Do You Think Nintendo Is Becoming Less Child-Friendly?

[Traidable]

Heya, everyone! I've thought about this a lot. And please read through my full post before assuming anything, because I honestly understand that Nintendo never was aimed to be 'Child Friendly'. It's just that the games that were made when Nintendo first started making games ended up being fun for the whole family. Something that has little-to-no gore or violence.

Mario had jumping on mushrooms. Zelda had swinging a sword, but little actual blood. You get the picture. It's just how it was. In my opinion, Nintendo didn't aim to be like that. It's just how the culture was.
Back then, you wouldn't even begin to imagine a game about war, like Call of Duty with recreation of the horrific events that come with war.

However, now with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it made things much more deep. I remember seeing the screenshot of Zelda crying with Link, and immediately thinking: Oh wow. That's more emotional than Nintendo ever has got me.

So, just like with when Disney bought Star Wars and started making Rebels and other darker-side movies/TV shows, do you think Nintendo will start to add a lot more blood/gore to their games, or do you think they will keep with the comic-like explosions and sparks that come off enemies when you hit them? And more to the fact, do you feel like they SHOULD?

Have at it!

 

[TribstyAnn]

I feel like Nintendo got their child-friendly reputation without even trying. A lot of their games were "cute" or "family friendly". But if you actually think about a lot of what happens in Nintendo games they aren't really kid friendly at all. Just take Pikmin for example. It's cute with all sorts of adorable little creatures to play with, and they all get to die in horrific way and get eaten by large horrendous creatures. Fun for the whole family. To be honest though most of their game were a lot less violent and gory than Playstation or Xbox.

I don't really think they are becoming less child friendly, I just think they are shifting their target demographic. They've realized that kids nowadays have no attachment to Nintendo, like older people with nostalgia for their older consoles, and are playing violent mature games. Their target now is older, mature fan who grew up with Nintendo. Making games that are serious, like BotW, but still fun and enjoyable. It's not less child friendly just targeted more at adults and less casual gamers.

Also remember Majora's Mask? That one was totally kid friendly, right?

 

[Iso Kilo]

I feel like Nintendo got their child-friendly reputation without even trying. A lot of their games were "cute" or "family friendly". But if you actually think about a lot of what happens in Nintendo games they aren't really kid friendly at all. Just take Pikmin for example. It's cute with all sorts of adorable little creatures to play with, and they all get to die in horrific way and get eaten by large horrendous creatures. Fun for the whole family. To be honest though most of their game were a lot less violent and gory than Playstation or Xbox.

I don't really think they are becoming less child friendly, I just think they are shifting their target demographic. They've realized that kids nowadays have no attachment to Nintendo, like older people with nostalgia for their older consoles, and are playing violent mature games. Their target now is older, mature fan who grew up with Nintendo. Making games that are serious, like BotW, but still fun and enjoyable. It's not less child friendly just targeted more at adults and less casual gamers.

Also remember Majora's Mask? That one was totally kid friendly, right?

If they carry out with target Mario's gonna' be blasting Goomba's heads off with an AK 47. Or Zelda will wind up being hyper realistic.

 

[Artisan]

Looking at their game lineup the 1st party titles are typically more for kids while indie titles may or may not change their demographic. A prime example of the changed demographic would be a game like Code of Princess (or Devil Survivor Overclocked) and even then it just gets the Teen rating. I also might add I would never give Zelda to a younger kid because it might be hard to them and then they immediately get frustrated and the same for Wario Land 4 where it can be stressful to escape the level. To answer the question the answer is no and I don't think they'll ever want to change the demographic for fear of less people wanting or buying a game because of the rating but what do I know. People do get games regardless of the rating and that's an entirely different issue.

But if there was an LGBT supported Mario game now that would be something certainly not "child friendly".

 

[freezebot]

Well, I believe that Nintendo was never child friendly to begin with, but they didn't like blood and wanted to stay on the blue ocean instead of duking it out with Microsoft and sony for most bloody, full of gore game of 2017. I don't mind that they start to make more T games or even mature games, But I still believe that Nintendo should at least have 3-9 child-friendly games a year just so kids have something to play and that they can keep their older audience while still gaining others every day.

 

[Ace]

Let me correct you on one small thing: Disney didn't make the star wars movies and TV shows, Lucasarts did. They operate seperately from Disney, Disney only preduces it.

That aside: Nintendo grew a dark feeling for certain games when Super Metroid came. Dark graphics, haunting music, and a serious challenge that invented the genre: Metroidvania. (Met-Roid-Vania: an adventuring game where you locate items cleverly hidden that serve different purposes.)

Though I think maybe Metroid may have always been dark, even in its days in the NES.

So I think it's a possible that most games from Nintendo are getting a more serious vibe.

