See, the point is though, using the term 'kiddie' is usually derogatory towards the system. And true, Nintendo will slowly develop a larger fanbase with more casual players, but that doesn't necessarily change the stereotype that was already there.

 Fanboys are already the vocal minority, and that minority certainly will shrink even smaller if the market enlarges. But there are people who will still be influenced by one-sided, biased opinions, be they gaming forums, news sites, and the like. In my opinion, Nintendo's first party games are 'age neutral', and not developed specifically with kids in mind, rather so that they appeal to a broad range. Being kid friendly, and being developed for kids are two different things, though the line between the two can get blurry.  But the stereotype stands, and I just don't see it changing. There will always be a core sentiment that will slam on another system. If it's not 'Kiddie' now, it's sure to become 'waggle'.

I stated that the Xbox stereotype is shooter mainly because of the core of games that are of that category, both first and third person. When you predominantly think of Xbox, news for new games for it, that sort of thing, what comes to mind? Halo. Gears. Bioshock. Recently, Shadowrun. You could also lump in things like Crackdown, Lost Planet, GRAW, Rainbow 6 stuff...  I don't own any of the three systems, but this is what I hear when I read about Xbox, shooters and driving. (Some games might be a mix of genres, but a bunch do have a shooter core to them.) One or two games won't change that. If it did, then those violent, adult titles coming to the Wii would then immediately break it of a kiddie stereotype.

Stereotypes are not an easy thing to break or change. I'd like to see more speculations on how these companies can shed some of them. (Again, bringing out a game or two doesn't really change this, it takes a lot more than simply tossing out a token game or two to fill a genre and then move on.) 

i guess im a kiddie since i like fun nintendo games.

My 20-some year old friends and I are just big kiddies. Also we apparently only play shooter games. Combining Wii and 360 makes two opposite stereotypes combine...confusing. Shooter kids!

I think a much more powerful stereotype is shaping as we speak.

Nintendo: For everyone. Like Ipod. 

Microsoft and Sony: for 15-30 year old males. 

I actually wouldn't be shocked if, by the end of this generation, it was Sony and Microsoft who appeared to be targeting a niche market, not Nintendo.  I hereby christen this niche as the "e-thug" market (as this demographic tends to prefer violent games such as GTA and God of War). 

 Well the age bracket was already there, that's pretty much been the heart of the core of gaming for awhile. Though I do see the 'e-thug' stereotype brewing to be a big thing. Heck, online gaming has always been a bit of a hit or miss sometimes, even back in PC days. You would always find some horrible players that did nothing bot cuss, throw out slurs, did things in the game just to grief others... and you hear a lot of horror stories (at least about XBL) of that sort of stupidity.

Though I'm guessing that  'e-thugs' are really more of a byproduct of our rather violent, egotistical culture rather than directly a cause of video gaming companies. I mean, it's not as if video games really started entertainment-driven graphic violence and language. Of course, I don't think they'd be as successful if they didn't cultivate and feed that sort of culture either.

Well games like Brain Age are breaking it better than bloody gore games. Then again, if Nintendo gets a killer game idea that HAS to be done with a lot of blood, they would make it.

This is an excellent observation over how the three companies are viewed, ampillion.

•Sony has no one to blame for this stereotype but themselves. When words and sentiments like these come directly from the executives' mouths how CAN anyone see anything else? They're playing the exotic luxury high-class game with a traditionally common light-luxury low-class pastime. That simply won't work. These are toys when you get down to the essence. This will change slowly once Sony's PR stops putting their feet in their mouths and the price drops to a more reasonable level.

•Nintendo's kiddie image is a double-edged sword. It was thrust upon them after censoring the blood in SNES Mortal Kombat, a decision that wasn't totally groundless being that their 2nd console (Color TV Game of 1977 is the first) was called the Family Computer/Famicom or NES. Nintendo's products were marketed to families and back then there was no ESRB. Games like anything new and popular had a stigma about youth corruption that Jack Thompson-ites would surely exploit. I don't condone or accept censorship but I see the spot Nintendo was in. They paid the price for that move and Sega gained ground as the more "mature" choice (this mature vs. kiddie argument goes BEFORE Nintendo all the way back to computer games vs. consoles).

On one hand the kiddie image helps them because Nintendo is seen as the friendliest least objectionable choice for content-sensitive parents and that gives the company a solid base of buyers. Game systems should NEVER forget kids because after all these are toys and kids play. Games are for kids and the kids at heart. Puppies "toy" with old shoes practicing their biting techniques in play for adulthood, kittens paw a ball of yarn "toying" with it in play to hone their predator techniques as adults. And these games we come up with are human play to refine skills we would use in nature if not in civilization. Playing is ALWAYS for kids and it is smart to always have this audience grow up with you. Kids grow up with you, take you and your characters to heart like Mickey Mouse, Big Bird, and Bugs Bunny, and there will always be a soft spot in your heart for them when you're an adult.

