not just the "hardcore" and im glad to be witnessing this during my lifetime. I assure you, Brian, your home was nto theonly where this "little mircale" has happened.

Shiryu

You can skip the time release by crushing it. Note: may render game unplayable.

CyberSkull

@Shevek:

Postscript:

And I'm not sure that the Wii represents the greatest (r)evolution in the form or is the most accessible system, but it definitely advertises as such. I think one hand washes the other; if one person starts with Wii Sports, they might move to another. And one day buy a REAL gaming machine!

(I'm kidding! Besides, I meant a computer, anyway.)

Shevek

Lucky, I just noticed my copy of SMG wasn't where I tossed it down. After turning my room upside down for a good few hours I have yet to find it. Worst thing is I know for a fact I haven't taken it out of my flat since I last played it. Now I'm all paranoid and depressed that someones stealing from me.

Odin

While getting my education, I used to hear, "I don't like poetry." My reaction: "What? All of poetry? You can't find anything worthwhile in any poem ever written?" And what they really meant was, "I have this idea of poetry and I don't like it."

So it is with gaming. Everyone plays sometimes, even though they may not call it gaming, but a lot of people have an idea in their head about video games. They just don't like it. Or they think that it isn't a hobby for them. Some of the reasons they might give:

-Video games are for kids or its silly or immature to play them. Variation: games are for boys who won't grow up and be real men
-They're too complicated, hard to play, or take up too much time
-I have better things to do, I don't have time, or I have other hobbies, etc.

As more people learn that there are all types of games and that they aren't just for little kids, frat boys, or parent's house basement-dwellers, they'll find a game for them.

Shevek

UR MR GAY

lol (inside joke for those who don't get it)

Hylian

what a cliffhanger

buttpwner

I love hearing about people's significant others becoming gamers (to some degree at least). I was able to convert my fiancee... she didn't have any real interest in gaming since the sega genesis, and now I'm able to buy he games for christmas and she'll actually play them :)

kathartik

This is fantastic. The Wii truely is a unique console. You have games die hards love (IMO No More Heroes is one of the best games I have ever played) but also games anyone can enjoy (Wii Fit and Wii Sports). And finally, you have the classics. Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Nintendo is in it's prime and it hopefully won't stop.

PaintedMidget

@mywhitenoise: How often do you come here really?

DARK DVNT [XBL];8908-2379-8728-6953 [Wii]

@Toasticus: I totally agree, and while Shiggy is not somebody who goes out of his way to hog the credit it takes a whole team (if not many teams) to create a game that amazing.

One thing all industries based on creative elements like art, music, story need to watch for is not to let any one group or type of creative professional be totally valued above all others, it leads to disaster. See the american comics industry in the 90s for an example of what happens when a certain facet of the process gets over emphasized and celebrated, celebrity artists nearly ran the entire industry into the ground. People need to be recognized and appreciated, but only for their part of the whole and not to excess.

Oh and I'd lay off the grammar policing (you know who you are) if I were the parties in question, nobody is perfect all the time and these guys write a TON of posts on here. It's always readable, which is more than I can say for many other writers whose spelling and grammar might be more "perfect". The whole damn language is a mess anyway, and most of the "rules" that you're so into are only a couple centuries old, so get over yourselves already. Samuel Johnson you're not :)

DaiMacculate

@Legion329: That is, without doubt, the best comment I've ever read on Kotaku. Kudos to you, sir - and your girlfriend, too :)

moobaa

@Ultrasinc:

I've died on a few. No shame in admitting it. I'm not the gamer I once was :p

DCSimian

speaking of super mario galaxy love stories...
[www.youtube.com]
[/shameless]

Cheddabake

Huh, that's pretty neat. Might as well buy Super Mario Galaxy then :p

agustin2489

My wife doesn't really play games, but she loves to sit there collecting stars while I play Galaxy!

RobTheBuilder

I'm not speaking on behalf of all the ladies here but I will have to admit one thing and it's any girl's weakness to what we call "cute" and SMG has a definite cute factor.

