Nintendo Is A Place Japanese Parents Want Their Kids To Work

The beauty of certain parts of the entertainment industry is that there are times when a part of it is seen as “niche” or “not something that will be popular or profitable,” only for it to do a complete 180 of expectations and prove that it’s one of the best things around. Video games were one such platform that had issues at times, including in the United States during the early 1980s when the whole industry almost crashed. Nintendo was what saved the US during that period, and it’s been one of the dominant forces in the gaming industry ever since. Something that’s not lost on Japanese parents.

A special survey was revealed in Japan Today and it featured parents and grandparents coming together to answer the question of whether they wanted their kids/grandkids to work. Eight hundred people were interviewed for the survey, and of the Top 5 results, Nintendo placed No.4. 

That’s not bad, considering the top two spots went to the national and regional governments. Toyota was No.3, while Panasonic was No.5.

At first, this might not seem like a shocking revelation. But do recall that even today, the gaming industry isn’t always viewed in the best light. It’s also important to remember that gaming layoffs have been a dominant story in recent times, including over 10,000 jobs being lost in 2023 and around that much have already been lost in 2024.

That’s where the twist with Nintendo comes in. They’ve been unaffected by all of this due to how it’s run its business. Specifically, unlike companies such as Microsoft and Sony, they haven’t made “big acquisitions” to try and “bolster its roster.” Instead, they’ve made smaller ones like with Shiver Entertainment, which they’re going to use to make better 3rd party ports for the Switch and Switch 2.

Furthermore, former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata once cut his own salary so that everyone could get paid and no one needed to be let go. The Big N has also been trying to “raise people” within the industry so that they can have meaningful careers and even expanding their board of directors to include more diversity.

From a parents perspective, Nintendo might appear to be a company that is not only stable, but expansive, fun, pays well, and will be around for a long time. A previous study revealed they are the richest company in Japan because they don’t have debt, and the most recent financial briefing noted that they had record profits in 2023.

So why wouldn’t a parent want their kids to work in a place that’s doing so well?