My mom has never really enjoyed videogames. Simply watching me play Super Mario Bros. 3 made her so tense that she had to leave the room, and she suggested I find a "more constructive" hobby on more than one occasion. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that my mother had fallen deeply, deeply in love with the Nintendo Wii.
Their love affair began last summer, when mom came to visit me in North Carolina. She'd seen a feature about Wiis in retirement homes on The Today Show, and was very excited to try Wii Bowling. My mom had an accident many years ago that left her shoulder weakened, so she couldn't pick up a regular bowling ball anymore, but she figured if the seniors on The Today Show could swing that Wii Remote, so could she.
Being the dutiful daughter/videogame pusher that I am, I obligingly hooked up the Wii for my mom and challenged her to a game of Wii Bowling. She kicked my ass. I don't mean she narrowly edged out a victory, or that she got lucky, or even that I had one too many margaritas at dinner and simply had an off night. My mom took me to school and pwned my sorry ass, despite the fact that she hadn't played a single videogame in the thirty years that I'd played one practically every single day.
Although she didn't mention the Wii for the rest of her visit, the seeds had clearly been planted. She began calling me to let me know when stories about the Wii were on television, or when she saw something about it in a magazine. When my nephews received one for Christmas, she not only knew what a Nunchuk was, but she also knew how to use it.
My mother, who couldn't tell you what company actually makes the Wii and who has been known to refer to the PlayStation 3's "bluetooth player," was suddenly browsing Best Buy.com's Wii section. She would call me to ask me what Wii games I had played, and if they were any good. When I went to DICE and GDC this year, she asked if I'd be talking to "those nice people who made the Wii."
When Best Buy hosted its Wii for Women event, my mom attended. She tried some games, she watched others play, and she bought herself a Wii. She was nervous that she wouldn't be able to figure out how to hook it up, but she finally got up the courage to give it a shot. Naturally, she did just fine.
When she called me to ask how to turn it off (upper left hand corner of the Remote, mom), and to jokingly complain that her friend Joe had beaten her at bowling on his very first try (oh, the irony), I could actually hear her smiling. It was the sound of true love.
I bring all of this up not only because I think my mom playing videogames is just about the most adorable thing since this picture, but also because it's a prime example of the Wii's power to win over an audience that normally would have nothing to do with gaming.
The secret to the Wii's seductive powers over someone like my mother is that despite being a nifty piece of technology it never, ever makes you feel stupid. Within seconds, she not only understood the bowling controls, but had mastered them to the point that she could succeed at the game. It's something that we, as regular gamers, take for granted, but which is particularly exhilarating for anyone who views the complex controller of the PS3 or the 360 as mountain too treacherous and difficult to ever climb.
When people tell me that the Wii is destined to fail because of the disparity between first party and third party games, I am reminded of my mom, who has no idea who makes Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart, and couldn't possibly care less. In fact, the only Nintendo game besides Wii Sports to spark my mom's interest is *Wii Fit. *
When she asks me to recommend games, she doesn't want to know who makes it, she wants to know if she'll like it and if it's fun, or if she'd be likely to find it too hard and frustrating. The games currently on her radar are Endless Ocean, because it's pretty, and Big Brain Academy, because she wants something to help her stay mentally sharp. She might try Carnival Games, too, though I warned her that the controls can be annoying.
Like all love affairs, my mom's relationship with the Wii might last, it might not, but the amount of happiness it's bringing her is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Update: She just called me to let me know she got 179 in* Wii Bowling*. "Isn't that cool?" She figures she needs to practice hooking the ball, though. "I'm getting too many spares. I should be getting more strikes," she says.
Photo: alykat/Flickr, Wired.com
