N-Philes

Nintendo has done a wonderful job at creating non-traditional software for the DS. It's no secret that surprise-hits like Nintendogs and Brain Age are changing the landscape of videogames. Throughout the second half of 2005, Nintendo's Touch Generations-branded software ploughed through Japan, bringing with it gamers looking for something new, ex-gamers who haven't played a game since the introduction of analog sticks, and even people who have never once picked up a controller. Like any good electronic phenomenon, it took a while for North America to get on the same page as our Japanese friends.

Well, we aren't on the same page as our Japanese friends. In fact, we're lucky if we move in a month half the number of DS units they buy in a week (initial DS Lite sales aside). This could be attributed to the fact that here, consumer electronics just don't carry the same must-have addictive quality that we imagine that they have in Japan. Either way, the DS and DS Lite have the potential for being the blazing success that they are in the land of the rising sun, they just aren't living up to it. The question we must ask is, "Why aren't DS systems flying off of shelves and into the palms of the non-hardcore gamer?"

To answer this question, we need to look at a few details: who is this unconventional software for, do they know about it, where can they get it, and does the purchase of a gaming system feel justified to experience the software? These are very important questions to consider in order to unravel this mystery.

Don't let the 'E' on the box fool you; titles like Sudoku Gridmaster and True Swing Golf aren't targeted at everyone. They're for businessmen whose plane has been delayed, for university students with a 40-minute bus ride to campus, for the people who just have to do the morning crossword puzzle, and for parents waiting to pick up their kids. For the most part, Touch Generations software appeals to a demographic that doesn't usually play videogames. Generally, the people who can't wait to frag their friends in first-person deathmatches or who can snake their way through the Mario Circuit course won't be the ones rushing to the stores to pick up Magnetica.

Nintendo isn't really known for effective marketing campaigns, but the company has employed several ingenious tactics to get the word out about its unconventional games. Infomercial-style ads on Discovery Channel, articles in Time Magazine, advertising during Oprah and daytime soap operas, downloadable demos in stores, and handing out free game copies before the official release all helped to draw the attention of those who would much rather buy a DS for their children (or in some cases tell them to spend their own money). Many gamers were willing to pick up Brain Age, thanks to its low price point, just to show to the people they knew who don't regularly play games; for Nintendo, word of mouth has always been an effective way to increase product awareness. One of the most effective ways to advertise, however, is with in-store displays. Thus, Nintendo also set some of those up, in game stores like EB Games, the games sections of stores like Best Buy, and the home entertainment sections of stores like Target.

Wait, what? We've already established that these alt-games are on the market to appeal to non-gamers. Sure, the girl next door might go into the electronics section of Wal-Mart to pick up a movie, but she isn't going to approach the games aisle. She certainly has no reason to check out games at Circuit City, and the only non-gamers who dare enter an EB enter with a list in hand, and ask the oh-so helpful employees, "Do you have the Star Wars game? What do you mean ‘which system'? My grandson wants the Star Wars game!" There's no doubt that someone who knows about Big Brain Academy can walk into any of the aforementioned locales and pick it up without any problems, but those who do not know about the product have no reason whatsoever to inquire about these games since to them, they're no different than Halo, Pokémon or Viewtiful Joe. And therein lies a problem; not all consumers who should theoretically like these touching diversions are getting the message.

I never understood why music stores carry videogames. Granted the games that they do carry are popular console titles, but they're also overpriced, months behind in terms of releases, and left in a corner without any special attention. Gamers do not walk into music stores to buy games, and non-gamers have no interest in them, thus games in music stores seem like a lost cause. However, as far as the DS is concerned, a music store may very well be a thriving environment. A simple, but eye-catching, self-contained updateable game shelf (see example) that explains the DS and its market-expanding software could explain the device and its appeal to random passers-by. This quick lesson might prompt them to go home and discuss it with friends and family, do further research, or even buy a system on the spot! Extend this strategy to include bookstores and supermarkets (most of them have electronic sections anyway), and all of a sudden the message has been delivered to a much larger group of those who would probably show interest in the Touch Generations library. Non-games for non-gamers in non-game stores: never before has three negatives made a positive.

Even after seeing such a display and trying out a couple of demos, average Alex might may have gone from vaguely knowing what a DS is to having interest, but chances are when it comes to purchasing a system, he or she will still be on the fence. After all, $130 is a hefty investment to play paperless Sudoku. Furthermore to the non-gamer, games seem like an expensive past time. To help quell this perception of high associated costs, every game, should scream to buyers that they're not a penny over $20. The larger more expansive ones like Animal Crossing Wild World and New Super Mario Bros. can scream $30, but no more than that. All of a sudden, DS gaming feels affordable. To sweeten the pot, and DS system sold in these alternative locations come with a free $20 game of the buyer's choice. All of a sudden, that Big Brain Academy game whose experience you can't get elsewhere sounds even more enticing – it's free!

One downside to this model is that game-centric stores and big boxes will probably lose some system sales to these non-gaming stores. And at first they may worry, but the needn't. What Nintendo has done, in the alternate universe that is this feature, is put Nintendo DS systems in many new households, most of which have more than one person. Some them probably house gamers who just haven't yet bothered with the DS. But now that they have access to the handheld, they might go out and buy Metroid Prime Hunters or Resident Evil Deadly Silence (maybe Spyro and Kim Possible for the kiddies?) – games they'll have to get at those aforementioned locations. Another downside is that third parties don't really get any direct sales from this set-up, as it seems to only promote Nintendo. It's important to note that sales of non-games don't have to be limited to Nintendo-published material. Other publishers are a few steps behind the big N when it comes to having mass-appealing software, but as they begin to show interest in the non-gamer market, their products could be promoted as well, maybe even under the Touch Generations umbrella.

For Nintendo, the benefits seem rather obvious. Firstly, they get to sell more of their products to a wider demographic. Thus, they satisfy one of their primary goals from which the DS was built. Secondly, as mentioned above, they open the DS to more first and third party software sales, both game and non-game titles alike. Software brings home the bacon in the games industry, so Nintendo, and to a lesser extent third parties, can see more revenue from the DS platform. Another subtle advantage is that the DS is selling in areas without direct competition; the PlayStation Portable and other gaming devices aren't right next to the DS to distract and confuse potential buyers who can't tell the difference between a Sega Genesis and a Nintendo 64.

Looking at the electronic time zone, where Japan is at least a year ahead, North America is on the cusp of a DS revolution. It has begun with the introduction of the Touch Generations brand, successive releases of Tetris, Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, Magnetica, Sudoku Gridmaster and of course, the stylish DS Lite. The question is whether it's something that will take off, or just fizzle into something irrelevant. In order to guarantee its success, Nintendo must think about the market it's going after and more effective ways of going after it. Advertising where no Grand Theft Auto ad has gone before is definitely a step in the right direction, but taking to and selling the product in new markets in order to seek out new buyers is the best way to increase awareness and consumer base.

Satoru Iwata once said that interactive entertainment is a universe wherein videogames as we know them make up a familiar planet. Nintendo's future lies in exploring the rest of that universe so that everyone can find an exciting and enjoyable aspect of interactive entertainment. And as they embark on their journey with the DS and the Wii, their challenge doesn't lie in taking gamers along for the ride, but to convince everyone else that it's a ride they shouldn't miss. And for those who decide to get on, they'll soon discover what it's like to be a gamer.