Leave Luck to Heaven

Growing up I enjoyed playing video games.  I always wanted to play the next game system that was going to come out.  The one company that I remember the most is Nintendo.  Nintendo is one of those companies most people either love or hate.  Love them or hate them, you have to give them the respect they deserve.  Nintendo is the longest-surviving video game console manufacturer to date.

Competition

Competitors have always fueled the industry to come out with something better.  Sony came out with the Playstation using discs instead of cartridges.  Nintendo completely changed the way we play video games with the release of the Nintendo 64.  The graphics were amazing when it came out.  No other company had anything like what they had.  Nintendo did great with the 64, in my opinion it opened up the door for games like Halo.  The 64 did good, but the competition understood that the customers wanted better graphics.  So, the competition stepped up their products to have great graphics.  When Nintendo released the Gamecube I felt that they didn’t keep up with the competition.

Different Mindset

I had completely given up on Nintendo by the time Microsoft released the 360.  About a year after the Xbox 360 came out I started to hear about this thing called the Wii.  At first I thought it sounded dumb, I thought it would flop as bad as the Gamecube.  The more I read about it though the more I thought it sounded really cool.  By the time the Wii was released I knew I wanted one (along with a lot of other people).  The Wii completely changed how people play games.  Nintendo changed their mindset from being the best, to being different.  Nintendo made the smartest move a company can make. They adapted to their surroundings and instead of competing on the same level as everyone else, they changed the playing field.  They didn’t focus on graphics; they focused on game play.  They wanted people that usually don’t buy video game consoles to buy the Wii.  Well, Nintendo accomplished what they wanted to do.  Wii’s are everywhere, retirement centers have them, parents have them, and even gamers have them.  Most gamers that have a Wii also have another gaming system.  I think that is the greatest part of this whole plan.  Nintendo successfully made a product that separated themselves from other companies, but they didn’t separate themselves from the customer.  In fact they gained more customers.

What are some ways other companies can do this same thing? What are some companies that have done this same thing? I look forward to discussing this with you more.

Also, does anyone know where the title of my post comes from?

David