Jeff Neuenschwander, an assistant editor of oprainfall, also makes a brilliant contribution to the debate:
“For the most part, I have no problem with Nintendo’s newest campaign. Their biggest customers in the last generation, both in handhelds and consoles, were casual Gamers. Even with Nintendo going after the core Gamer this time around, it would be foolish to not keep the casual audience they have. I think the intent on Nintendo of America’s part gets lost in all the arguing. I’m sure Nintendo wanted it to sound like you were being more than just a Gamer. However, people seem to be fixated on the second to last line, completely missing the payoff. If Nintendo does adjust it, might I suggest something: I am not JUST a Gamer. I believe this conveys what Nintendo wanted while not making it seem like the core is getting slapped in the face again.”
Was Nintendo’s intent pure and innocent, and was its choice of words just taken out of context and blown out of proportion? That is a good question we may see answered by Nintendo following this backlash.
Here are a few more opinions expressed by the staff:
New oprainfall writer Chris Stollings: “Nintendo is forgetting the customer base who grew up during the 16-bit console wars, a time when one up manship was key to winning over your potential customer base. The “Gamers” of that era are now adults and while we may not have the time to game as we once did a good chunk of us still enjoy to pick up a controller and thrash a game. To use the term “Gamer” to conjure up images of a basement dweller who hasn’t seen the sun in ages is insulting to the people who literally grew up on their systems and games and who bought into the marketing adds of yesteryear.
If Nintendo wants to forget they are the originators of perfect platformers like Super Mario World and the innovators of 3D gaming with the likes of Mario64 and move onto Carnival games 32 and other bite sized shovel ware that’s fine, but don’t insult those of us who think Nintendo’s “hardcore” titles are some of the best games ever developed.”
New oprainfall writer Ben Clarke takes a really interesting stance: ” I guess I’ll be the “devil’s advocate”.
You see, I’m not a Gamer. I’m an Interactive Art Enthusiast. As a person who enjoys video games, I often find I am unwilling to call myself a gamer in public. This is not because I am ashamed of my greatest interest, quite the opposite; I’m tired of people making assumptions like “I spend all my time in internet cafes playing games like Battlefield 3 or World of Warcraft” once I proudly declare my hobby. Whether we like it or not, the word “Gamer” is stigmatized by a stereotypical picture of what that inclines. While I preferred when Nintendo used the slogan “Everyone’s a Gamer”, I actually like the idea of being able to choose who I am myself. I don’t need to worry about being stereotyped just because I enjoy playing my 3DS! This is the message I think Nintendo is trying to convey. Still, I can agree that they should have been a bit more careful when wording their new slogan. Those [gamers] are an easily offended bunch!”
