Nintendo's Philosophy
Philosophy--n, pl 1. pursuit of wisdom b: a search for a general understanding of means c: an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs d: the most general beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group
Philosophy has been around for centuries, dating back to the time of ancient Greece and continuing to exist in one form or another throughout today's culture. No one has to be an intellectually brilliant individual to understand and showcase philosophy. At its most general term, philosophy is a set of beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of a person or group of persons. This comes in many different forms: philosophy of life, of love, of faith, and so on. The meaning remains the same even when carried into the games industry, where separate developers and publishers have specific methods and attitudes in their business model. Among them, Nintendo has been recognized as a company that holds dyingly true to their beliefs and opinions. They have also been deemed by many as one of--if not the--greatest companies to ever produce video games. A large portion of their success can be readily attributed to mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto, who has enraptured gamers into some of the best franchises the world has ever known. Even without Miyamoto, though, Nintendo in itself is both vividly talented and equally devoted--traits that will never fail a business. In the forthcoming feature, you'll be taken through the in's and out's of Nintendo's beliefs and attitudes and how they have affected the company and games industry as a whole. More specifically, you'll come to understand the Nintendo Philosophy.
The seemingly correct way isn't necessarily our way
For quite some time now, Nintendo has been either belittled or praised for ignoring their competitors and veering off the beaten path towards their own marching drummer. It basically began with the N64, where the cartridge-based format proved to be a mistake over time as more and more companies shunned the system because of high costs and long development. And the funky controller, while fairly user-friendly and ultimately unique, never really won over the hearts of some who used it. To Nintendo's credit, the N64 maintained the love of fans with mega-hit releases such as Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and Mario 64 and the system continued to stay afloat until the company announced its next system.
With the GameCube, many journalists thought that Nintendo had learned from their past troubles and would craft a machine that followed a bit closer to the model that Sony and Microsoft had in mind, which utilized DVD-ROMS for games and allowed the consumer to listen to tunes and watch flicks. Surprisingly, though, the GC ignored the DVD-format and ridiculed the ability to hear music and watch movies, believing that consoles are meant to play games, not perform other useless functions. Instead, Nintendo opted for a small disk that resembled a mini-CD-R and held three times more data than a normal CD but held oodles less memory than a DVD. Even the overall system architecture sustained a completely different aesthetic, being very small and light and easily slipped into tight spots. Many could argue that this was an ignorant move, but its easy to see that the GC remains fairly profitable.
Polish means a better game. And a better game means profit
Perhaps above everything else, Nintendo is renowned for pushing release dates back and keeping key titles out of the hands of eager players. Is this because they're evil? Quite the opposite, in fact, since the company as a whole could be considered perfectionists. There have been countless times where certain games are not up to snuff, therefore requiring a higher level of polish. There is no denying that waiting an extra three or four months for a title you've wanted for two years is very displeasing, to say the least. But ask yourself how many times you've played a crappy game courtesy of Nintendo. Naturally, all software has its share of problems, major or minor, but in this case, the title is usually heralded as an excellent experience. For example, Mario 64 paved the way for all 3D platformers. That wouldn't have been the case had it been saturated with pesky bugs and glitches.
Multiplayer-emphasis equals insane entertainment
Playing alone is obviously allot of fun, especially if the game is good, but having friends to share your fun is another story. I'm sure we all remember those screaming matches and hilarious moments we've had in video games with our closest buddies. Nintendo realizes this and designs much of their work to be appreciated by numerous participants. Fighting and racing games with two or four-player modes is nothing mind-blowing, of course, but GBA-GC Connectivity is a refreshing concept that Nintendo is very keen on. Little titles like Zelda: The Four Swords and Tetra's Quest and Pac-man inherit the company's attitude indicating the fact that multiplayer is vital. However, if you were to ask me why the GC hasn't quite embraced online-play, I can only wonder. Nintendo believes that, as of now, a worthy profit courtesy of an online-service is non-existent. But its definitely possible that a plan is in the works, although for the moment, all we'll have to do is wait patiently.
Keeping true to a philosophy is never a simple process. Events will continually happen that will shake your thoughts and attempt to toss your attitudes and beliefs out the window. Nintendo has gone through some difficult times, and yet in all of their troubles, Miyamoto and Company almost always thrive. Even though their philosophies on video games have placed them in sticky situations, their important concepts are rarely compromised. Because its not about surviving through your philosophy; its about surviving and sustaining your philosophy.
