Most parents aren't smart enough to do it themselves

Friend codes don't prevent you from playing against people (in most games), they just limit the communication that is avaiable ...

Now, for most existing online gamers this isn't a benefit and is probably a negative but for people who are new to online games being called a big floppy donkey dick may prevent them from returning ...

Well I am, and I'm sure you are too.  Your kids are probably going through much worse at school than could ever happen in an online video game.   

it avoids it yes, but would most gamers want to have to keep exchanging friend codes? I own a wii and i love it but i find it a complete hassle to keep doing this. plus i would probably want to chat with someone at least once and try my best to just avoid playing with idiots like those.

i like the idea of the friend codes as a parental option though. nintendo might even get more gamers on board who are on the fence about buying one.

Allowing people to play more easily will get a lot more people to play online.  Nintendo should not be worried about the 1 person that gets upset and decides not to go back online.  It is not Nintendo's job to protect everyone.  They will never get rid of the kiddie image with crap like this.  Real life is much worse than online arguments.  The link above (I watched only the first one) are FUNNY.  If you are offended just leave the game.  How hard is that?  Most people are intelligent enough to know that people are different and you'll get a different experience in every game.  Most people aren't idiots, even if a lot of them are. 

I had forgotten that every game requires you to add the same people...wow...terrible. 

Btw, when is the first 3rd party online Wii game coming?  Has Nintendo let 3rd parties see the online code yet? 

I don't know what the status of necessarly libraries being sent to third parties but the last articles I read stated that some companies had recieved them whilst others had not ...

Anyways, I don't know where you live but I have never been in such a constantly negative environment as online games; the only exception is (probably) MMORPGs but that is because you don't have the same anonymity you have in most online games.Friends codes are not a perfect solution but a system-based friend code is adequate solution which can be implemented for very little money.

It's a liability thing. They don't want that type of behavior associated with their image and I can't say I blame them. AND they are not TRYING to get rid of the"kiddie image". It's a core component of their success to be family-friendly. Parents will ALWAYS buy a Nintendo console for their young kids before another one if they have concerns over appropiate content.

The so-called "kiddie image" is only smart considering that someone must make games for the new generations coming up. The world doesn't revolve around us anymore. We shouldn't expect all of gaming to be "adult" because we were the old kids who grew up over the years. That kiddie image will continue to empower Nintendo's name and loyal customers to the new generations. They grow up playing Nintendo; some leave but that Nintend-stalgia stays within. A big secret to that company's success is making their names and products iconic. Someone showed Super Mario Bros. Z clips on here and you WILL NOT be seeing that kind of tribute with many of the newer hit titles on the market from PS & XBox systems. Mario & all that kind of stuff will live on long after Grand Theft Auto, Halo and games like those lose their endurance legacy-wise.

Nintendo makes you love them like you love Mickey Mouse & Big Bird. You're not just buying a games system you're buying a "friend" that becomes part of your development and childhood memories to reflect on in older age. And sooner or later as life gets hard and begins to suck people will look back on days that were "simpler" when they felt protected and contented. That's how they endure and that's why Mario games still sell the way they do. It's that magic that cannot be copied.

So believe me Nintendo is NEVER gonna drop the "kiddie image" and in fact they cherish it. They don't want JUST the kids but they want the kids. Plant new seeds and tend to the growing plants is the idea.

Like I said I think XBox Live & Nintendo Wi-Fi will balance out depending on the tastes of the user. Those who open-ended access will pay the XBox Live fee & those who want protection will take Wii's free service. I don't know exactly how Playstation Network operates so I'll reserve comment until I get more information on that one.

John Lucas 

First of all, I dont know how x-box live is, becuase I dont ever plan on getting it. I'm gonna stick with the PS3 for online... and safe a few bucks.

But in motorstorm, you can host a game that only your friends can join. So in a way that would function like the 'Friend Codes'.

I just dont see the point in mandatory Friend Codes, and as long as they do stuff like that, they will keep the kiddie image, because they are protecting Kiddies. 

Adge : As a parent with young children friends code are a godsend, I know who they are playing against and I'm much more likely to endorse on-line gaming.

This is exactly why I say nintendo is for kids. Most people beleive that as well, and buy it for their kids.

I love how you can make the logical leap from friend codes to "most people buy a Wii for their kids because Nintendo is kiddie" in the span of two sentences. I never saw this level of logic acrobatics even on the TeamXbox forums when the Gamecube was released!

At any rate, this video is an illustration of what happens in any open online community.  Anyone who's ever played Counter-strike on public servers knows what I'm talking about.  I don't think this is a justification for the use of Friend Codes at all, I think it's a justification for having a "mute" feature.  The mute feature is all you need to overcome this kind of crap, and if it offends you so much that you don't want to come back to the game, you need to grow up and get some thicker skin.

I think people take things far too seriously these days, as if they feel they have a right not to be offended.  I don't recall seeing anything about that in the Constitution.  I think if you make it through a day without being offended by something, you didn't do enough that day.

See, I can argue against Friend Codes without even using the words "kiddie" or "mature" in my post.

Most parents aren't smart enough to properly raise kids. Nintendo should ban them from getting people pregnant.