So this will be my first in a weekly series of columns on various topics. For the first edition I pose a simple question with an answer that might not come to you so easily.
Its Monday morning. You’ve already scoured the inter-tube looking for a listing of the VC releases this week. You’ve called Game/stop/crazy/ware to see if any early DS titles have been released. You’ve adjusted your income so that you can afford Pokemon-Massacre 8. You’ve checked Infendo every 15 minutes for updates and you’ve listened to Infendo Radio 3 times this weekend. Lets face it, you love Nintedo.
Why do you love Nintendo?
Is it the nostalgia factor? Is there a pavlovian response everytime you hear the sound of a coin being collected that makes your heart skip a beat? Is there one overiding feeling you get everytime you see the tri-force that keeps you coming back over and over again?
For me there is a difference between the Nintendo fan and the generic gamer. The Nintendo fan is a child at heart that expects games to both touch them on an emotional level while stimulating them with a new experience that innovates in ways other than better looking games.
To answer this question I have to look inward as to why I still have the boxes of my old systems sitting in the top of my closet. I don’t have any intention of throwing away these boxes eventhough they have been taking up storage space. I don’t know why I keep them, maybe some day I can re-package my old systems and give them to my kids so they can have the same excitement that I had opening them up. Maybe I just like seeing the Pod Racer edition N64 box staring down at me whenever I need to get a pair of jeans. It sits up there as a reminder to me of all the good times I had in college staying up late with friends playing Virtual Pro Wrestling 2, or Pod Racer, or whatever.
I think the answer for me is simple. Nintendo reminds me of good times.
Most Nintendo properties are created to evoke a positive emotional response. You’ll never find Mario going after someone for revenge. You’ll never find Link trying to chop someone into bits for any reason other than to save Hyrule or Zelda. Its the feeling I get when I see Mario running around overcoming obstacles with out resorting to curb stomping locust grunts that make me feel happy.
So I pose this question to you Infendo Nation. What is it about Nintendo that makes you come back for more?