Philosophy has been around for centuries, dating back to the time of ancient Greece and continuing to exist in one form or another throughout today's culture. No one has to be an intellectually brilliant individual to understand and showcase philosophy. At its most general term, philosophy is a set of beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of a person or group of persons. This comes in many different forms: philosophy of life, of love, of faith, and so on. The meaning remains the same even when carried into the games industry, where separate developers and publishers have specific methods and attitudes in their business model. Among them, Nintendo has been recognized as a company that holds dyingly true to their beliefs and opinions. They have also been deemed by many as one of--if not the--greatest companies to ever produce video games. A large portion of their success can be readily attributed to mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto, who has enraptured gamers into some of the best franchises the world has ever known. Even without Miyamoto, though, Nintendo in itself is both vividly talented and equally devoted--traits that will never fail a business. In the forthcoming feature, you'll be taken through the in's and out's of Nintendo's beliefs and attitudes and how they have affected the company and games industry as a whole. More specifically, you'll come to understand the Nintendo Philosophy.
The seemingly correct way isn't necessarily our way
For quite some time now, Nintendo has been either belittled or praised for ignoring their competitors and veering off the beaten path towards their own marching drummer. It basically began with the N64, where the cartridge-based format proved to be a mistake over time as more and more companies shunned the system because of high costs and long development. And the funky controller, while fairly user-friendly and ultimately unique, never really won over the hearts of some who used it. To Nintendo's credit, the N64 maintained the love of fans with mega-hit releases such as Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and Mario 64 and the system continued to stay afloat until the company announced its next system.
With the GameCube, many journalists thought that Nintendo had learned from their past troubles and would craft a machine that followed a bit closer to the model that Sony and Microsoft had in mind, which utilized DVD-ROMS for games and allowed the consumer to listen to tunes and watch flicks. Surprisingly, though, the GC ignored the DVD-format and ridiculed the ability to hear music and watch movies, believing that consoles are meant to play games, not perform other useless functions. Instead, Nintendo opted for a small disk that resembled a mini-CD-R and held three times more data than a normal CD but held oodles less memory than a DVD. Even the overall system architecture sustained a completely different aesthetic, being very small and light and easily slipped into tight spots. Many could argue that this was an ignorant move, but its easy to see that the GC remains fairly profitable.
Polish means a better game. And a better game means profit
Perhaps above everything else, Nintendo is renowned for pushing release dates back and keeping key titles out of the hands of eager players. Is this because they're evil? Quite the opposite, in fact, since the company as a whole could be considered perfectionists. There have been countless times where certain games are not up to snuff, therefore requiring a higher level of polish. There is no denying that waiting an extra three or four months for a title you've wanted for two years is very displeasing, to say the least. But ask yourself how many times you've played a crappy game courtesy of Nintendo. Naturally, all software has its share of problems, major or minor, but in this case, the title is usually heralded as an excellent experience. For example, Mario 64 paved the way for all 3D platformers. That wouldn't have been the case had it been saturated with pesky bugs and glitches.
Multiplayer-emphasis equals insane entertainment
Playing alone is obviously allot of fun, especially if the game is good, but having friends to share your fun is another story. I'm sure we all remember those screaming matches and hilarious moments we've had in video games with our closest buddies. Nintendo realizes this and designs much of their work to be appreciated by numerous participants. Fighting and racing games with two or four-player modes is nothing mind-blowing, of course, but GBA-GC Connectivity is a refreshing concept that Nintendo is very keen on. Little titles like Zelda: The Four Swords and Tetra's Quest and Pac-man inherit the company's attitude indicating the fact that multiplayer is vital. However, if you were to ask me why the GC hasn't quite embraced online-play, I can only wonder. Nintendo believes that, as of now, a worthy profit courtesy of an online-service is non-existent. But its definitely possible that a plan is in the works, although for the moment, all we'll have to do is wait patiently.
Keeping true to a philosophy is never a simple process. Events will continually happen that will shake your thoughts and attempt to toss your attitudes and beliefs out the window. Nintendo has gone through some difficult times, and yet in all of their troubles, Miyamoto and Company almost always thrive. Even though their philosophies on video games have placed them in sticky situations, their important concepts are rarely compromised. Because its not about surviving through your philosophy; its about surviving and sustaining your philosophy.