WiiWare to showcase independent games
It’s no secret that Nintendo’s Wii platform has opened up gaming to a new demographic. People of all ages are playing popular games like MarioKart, Zelda, and Wii Sports, which utilize the revolutionary Wii remote. Wii gaming can be a full-body, active experience, which has encouraged everyone from physical therapists to my mother to make it a part of their lives. Now, Nintendo has announced a new service called WiiWare, which will allow users with an internet connection to download games for as little as $5.
WiiWare will act as a kind of independent film studio, and it will showcase games from small and large developers alike. The goal is to get rid of the red tape that makes it prohibitively expensive for small game studios to market and sell their products. This will also allow Wii to compete with Microsoft Xbox Live and Sony PlayStation Network, both of which host independently produced games. Some of these little known games by small developers have gained kudos on Xbox and PS3, and Nintendo is also hoping to encourage indie gaming on its console.
A Nintendo press release puts it in more grandiose terms: “WiiWare showcases original ideas in the most democratic environment in industry history, connecting the people who make games more directly with the people who play them.” While it definitely sounds pretentious, it also reflects on a current trend running throughout the technology industry. People want to be able to generate their own content and share it with the world. Whether its making a mock music video on YouTube, sharing your photos on Flickr, or creating a mini-application on Facebook, the public is ripe for user-generated content. Why should gaming be any different?
The WiiWare launch has been inaugurated with the release of six initial titles:
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As King - from Square Enix
- LostWinds - from Frontier Development
- Defend Your Castle - from XGen Studios
- Pop - from Nnooo
- V.I.P Casino Blackjack - High Voltage Software, Inc.
- TV Show King - Gameloft
While WiiWare, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network are not yet the vast repositories of the average Joe like YouTube, the ability of an talented small group or individual to market a creative game is the first step in the process. Nintendo is very savvy to keep prices reasonable, as most of the Wii owners I know are appalled to be paying $50 a pop for titles by the big cheeses like EA or Activision. This will not only encourage consumers to make small purchases during an economic slowdown, but will also encourage game developers to pull out all the stops to attract users. Seems like a great idea all around.
By Haley January Eckels