Jenstar: The O.C. Ninty Rep

People who play Wii games, even wagglefests, simply look more active and interesting than people playing PS3 or 360 games.

L_K_M

My girlfriend was completely uninterested in video games, but she sat and watched me play Metal Gear Solid 3 in its entirety because of the story. She keeps asking me to go back and play MGS and MGS2 for her so she can see the story to those as well, ugh.

Canadian Impostor

My wife got me Mario party 8 for christmas and she says, lets play mario. I felt compelled to tell her that MP8 wasn't a real Mario game, but I held my tongue, I know she likes all the mario party stuff.

Later I recieved galaxy from her parents, natch, and when we got home with that little number I was elated when she suggested we get a few things out of the way so we could sit down and play, what I call, the "real" Mario.

She was controlling Mario and she asked me where I was, I explained how everything worked and she seemed disappointed that I wasn't going to be Luigi running alongside her or something.

That night we got about 6 stars and she hasn't played since. I keep bugging her to play with me again, but she actually feels that its too complicated.

"Its wierd, you just run around on little planets", she says. It's like she wants 2D platformers on the TV again.

I don't think she's seen me play it since then either, she works late some nights and now I have night classes so there's not a lot of time. Its just a shame because we'll be sitting there quietly watching a TV show and I'll just glance at the SMG box, conveniently placed in the front of the DVD rack, and think about the teamwork and interaction we could have by playing a game together.

*sigh*

Ptolemy

Nice story. It seems that the world is being turned on its head. What's next, no more fighting Darfur? No more Islamic extremism in the Middle East? Britney Spears decides to sober up and become a good parent?

KM91

My wife never games, but she's constantly pestering me to play SMG. She's only interested in being the co-star, but she really loves it. Last week we hit 60 stars and I thought that'd be enough for her, but she wants us to complete all 120!

wideawakewesley

You kept dying at an SMG boss? THAT is suprising for a gamer, lol. I never thought it was possible to get stuck in any of the SMG bosses... Especially after that ZeroPunctuation review...

You know, Stay Puff Marshmallow Man analogy

Ultrasinc

I just got SMG yesterday, great game, I love it :) I was one of the few I guess that did not like mario 64 or even tried the one for the GC. Last mario I loved was for the Super nes or maybe GB color or something. But this one I'm loving, great mario game, talk about putting new life into a franchise.

Irenicus-the one and only

Ah my gf did that when I was playing smg, but she was collecting star bits for me and wasting them shooting enemies...

She doesn't play games either but she liked watching me play smg, while she collected star bits and shot random things with them... think the secondary player feature which alot of reviews seem to have slated, was wayyyy underrated. Don't think many of them realise the appeal to gamers other half's/spectator's tendency to want to back seat drive by pointing out stuff on the screen....

charsuipau

@goodgravy: LOL that was frickin funny.
..But what is that I hear?
Is it the rumbling of the all-mighty ban hammer?
..Still that was frickin funny lol.
Right back Crecente.

Zero2007

Frankly, I don't think the Wii has anything to do with it. My girlfriend (a lifetime Nintendo fan) only showed a passing interest in Galaxy, but when I showed her the videos for Littlebigplanet, she couldn't keep quiet about it.

Nintendo's certainly nailed their marketing though. Non-gamers have to be told that it's okay for them to play games now. Because they're that stupid.

V1L3

I got hung up on the part where you were having trouble with a SMG boss...
Step up your game, Crecente, seriously.

Heartwork

Most of what people are describing here aren't "gaming women", it's rather side-kicks. If the girl decides by her own she wants to play a game (a new game not introduced by you) and you are nowhere near when she takes the decision. Only then will she be a true gamer.

Elrinth

I got Burnout Paradise the other day, now my wife wants a 'Sunday Driving' game.

Something that looks pretty, the first thing she said about it was how good it looked, but with no real point other than driving around.

I told her that you can do that in Burnout all you want and you can even get a cruiser. She dismissed it and then I suggested Desert Bus.

She knew what it was, I was amazed.

