On Nintendo
This entry doesn't really fit with the others I've made so far, but today being their E3 presentation day, it seemed as good a time as any to offer a couple of stories and some thoughts on Nintendo.
I believe I was six years old when Mario Kart 64 was released. Like any kid at the time, I wanted it quite a bit, and on Christmas, I was elated to find a copy of Mario Kart placed under the tree by my grandma. Unfortunately, as my grandma was a rather stereotypical grandma, she had mistakenly purchased a copy of Super Mario Kart for the SNES, a console I did not own. This isn't to say I blame my grandma; she was just trying to give me a gift I would like for Christmas. Seeing my disappointment, she decided to call Nintendo customer service and explain the situation. They were extremely helpful and understanding and they agreed to take my copy of Super Mario Kart and mail me a copy of Mario Kart 64 in exchange, along with a letter apologizing for the mix-up (which is a bit odd, thinking back on it, since neither they nor anyone else, really, were at fault).
I was, of course, ecstatic that the people who made games I loved were so willing to help their fans.
This made it all the more disappointing when the Wii was "released" a decade later.
As anyone who was paying attention at the time, I was eager to get my hands on the new console. The motion controls were touted as a fundamental change to the way video games would be played, on par with the analog stick they, themselves, had pioneered for 3d gameplay years before. Unfortunately, the excitement surrounding this "revolutionary" machine was both enhanced and tempered by the fact that nobody could find the dam thing.
It's shipments were infamously sparse, with some stores receiving as few as two or three units every couple of weeks.
Nevertheless, I got together the money I would need to purchase one and set forth on my search. Over the course of days, called and walked into an endless number of toy stores and video game shops, only to be informed that the few they'd seen had sold within minutes after arrival.
Finally, I reached a Wal-Mart a few miles away who said they had one left, but were unable to hold it for me. Arriving roughly 20 minutes later and rushing to the electronics section at the back of the store, I inquired about the lone Wii I had been told they had. Of course, it had been sold.
The devastation I felt was not dissimilar to how I imagine it might feel to be dumped on prom night (including the slow realization over the following years that the whole thing was really rather silly and unimportant to begin with). I ended my search that night in failure.
I'm sure my story is far from unique, but I feel that only makes the practice that catalyzed it all the more unacceptable.
Over the years, Nintendo has regained my favor, though never to the same degree in the same ways. I probably respect individuals within the company as creators more than I ever had back then, and I still love the games they've made just as much if not more. But I've also gained an appreciation for the fact that Nintendo as an entity is, first and foremost, a company whose primary concern is to make money.
This morning, I weighed
Today, I ate:
~
Here's what we did at the gym:
~
One can make a lot of money by making people happy, and Nintendo has certainly done that over the years. Their mishandling of the Wii's launch notwithstanding, my feelings toward them have been positive far more than they've been negative, or even neutral, and I hope that continues to be the case.
Regardless of whether I ever make any money from blogging like this, and it's unlikely that I will, it would be nice if I could make at least a few people happy with it.
Take it easy!
I believe I was six years old when Mario Kart 64 was released. Like any kid at the time, I wanted it quite a bit, and on Christmas, I was elated to find a copy of Mario Kart placed under the tree by my grandma. Unfortunately, as my grandma was a rather stereotypical grandma, she had mistakenly purchased a copy of Super Mario Kart for the SNES, a console I did not own. This isn't to say I blame my grandma; she was just trying to give me a gift I would like for Christmas. Seeing my disappointment, she decided to call Nintendo customer service and explain the situation. They were extremely helpful and understanding and they agreed to take my copy of Super Mario Kart and mail me a copy of Mario Kart 64 in exchange, along with a letter apologizing for the mix-up (which is a bit odd, thinking back on it, since neither they nor anyone else, really, were at fault).
I was, of course, ecstatic that the people who made games I loved were so willing to help their fans.
This made it all the more disappointing when the Wii was "released" a decade later.
As anyone who was paying attention at the time, I was eager to get my hands on the new console. The motion controls were touted as a fundamental change to the way video games would be played, on par with the analog stick they, themselves, had pioneered for 3d gameplay years before. Unfortunately, the excitement surrounding this "revolutionary" machine was both enhanced and tempered by the fact that nobody could find the dam thing.
It's shipments were infamously sparse, with some stores receiving as few as two or three units every couple of weeks.
Nevertheless, I got together the money I would need to purchase one and set forth on my search. Over the course of days, called and walked into an endless number of toy stores and video game shops, only to be informed that the few they'd seen had sold within minutes after arrival.
Finally, I reached a Wal-Mart a few miles away who said they had one left, but were unable to hold it for me. Arriving roughly 20 minutes later and rushing to the electronics section at the back of the store, I inquired about the lone Wii I had been told they had. Of course, it had been sold.
The devastation I felt was not dissimilar to how I imagine it might feel to be dumped on prom night (including the slow realization over the following years that the whole thing was really rather silly and unimportant to begin with). I ended my search that night in failure.
I'm sure my story is far from unique, but I feel that only makes the practice that catalyzed it all the more unacceptable.
Over the years, Nintendo has regained my favor, though never to the same degree in the same ways. I probably respect individuals within the company as creators more than I ever had back then, and I still love the games they've made just as much if not more. But I've also gained an appreciation for the fact that Nintendo as an entity is, first and foremost, a company whose primary concern is to make money.
This morning, I weighed
Today, I ate:
~
Here's what we did at the gym:
~
One can make a lot of money by making people happy, and Nintendo has certainly done that over the years. Their mishandling of the Wii's launch notwithstanding, my feelings toward them have been positive far more than they've been negative, or even neutral, and I hope that continues to be the case.
Regardless of whether I ever make any money from blogging like this, and it's unlikely that I will, it would be nice if I could make at least a few people happy with it.
Take it easy!
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