 

[Kitsune_Sakura64]

I feel like Nintendo got their child-friendly reputation without even trying. A lot of their games were "cute" or "family friendly". But if you actually think about a lot of what happens in Nintendo games they aren't really kid friendly at all. Just take Pikmin for example. It's cute with all sorts of adorable little creatures to play with, and they all get to die in horrific way and get eaten by large horrendous creatures. Fun for the whole family. To be honest though most of their game were a lot less violent and gory than Playstation or Xbox.

I don't really think they are becoming less child friendly, I just think they are shifting their target demographic. They've realized that kids nowadays have no attachment to Nintendo, like older people with nostalgia for their older consoles, and are playing violent mature games. Their target now is older, mature fan who grew up with Nintendo. Making games that are serious, like BotW, but still fun and enjoyable. It's not less child friendly just targeted more at adults and less casual gamers.

Also remember Majora's Mask? That one was totally kid friendly, right?

Your own argument goes against your entire point.
If the target demographic has changed, as you say, and Nintendo reacts by making more games aimed at them...

They're not making them specifically for kids. Thus, partial nudity, alcohol-references, and bloodshed are used more often, in effect making Nintendo less child-friendly.

^^ How does this not change anything??

Let me correct you on one small thing: Disney didn't make the star wars movies and TV shows, Lucasarts did. They operate seperately from Disney, Disney only preduces it.

That aside: Nintendo grew a dark feeling for certain games when Super Metroid came. Dark graphics, haunting music, and a serious challenge that invented the genre: Metroidvania. (Met-Roid-Vania: an adventuring game where you locate items cleverly hidden that serve different purposes.)

Though I think maybe Metroid may have always been dark, even in its days in the NES.

So I think it's a possible that most games from Nintendo are getting a more serious vibe.

"are getting"? Like, as in, just now starting to saunter off in that direction? Have you seen some of the games that were licensed for the N64? They're definitely not for kids.

Or do third-party developers Nintendo gives the green light to not matter?

 

[TribstyAnn]

Your own argument goes against your entire point.
If the target demographic has changed, as you say, and Nintendo reacts by making more games aimed at them...

They're not making them specifically for kids. Thus, partial nudity, alcohol-references, and bloodshed are used more often, in effect making Nintendo less child-friendly.

^^ How does this not change anything??

I said that they never were super kid friendly. Also just because the target demographic is older doesn't necessarily mean they have more objectionable content, just that they are able to be enjoyed more easily by older players. They could also be considered more hardcore instead of casual. BotW is a good example. That game is hard and hardcore, but doesn't contain a lot of gratuitous violence or sexual content, but it's definitely a game aimed at older gamers.

"are getting"? Like, as in, just now starting to saunter off in that direction? Have you seen some of the games that were licensed for the N64? They're definitely not for kids.
Or do third-party developers Nintendo gives the green light to not matter?

Nintendo didn't develop them, they just licensed them. Rare created Conker's Bad Fur Day, but Nintendo only allowed it to be distributed on their platform. There is a big difference between what games are made or on a console, and what games the console developer makes.

 

[Ace]

@Kitsune_Sakura64, why are you so critical right now? The SNES came before the N64, thus games for the SNES And so on from there, had grown a darker feeling. (I'm not saying the N64 didn't have Nintendo games that weren't dark. Majora's Mask was indeed a pretty grim game that had dark places to explore as well as a haunting soundtrack.)

 

[Starry Windy]

I think I can agree at some point that several games have taken somewhat serious tone in it, but despite of Nintendo having some game franchises that cater to serious side like Metroid or Fire Emblem and possibly Zelda, I think Nintendo is still making things child friendly on some well-known franchises. Personally I think Mario, Pokémon (despite I can admit the recent games having more serious tone), and Kirby are still making sure it's still friendly for anyone to play.

So I think Nintendo might have franchises that might cater more to everyone, and it also have serious games to anyone who prefer something hardcore, so that Ninty might have something for everyone.

 

[Eric Cartman]

I wouldn't say they are becoming child friendly. They still aim towards children though they are also trying to aim a little more to adults to get more consumers and potentially more buyers of their products, especially the switch. With games like LOZ:Breath of the wild, The binding of Isaac afterbirth plus, and the upcoming skyrim remaster it is clear that Nintendo wants adults to buy the switch.

 

[Kadaj]

Heya, everyone! I've thought about this a lot. And please read through my full post before assuming anything, because I honestly understand that Nintendo never was aimed to be 'Child Friendly'. It's just that the games that were made when Nintendo first started making games ended up being fun for the whole family. Something that has little-to-no gore or violence.

Mario had jumping on mushrooms. Zelda had swinging a sword, but little actual blood. You get the picture. It's just how it was. In my opinion, Nintendo didn't aim to be like that. It's just how the culture was.
Back then, you wouldn't even begin to imagine a game about war, like Call of Duty with recreation of the horrific events that come with war.

However, now with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it made things much more deep. I remember seeing the screenshot of Zelda crying with Link, and immediately thinking: Oh wow. That's more emotional than Nintendo ever has got me.