Mr_Fuzzypaws

@SuperMaxZero: It's primarily intended for movies though, and the availability of game info is pretty inconsistent. I think a similar site intended specifically for videogames would be more successful.

Toasticus

@Toasticus:

Well, IMDB does have credits for video game entries. I'm not how complete they are for more obscure titles (or in general), but they definitely have the artists from Mass Effect listed, at least.

SuperMaxZero

@Brian Crecente: I'd forgotten about that. Yeah, that makes sense as a reference. Generally speaking, I'd like to see more awareness of important people within Nintendo, as well as other companies. I feel that recognizing important game composers (such as Koji Kondo) and artists will help bring games the level of recognition that people involved with movies get. It's something I'm trying to get better at myself, too, which is probably why I'm making such a big deal about it. It's always the reflections of your own faults that you see in others that bother you the most, right?

I think it'd be really cool if you guys started playing up the names of composers and lead artists of the games you report on, like saying, "Here's a batch of new screenshots from Metal Marios of War, featuring the work of lead artist John Public." It might help encourage people to see those roles as being important and noteworthy, like how most people already consider the role of lead designer to be. It'd be especially cool if you started having interviews with artistic leads and composers.

It's kind of shameful to realize I don't know the names of the lead artists responsible for Okami, Resident Evil 4, Gears of War, Bioshock, or Team Fortress 2. These are people worth following. And, unfortunately, there is no IMDB equivalent for games, making the process of looking up credits for a game a big pain in the ass.

Toasticus

Much as I'd hate to see the "console war" actually descened into a "my niche is smaller than your niche" nerd-appeal pissing contest, I've gotta offer some exception to the idea that the Wii success is some kind of triumph of "de-nerding" the gaming scene.

Firstly - yes, the Wii marketing is all based around showing it off as this "everyone can play, it's a social activity" thing as opposed to a solitary nerdcore devotion. So? When, exactly, did ANY game or system try to sell itself as "you'll play this all alone in lieu of human interaction?" Never, unless it was being ironic. Intellivision pitched itself as a kind of home computer ("I can do homework with it, honest Ma!") The NES was a toy robot that also played games on the TV. Hell, little more than a decade ago Sega was telling us with a straight face that owning the mother-system of a sneaker-wearing blue cartoon hedgehog was evidence that you were EPOCHS more "badass" than the fans of a cartoon plumber. Are you telling me that you're just figuring out NOW that mainstream media game-marketing is lame?

Secondly, if anything the Wii is RE-geeking the game scene by virtue of it's existance, not the other way around - at least from my vantage point. Someone brought up the (brilliant) Penny Arcade strips about the MTV-style marketing of the Playstation era being the begining of the end for the golden age of gaming as a for-nerds-by-nerds realm. Good callback... except it doesn't really fit here. Post-Playstation, gaming has gotten progressively LESS "nerdy" even though the games got more impenetrable and insular: 'straight' sports retreads, generic "realistic" war FPS, etc. became the order of the day, whereas during the NES/MS/Genesis/SNES/N64 era(s) the kind of out-there geek-gasm weirdness that's now so refreshing in "No More Heroes" or "Bioshock" was utterly commonplace.

Even now, the PS3 and 360 are both aiming squarely at the Playstation-era "new gamers" that P.A. was railing about in that series: The varsity-goon Madden-o-philes and the FPS-addict fratboys, while the geek-gamer set gets, what, exactly? "Keep waiting for Final Fantasy" from Sony, while MS offers "It's called Halo. It's another pretend-your-in-the-army macho-chest-thumper dealie, but this one's in SPACE! You dorks like space, right?"

Nintendo, meanwhile... yeah, they've got the moms and the retirees in the crosshairs with the ads and the marketing focus. But what are they actually SELLING this crop of "new gamers?" Whats the design theme, the overriding "tone" of the product? Five word description: "Walt Disney Goes To Akihabara" - in other words the same out-there, PURE-geek and nerd-to-the-core outlandishness that's been their bread and butter since Miyamoto first decided to send his plumber to a fight turtles in a Mushroom Kingdom.

moviebob

This really is the true beauty of Galaxy; anyone can appreciate the game, and almost anyone can play it. There are plenty of levels for first time gamers, but there's also the challenge stages that only the immortals can overcome.

