I actually agree with their strategy, because i have a child of my own now and and I want her to experience the same joy i had 20 years earlier with my NES. Truth is most first party games for the other systems are lacking a simplistic approach that we enjoyed in our childhood. The industry needs games for kids too. It really kinda bothers me when i see a 5-10 year old go up to a counter and get their parents to buy them GTA because everyone else is playing it. That's not a knock on GTA it's a great series but i really don't think that kids that young should be desensitized to violence so early in life.

 Casuals are also an important part of the market, they made up about 65% of the PS2's marketshare. Why not go for a bigger piece of the pie? I love how alot of the fanboy journalists like to say that Nintendo is abandoning the hardcore, yet they rolled out more core franchises in the first 18 months of the Wii's life than the GC saw in 2-3 years. Thats just my 2 cents.

OT: Since about 1985 with my mom's Atari, first game was Frogs and Flies i think.  I was about 4 so it's kinda vague. My first personal system was the NES and the rest is history.

Since PONG and that's going to be tough to beat. That's 35 years kiddies.

13

Since the Atari 2600 came out. Yeah, I'm old.

Got a NES on April 1, 1989, so that is 19 years, 4 months, and 3 days

I have been gaming for about 27-28 years.  My brother and I had a 4 game pong machine. I think Coleco made it, but not sure. After that we got an Atari 2600 for Christmas and I have been hooked on games ever since.  Im not as hardcore as I used to be but I still game when I can.

I got my first system at 4 with Legend of Zelda and the Teenage mutant ninja turtles was my second game but I first played an atari 2600 at 3 years of age, it was my mothers, and I sucked lol.

so about 20 years give or take.

I have always been pro Nintendo. Sometimes they trip and stumble but there is always some fun to be had with their products.  We have all 3 current gen systems and if I had to keep just one, it would be the Wii.  It offers something different and interesting. The only thing I dislike about the Wii, is that 3rd party developers seem to only want to cash in on the Wii's success and  make friggin "cooking simulators". I want games!

Since about '79 or '80 I think.

I give this thread a 9.6.

28 years or so. I am 32 and I have fond memories of my first game & watch Donky Kong when I was about 5. I owned most of those handhelds along with Packman, Frogger and Lupin.

The first console I bought with my own money was the NES though. Man I loved Zelda, Super Mario and Metroid.

I was a huge fan of the arcade though and used to live there playin' Gallaga, Double Dragon, Pyro, Willow, Slap Fight, 1942, Discs of Tron, Twin Cobra, Tiger Heli, Tiger Shark & Street Fighter. God there were some amazing 20 cent games.

I must say that currently both Nintendo and SONY are keeping these feelings allive for me.

Gamer for life!