Wii Friend Codes are the bane of my existence. They are the roadblock that deters me from adding everyone I can from the Infendo Forums, and I fear they are the future thorn in my side if I decide to plunk down hard-earned git for an online-enabled Wii title.
But is there a method to Nintendo’s madness with Friend Codes? Sure, it’s maddeningly tedious pointing and clicking the arm’s length codes into your console, but it is by no means impossible.
In my work Inbox, I get roughly 500 to 1,000 spam-related emails per day. That number is up about 100% from this time last year. I expect it will only get worse in 2007. Keep in mind these are just the spam emails that our office filters are missing.
Now, as the Wii online services (hopefully) become more robust in 2007-2008, one can easily imagine spammers getting their hands on a Wii and attempting to create a program that blasts players with memos about Nigerian diamond mines. But wait. If I don’t have Gamer A’s code inputted into my console, then he’s up a certain creek without a paddle if he wants to memo me. Currently, this feat is impossible, and maybe that’s the point — in addition to protecting little Timmy from online predators.
So, in light of this post, enlighten me: XBox Live has been out for some time now, and uses a gamer tag system most people agree is better that WiiConnect24. Is there the potential for spam now or in the future for that more robust, yet more open environment? How about Sony’s? This is not a knock against either platform, simply a question for further research.
All signs point to a huge spam war in the next year or two. When it reaches the tipping point on the traditional Net, you can bet it’s going to try and spill over into online gaming as well. Especially if the Wii does it job and expands gaming to non-traditional outlets. Maybe Wii Friend Codes are the stubborn system in place to stop that from happening.