Dear Reader:
Miyamoto - Nintendo is creating casual games to help better the gaming environment for the core audience
“The core gaming market didn’t buy the Wii to play Wii Sports. But it was a means by which gamers could get the nongaming people in their lives to take an interest in their hobby. Wii Fit will play a similar role: It will continue to broaden interest in videogames. That’s important for the core gamer — the bigger the audience, the greater the chance for something that’s new and unique to succeed. As the people around you who haven’t been playing videogames take an interest in things like Wii Fit, it’s going to change the impression that people have of what videogaming means. Rather than be concerned that we’re abandoning them, core gamers should realize that we’re creating a better environment for their hobby.” - Shigeru Miyamoto
Miyamoto, and Nintendo as a whole, are trying to expand the video game audience by bringing in new gamers. The audience is bigger, no doubt…but are these new gamers crossing over to core gaming? I think we can look at the sales of Mario Kart Wii for some validation.