On the other hand it is trapping and keeps people from crossing the boundary thinking it's all childish Yoshi's Story baby talk and cute cute cute. Even though racier themes exist on Nintendo consoles they are not promoted to the face of the console. It's like the porno shop masquerading as a general video rental store. At the storefront is Daddy Day Care & Touched By An Angel DVD sets while you have all the racy stuff behind the black curtain in the back. It plays into the image factor people still carry about themselves. They don't want to be seen playing with the uncool system. That was one of Gamecube's biggest problems being designed like it was. Though some people could care less, it is substantial that the product's image doesn't hamper adoption. The doggone system looked like a purple Fisher-Price lunchbox for God's sake! I love Nintendo but I opted to get the black version instead of the purple because it just felt right. If given a choice I would pick black over purple (at least that type of purple...metallic purple may have been different). So while not a dealbreaker by default Nintendo's kiddie image has benefits and liabilities that they have to balance by not necessarily betraying the family image but also making sure they present and promote content for all types of people. The Everyone Factor.

•Microsoft's image as the Borg-like destroyer of market worlds can't go away as long as the monopolistic operating system company is led by the world's richest man. More people are poorer than richer by rule of the Pyramid of Life and people tend to resent the rich and the power that brings (hence grief about Paris Hilton's money getting her off of that real jail sentence). Microsoft does indeed throw their money around and wasted $4 billion in one generation just to stay in competition. That would have obliterated most companies and the fact that Microsoft intends to stay on this lossleading trend shows that they are looking to out-stamina the competition. They'll just wait until the others spend themselves out and put the money pressure on them to rub them out of the biz for good. The system's trademark color is even green, the color of money in USA, and it's an American system, a country seen as an egotistic bully who throws its weight around in world affairs. I think this particular stereotype is one of the biggest factors of why XBox 360 struggles in Europe. Anti-trust dealings going on over there and people cannot separate that division from the gaming division. It's like the Empire in Star Wars.

The other stereotype won't change based once again on its American/Western gaming roots. Consoles are now Japanese animals ever since that industry shifted to Japan in the mid-80's. Computers became the haven for "Western world" gaming that spawned FPS's like Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, Half-Life, Counter-Strike, & Unreal Tournament. Computer world gaming has crossed over into console territory for over the past 15 years and this is why consoles are much of a hybrid these days between "East" & "West". XBox 360 being from the "Western" computer world school of gaming brought over many PC-ish titles and that flavors their system's identity being that they are an American console. Outside of the FPS's half is the other staple of most Western gaming: "orcs orcs orcs" and the western RPG genre. Morrowwind & Oblivion? Western gaming is not very dynamic as compared to the crazy ideas of Japanese developers and so many similar themed games come out that it all looks the same from the outside looking in. You have Will Wright and UK developers (who also create Orcs-galore and FPS's) and a few French/Canadian developers changing the pace a little but it creates a stereotype based on what sells the greatest on the systems. I went into a rental store and I saw so many militaristic marine shooter type on the XBox 360 shelf at a glance.

Actually this firm standing towards mostly Western-styled gaming hurts them a little with PC-gamers who balk at playing the same games on a lowly console that's trying to be a computer. They feel they can play all they have, more, and better on their specified custom-built PC's. Why bother with these wannabes? I've heard many PC-gamers express interest in Wii solely because it's so different from what they would or could play on a PC. Differentiation is always the key if you want to attract (in any walk of life). Until MS expands and better promotes the diversity of their library this will probably remain their image.

John Lucas

Oh, I know that age bracket was already there, Amp. I'm not questioning that. Instead, what I'm suggesting is that Nintendo is changing it. Before this generaiton, the 15-30 year old age bracket was the whole ocean these products had to swim in, with Nintendo taking only a small portion of the younger portion of it; now, the ocean includes Grandmas and hospitals and fitness clubs, and that 15-30 year old age bracket doesn't look so big any more. In other words, Nintendo may have completely flipped the tables on Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo isn't going to shake its kiddy image by making Manhunt 2s or Mortal Kombats. They'll break it with Brain Ages and Geometry Wars and Wii Sports.  

Oh I know, I'm pretty much agreeing with you. Really the only way Nintendo is going to 'turn the tables' on the other two is by providing everyone with the best motion sensing development kits and troubleshooting that they can. Other companies really have to step it up and deliver, produce all sorts of games that will cover all the sorts of bases that more casual players would get into (Light-sim games, sports, hobby/music/health developments. Nintendo isn't big enough to try to sate the general masses with these sorts of things, so I really think it is up to other companies to sneak in and make their niche market gold within the casuals to make the Wii a total disruption to the market.