Wii U in wake of Sandy Hook Elementary shooting

By: Muhammad Qasim Hassan

  |   December 26th, 2012   |  

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Nintendo has established itself as a source of entertainment for the entire family instead of a specific target market, such as hardcore gamers or the more contemporary casual gamers.

Where other console and video game making companies focus on graphics and performance, the Japan-based company has always kept gameplay and content on top of the priority list, something that has earned it an immense amount of respect and massive loyalists over the years.

After the recent tragic incident of an armed man shooting down 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, parents all over the world have been gripped by fear.

The American nation, in specific, has suddenly realised the potent risk of allowing guns in the society, whereas the danger of violence in gamers is being considered as one of the factors that led to that incident.

First-person shooters such as the Call of Duty of Halo franchise completely rely on the guns and realistic graphics for their success. Some of the biggest companies in the gaming industry, such as Activision and Electronic Arts (EA), have been consistently making and selling such games to the masses, which include children, and consequently earning huge profits.

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also owe a major part of their success to first-person shooters and their online multiplayer mode.

Nintendo, on the other hand, is relying heavily on its renowned franchises such as Mario Bros., Zelda and Pikmin, for the success of its first-ever high-definition (HD) console, the Wii U.

The new system has attracted plenty of third-party support, with the likes of Ubisoft and EA bringing some of their renowned franchises to the console. Ubisoft has even created a Wii U exclusive survival horror zombie shooter, ZombiU.

There are not many first-person shooters on the Wii U yet, though quite a few of them are rumoured to be in the pipeline.

However, Nintendo may be thinking of revising its strategy and going for more child-friendly games instead of bringing games that depict violence and the use of guns to the console.

There is a possibility of Congress introducing a new law to regulate the sale of violent games in the market, something that will not be very helpful for the business of first-person shooters, as well as both the Sony and Microsoft current-generation consoles.

A strong consumer backlash is also expected, with violent and gun-oriented games to see a drastic decline in popularity.

The Connecticut shooting incident is created a stage where Nintendo can easily out-perform its competitors by keeping its games soft in terms of action and violence. With a Mario, Zelda, Pikmin and Rayman franchise in its arsenal, the company may find its new console surpassing PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in terms of popularity soon.

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