So, just like with when Disney bought Star Wars and started making Rebels and other darker-side movies/TV shows, do you think Nintendo will start to add a lot more blood/gore to their games, or do you think they will keep with the comic-like explosions and sparks that come off enemies when you hit them? And more to the fact, do you feel like they SHOULD?

Have at it!

Before i read this i thought this would be about miiverse lol. Anyway though...

I don't really think there's anything really wromg with this, especially considering that at square one the graphics were noticeably different compared to now. I do understand what you wrote and why it may not seem completely child-friendly so to speak... They may just do it so the game doesn't feel awkward or what not (think about call of duty with no blood lol, that would be very strange). I suppose it depends on the game here (you wont have this in mario most likely) tbh.

I feel like Nintendo got their child-friendly reputation without even trying. A lot of their games were "cute" or "family friendly". But if you actually think about a lot of what happens in Nintendo games they aren't really kid friendly at all. Just take Pikmin for example. It's cute with all sorts of adorable little creatures to play with, and they all get to die in horrific way and get eaten by large horrendous creatures. Fun for the whole family. To be honest though most of their game were a lot less violent and gory than Playstation or Xbox.

I don't really think they are becoming less child friendly, I just think they are shifting their target demographic. They've realized that kids nowadays have no attachment to Nintendo, like older people with nostalgia for their older consoles, and are playing violent mature games. Their target now is older, mature fan who grew up with Nintendo. Making games that are serious, like BotW, but still fun and enjoyable. It's not less child friendly just targeted more at adults and less casual gamers.

Also remember Majora's Mask? That one was totally kid friendly, right?

Omg you took that right out of my mouth, i want to add concerning what you wrote here about the pokemon mystery dungeon games. Specifically though, super mystery dungeon

Spoiler: Pokemon super mystery dungeon late-plot

When you reached far enough in this game, yveltal would use dark matters powers to turn you and your partner to stone and send you to this nasty, lifeless place known as the voidlands. To be honest, this is Pokemon at its darkest: shadows that eat you alive, almost no way out, you're literally doomedto run in circles in misery forever in this place it's so horrid. I thought this was darker than the dark future in mystery dungeon 2. I find it awfully difficult to label this kid friendly.

Mystery dungeon games had some of the darkest plots i remember seeing.

 

[Wariomovie]

I think that Nintendo is trying to aim for a more mature target demographic without really changing too much about what really makes them Nintendo. The Switch's entire marketing campaign has been focused on the older teen to young adult demographic, rather than the middle school to early teen demographic that the 3DS and more specifically the Wii aimed for, as nostalgia sells EXTREMELY well.

 

[Crowing]

Nintendo are certainly becoming less child friendly nowadays. Although I never played them, I remember back when games like Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina were announced, both looking far grittier than most of the other games Nintendo has been focusing on for years now.

Furthermore, Fire Emblem - easily one of their darker franchises - is skyrocketing in popularity and, likewise, focus by Nintendo. BotW is one of the darker Zelda games next to Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Even Super Mario Odyssey had some dark and creepy areas you had to go through, Ruined Kingdom for instance.

Furthermore, Nintendo has made an effort to port darker titles like Dark Souls, Skyrim and Diablo to their system. While not Nintendo specifically, they were made a big deal out of when they came to the Switch, and perhaps pushed Nintendo more to focus on that direction specifically.

So, yes, I do believe Nintendo are much darker than they used to be, and this will likely continue from here on out. I'm not sure how I feel but all we can do is sit back and watch where it goes, I guess.

 

[Artisan]

Nintendo are certainly becoming less child friendly nowadays. Although I never played them, I remember back when games like Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina were announced, both looking far grittier than most of the other games Nintendo has been focusing on for years now.

Furthermore, Fire Emblem - easily one of their darker franchises - is skyrocketing in popularity and, likewise, focus by Nintendo. BotW is one of the darker Zelda games next to Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Even Super Mario Odyssey had some dark and creepy areas you had to go through, Ruined Kingdom for instance.

Furthermore, Nintendo has made an effort to port darker titles like Dark Souls, Skyrim and Diablo to their system. While not Nintendo specifically, they were made a big deal out of when they came to the Switch, and perhaps pushed Nintendo more to focus on that direction specifically.

So, yes, I do believe Nintendo are much darker than they used to be, and this will likely continue from here on out. I'm not sure how I feel but all we can do is sit back and watch where it goes, I guess.

Kirby lore is super dark even though I doubt anyone wanted to pause the menu to understand why. SNES Kirby's Dreamland had a boss that shoot's eyeblood at you. Same with Crystal Shards. Kid Icarus had nude statues in the last level. Pokken has Blaziken male part apparently by some mom. It doesn't matter what Nintendo shows there will always be a misconception. It's not always dark but it's fantasy. How bad is a fantasy that's not real? They don't play for the dark themes, I think, because it's more of the gameplay that interests them.