One of the things that video game companies, no matter how big or small, must consider when making their titles or expanding their franchises is how they’re going to appeal to the “younger generation.” Sure, many focus on the older generation, adults, and even sometimes teens, to play their games as that’s “surefire sales,” but there’s a younger crowd out there that wants to know more about video games and wishes to be immersed in the culture. Nintendo has never been afraid to appeal to kids, and that shows with its new “My Mario” line of products, which will release later this month.
It was unveiled in full on Nintendo’s website, and they described it as such:
“My Mario is a product series which parents and children can enjoy together. Products from partner companies are included in the My Mario series. New products are planned to be added to the My Mario series in the future.”
Some of the items that they’re going to put out through this series include a “Wood Block Set.” This features nice, beautifully-crafted, wooden figures of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and some classic power-up items, and when it comes to the characters, they can actually function as Amiibo!
They’ve also made a special app where parents can let their kids play with Mario’s face:
“A free smart device app and Nintendo Switch software that children can play intuitively by pulling Mario’s face, or turning it around and around on the screen. Mario will react in various ways based on the player’s input, allowing parents and young children to play together and enjoy each reaction they see.”
As if that’s not enough, they even made stop-motion shorts that will show Mario doing various things, alongside a line of clothes, books, and plushies that you can buy for your little ones.
Why does this all matter? Simply put, this is a big way for Nintendo to get the younger gamers hooked onto things like Mario & Co., and then, when they’re able to play video games, they’ll want to do so immediately. Plus, with Nintendo diving into animated and live-action movies, this could bring even more people to those theaters because they’ve already been introduced to the characters and want to see them in new scenarios.
Again, Nintendo has never been afraid to appeal to children, and this will bring whole families together around video games in a way that they know is safe, which is what every parent wants.
