Very interesting read over on Infendo this morning about Nintendo’s approach to online gaming and the existing gamer community reaction.

It raises some points that I hadn’t even considered.  Such as Nintendo having this group of people who they helped usher into the world of console gaming in the last year and a half with the Wii.  And then being somewhat careful with how they expose those people to the millions who have been playing online for years.  Because, let’s face it, the existing community does not welcome newcomers with open arms or even a minute dose of tact.

Quoted in the article is Bill Futon, who used to work for Microsoft, saying:

“The online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don’t love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people — and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.”

This is taken from an article linked to in the Infendo post.

 I couldn’t agree more.  And this is obviously is not limited to Xbox Live players.  I’m sure Blizzard would admit that the behavior of much of their customer base does a lot to hinder sales.  I don’t know how many times I would have quit World of Warcraft if I didn’t use it to keep in touch with good friends in other parts of the country.

Anyway, I found the article insightful and thought I would share.  :) 

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