Nintendo's Wii is outselling its competitors, and making traditional gamers furious, because it's one of the first video game systems in years to appeal to, well, everybody. While video games have staunchly spent the last decade or so appealing to young men between about 18 and 35, Wii is huge with the over-40 set, families, and women.
Ubisoft's Ann Hamilton, brand manager for the girl-oriented (and bad-to-mediocre) Imagine and Ener-G lines of games, thinks the enormity of the Wii's success can be entirely attributed to the system's appeal to women. "What’s driving the Wii sales is the use of Wii by women, girls and families,” says Hamilton in the Tulsa World. “It’s a really female-driven platform."
That's a pretty bold statement. Do you guys agree with it? At Ubisoft's last press conference, they reported roughly one-quarter of their revenue coming from their girl-oriented game lines-- which were significantly slimmer back then. Is the company just hyping up its product?
Bonus round: How many of you reading this are female Wii fans? If not, do you know any? (No counting the girls who work here, either.)
