Gaming Takes Over Family Parties

Video gaming used to be solely a solitary or one-on-one experience. Two people would sit together in a dark, dank basement or tucked away in a bedroom and cut themselves off from all civilization as they duked it out to conquer a kingdom. In many ways, that experience remains the same; except now players can fight against one another over the ‘Net without being in the same room, or even house! But what's most shocking is that gaming has expanded to a full-on group experience in ways I've never seen before.

I have a huge family, and growing up, it was inevitable that at some point during holiday festivities, a board game or pack of cards would be broken out. Today, it seems that old hat form of entertainment has been replaced by video gaming, namly with Nintendo's family-friendly Wii. Even though the system has been on the market in Canada for almost two years now, it seems many are only now jumping on the bandwagon. It could be the recent price drop of the console, increased media coverage and awareness, or perhaps just that the console has finally come out of the "early adopter" phase. Nevertheless, it seems every party I've attended over the past few weeks has included a Wii at its core; that's both with young adults, kids, and even baby boomers.

And it seems my family isn't an anomaly. A recent study conducted by Lottay, an online gift-giving company, found that the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday gift wishes in the U.S. are the Nintendo Wii, along with Wii-related games and accessories. With new titles like Wii Sports Resort, families are looking for everything from extra remotes and Nunchuk controllers, to Wii MotionPlus attachments (which are required to play the Sports Resort games), carrying cases (to easily transport the system to family and friend gatherings, of course), and customized covers and faceplates. Even more indicative of the trend toward "family" gaming is the fact that, according to this study, the Wii and Wii-related gear is sought out by twice as many U.S. consumers as the Sony PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360; and the Wii was one of the top wishes for women, not just men. (Of course both those consoles offer family-friendly features and game titles as well, but neither has arguably broken into the market like the Wii has.)

It's no secret that the Wii has opened up video gaming to an entirely new market, but seeing it first hand really solidifies this. I watched my aunts and uncles laugh hysterically at the creation of their own Miis; my 88-year-old grandmother kick butt in a game of Price is Right (granted, she needed some help in manipulating the hyper-sensitive controller), and my dad throw a mean ball in bowling. As for the young folk, well, the interest in the console goes without saying.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Wiis flying off the shelves this holiday season as families look to replace the old, ratty Monopoly board with a new, just-as-interactive but tech-savvy option for holiday fun. My family's favourites? Sports Resort games like Speed Slice, where two people race to be the first to karate chop a series of flying items in the direction indicated by an ever-changing arrow; 10-pin bowling; and golf. While the games can still only accommodate up to four players, it makes for some great tournaments. And if my experience is any indication, those who aren't playing appear to have just as much fun as though who are.

It's worth noting that the poker games and occasional board game still find their way into events, both with friends and family. But the Wii is becoming a staple in virtually every home I know; which is good news for both Nintendo and the industry.