Benjo

Haven't you guys realized its the age of Wii? Nintendo is forever changing games

Avinash_Tyagi

My wife recently called me while I was at work and asked for help in Kingdom Hearts. She hever takes any interest in games, so this call was extremely shocking. I was as patient as I could be to help here and tried to show no excitement, because this was new and dangerous territory. One false move and all this hard work to bring here into gaming could have been lost.

Later, she got frustrated at Sora's poor jumping and quit. It was progress though, definite progress!

ReidP

I've decided a long time ago to just date a chick who also plays games. It'd make life so much easier than having to explain why I spend so much time gaming. It's been 3 years. I'm still single... *tear*

Scum2k1

What percentage of the world's population is a wife?

Because I have a feeling that if all husbands could get their wives to convert, we'd be well on our way to world domination.

Just a thought :D

Durandel

@Cathaoir:

My point might be best rephrased by having my imaginary person say, "I don't like music." If someone said that, I hope our collective jaws would DROP. If someone makes a sweeping statement about an entire artform or craft, they're either doing it wrong, not trying, or haven't found the right stuff.

Shevek

@Gunhaver: Obvious Troll is Obvious.

The Wii isn't actually hurting hardcore sales. If people want to play The Orange Box, Oblivion, Mass Effect, or any big-huge-giant-engrossing game, they buy a 360 or PS3.

And the thing is that the Wii really introduces a lot of people to gaming, as we have read here. Not only that, but it introduces the masses to gaming and lets them know that it isn't the big cesspool that the mass media makes it out to be.

The Wii isn't stealing any money from the hardcore market. The hardcore developers make games for hardcore consoles, to appease to their audience. A good developer won't sacrifice gameplay for money.

The ones that do, well, there's an expression for that.
"And nothing of value was lost."

RPharazonius: Episode Two

My girlfriend and I both grew up with Nintendo, so I can't relate with you on the matter, Crecente. Still, it's awesome to see a new gamer coming into the mix as a result of Nintendo's gaming genius.

Ninja-Z

Impressive! :)

Xeneizes

@Shevek: I'm an english major, and I still don't like a lot of poetry. William Blake is good, but I haven't found anyone else I like. I just plain don't like the style as much as I like prose. I find reading poetry to be tedious, and I just don't think it flows as well - at least in my experience.

Sorry for the tangent, everyone!

Cathaoir

I will Marry a hot asian that loves games(......) just woke up:)

DarkLuigi

@Toasticus: I mentioned Miyamoto mostly because of his now, sort of, famous Wife-o-Meter.

Brian Crecente

"If Miyamoto can make a game that my wife not only refers to as "cute", but is willing to watch then he's really found the key to mainstreaming gaming."

Commas go inside of quotation marks.

username3

It isn't just the Wii, and it isn't just Galaxy that keeps non-gamers entranced. Isn't playing "Open Season" on the Wii much like filling a lovely, decorative bowl with Tuna Helper? And wouldn't a Gamecube Galaxy have induced just another yawn from our wives, parents, and non-gamer friends? The Wii + The Playful Eye And Firm Hand of Shigeru Miyamoto paints an electronic field of white poppies, their edges glowing blue. Won't you come a little closer? Aren't you sleepy? Won't you join me in a waggle?

Sustenance

@wild_world_girl:
exactly my feeling .
smg is good but not as great as reviews it got it just takes away the frustration parts of sunshine .
on the topic i must say something i noticed when playing wii is its plug and play style of gaming kinda that early arcade games feeling (prior to street fighter 2 era ).

bitnard

This doesn't surprise me at all. My wife will ask me if I want to play SMG so that she can co-star. She has no interest in playing as the primary player but has a blast as my co-star. She thinks the game and story are very fun.

bryus