Pachther Says Wii is "Fast Food"

[wraggster]

Industry analyst Michael Pachter says the Nintendo Wii has become "fast food" that appeals to a wide but less sophisticated range of gamers based on its great concept, presentation and strong brand recognition.

Pachter said that while game quality is important, concept and recognition are even more vital in determining how successful a console will be in drawing an audience. Wii owners are less likely to own other consoles and, generally speaking, aren't "sophisticated enough" to know, or even care, how a game they're interested in compares to hit titles for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

"They buy the Wii games that they buy for the same reason that people go to McDonald's. McDonald's doesn't win a lot of restaurant critic awards but they are approachable, they're consistent, and you know what they're going to serve you," Pachter told Gamasutra. "I mean, who sells more food - McDonald's or Ruth's Chris Steak House, which certainly serves better meat? Nintendo has become the fast food machine. Sony is very much the high-end restaurant. And Microsoft is somewhere in between."

Case in point: de Blob, which Pachter called a great Wii game, and which was outsold by both The Price Is Right and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader: Make the Grade. "That's sad," he said. "But it tells you who the audience is."

"If the concept is right, if the recognition factor is there, if you 'get it' from what's on the box, sometimes the game doesn't even have to be that good in order for it to sell," he continued. "When a housewife is in Wal-Mart and sees Jillian Michaels' face on Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 for Wii, nobody has to explain it to them. They recognize her from TV's Biggest Loser, they know they have a Wii Fit Balance Board at home, and they buy the game. Do they know whether it's a good game or not? Doesn't matter."

Reminds me of an old saying about steak and crap. But Nintendo appears to have found the Grail of gaming and while it may be accurate to refer to mainstream Wii fans as unsophisticated when compared to the hardcore, it's also rather silly to rail against the system's success as some people tend to do. Begrudging the mass market is a waste of time.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90038-Pachther-Says-Wii-is-Fast-Food

[chuggman]

(first off... I don't think calling a specific game console "fast food" is a way to gain any support for your own cause and will make people as unhappy as calling there system crummy. I think it is more of a plight to say a system is crummy but doesn't want to hear from anyone who opposes) anyways.
Different game systems have a different appeal to different people. there are obvious parents and kids out there, plenty enough to get different types of games to best seller. Maybe even a majority. Also just because a game is a fps with guts flying everywhere doesn't mean I want to actually play it (or that you SHOULD like playing it). I have a xbox, xbox360, ps2, ps3, gamecube, wii and more. Just because I have a xbox or xbox 360 doesn't mean I have halo game (cause I DON'T). I don't like the idea of shooting other people as a "fun thing to do." Nor would I advocate it to others. Just because I have PS3 doesn't mean I have Grand Theft Auto newest version (I DON'T have this dirty game either). I wait for decent games to come out and get them as I can pay for them. Nintendo has new games that have adventure and action like zelda and super smash bros. sure I don't think the violence is too great in any game but there is a grave difference in how it is portrayed. that makes these games pretty fun in comparison of the latter games. The writer of the above peice doesn't seem to get this. Many of the noteworthy games he would list for opposing systems I may as well note as fast food game for the opposing gamer. the friendly games for both xbox 360 and PS3 are but a few. More than plentiful on the wii. there is also the rereleasing fo games in a easy downloadable format giving you access to barrels of fun from as far back as 1985 (maybe earlier). PS Network has released far too few psx games on it's network to even compete and the 360 has only released a few games in comparison. same with the xbox, though the xbox only had a few in comparison. but if nintendo could get turbographixs and others onboard. I don't see why these other to companies couldn't. This brings a variety to people who never owned these systems. I have seen many people who like downloading them and playing on wii.