This is an article that I wrote for a gaming website. It didn't get acepted, so I figured I'd shareit with you guys. ^_^

The Innovator: Nintendo

Ashley M. Sutton

Innovation. This is a word the world of gaming knows very well. Games and consoles have been constantly evolving since the Color TV Game (1977). With an arsenal of visual and musical artists, computer programmers, writers, and designers the gaming industry has thrived. Not only is it a form of entertainment, but it's also a form of art. Games give birth to life on a television screen, bringing memorable stories, characters, and environments from the minds of talented individuals into the players hands. The possibilities are endless. Which brings me to who, many would say is a leader of innovation, Nintendo.

Nintendo as a company has thrived not only in the creation of games, but also consoles for them to be played on. From their first system, the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES, to the current Wii console they continue to keep the title of innovator. When the Wii was first announced it had mixed reviews. Some praised it for its innovating usage of motion controls, making the player more actively involved with the game. And others believed it would only be a fad, something people would like to play and then put to the side in favor of other gaming consoles like the Sony Playstation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox 360. The fact is, both opinions held truth in their own right. The Nintendo Wii brought fun, interactive, game play into living rooms everywhere. With titles like Wii: Sports, Mario Galaxy, and Zelda: Twilight Princess the system kept "hardcore" gamers coming back for more, while also attracting a new demographic, "casual" gamers.

This new demographic is proving to be so profitable, that Nintendo's movement in its direction inspired its competitors to do so as well. Once again, Nintendo taking the title of innovator for itself. However, Nintendo has taken its direction towards the casual gamer too far, and it seems that Nintendo has forgotten about the hardcore gamer. This has shown in the sales of their system. Normal gamers have mostly left the Nintendo Wii behind in favor of it's competitors, Sony and Microsoft because not only do they cater to the average gamers needs, but also have new innovative motion controls themselves: The Playstation Move, and Microsoft's Kinect. Now all the Wii has left is it's casual gamer, who lives off of Nintendo's remakes or spin offs of classic titles, and the occasional game Nintendo slapped a cute character on the cover saying, "Let's see if they buy it." The Wii is at the end of its life span. Nintendo's lack of third party game support for its console, lack of online game play, outdated hardware, and main focus on the casual gamer killed the system. But in death, there is a chance for rebirth and Nintendo has announced it's next console of innovation, the Nintendo Wii U.

Nintendo's new console was announce at the Electronic Art Expo (E3) 2011. However, besides the new and improved controller Nintendo has let little be known about its new console. What I do know is the controller is rectangular in shape, sporting the classic two analogue sticks/circle pads, D-pad, four shoulder pads, and a touch screen. The Wii U controller looks to be pretty innovative in itself. The possibilities for the Wii U controller in conjunction with the Wii mote are endless. The player will even be able to walk away from the television, possibly even into another room, and continue to play the game on the controller's touch screen. Although the Wii U does look promising I still find myself wondering about Nintendo's future. I really hope that they have learned their lesson from the Gamecube and the Wii. They need to find a healthy medium between providing content for both hardcore and casual gamers along with allowing more third party game support for their consoles. If Nintendo does not, they may continue down the slippery slope that they're on and who knows where they will be in ten years.