The Nintendo Wii was created in the hopes to change (more or less simplify) how we play video games. In my opinion, I find that to be a vague response, as they never specified that it’ll either be simple to learn, or simple to master. It never came to mind until I started introducing the Wii to several of my friends and families, and the frustration that concluded the experience.

Obviously the big picture revolves around the Wii remote and the motion sensing/acceleration technology which is either your enemy or ally. So why the hell do I sound blundered by the fact that it changes our perception and response to video games? I only acknowledge this because I believe that despite that the Wii simplifies how we play video games, it adds to the difficulty of learning the new experience. And I hope that people don’t misinterpret what I’m noting (I’m not being negative), because I’m simply saying the Wii isn’t always accessible the first time around for non gamers and hardcore gamers alike.

The moment people hear about motion-responsive controls, they go hysterical (in a good way hopefully). But what depresses me is how badly they perceive the controls to be before actually playing the games. In other words, they believe the Wii to be the early generation of virtual reality in a way, so the folks act accordingly. Assisting people playing, I have viewed flying remotes, terrible tangents with the buttons and a load of complaints on how they perceived the controls incorrectly. I admit I had troubles the first time around, but I easily coped with it since I’ve been playing video games all my life and this hasn’t changed too drastically for me.

Wii Sports is the prime example for my theory. I enjoy hearing stories on how people think hitting a virtual tennis ball is more difficult than actually doing it in real life. Same goes with the rest of the packaged mini games in Wii Sports. An acquaintance of mine actually came up to me and complained that his hand gestures were not 100% responsive in Wii Boxing. He was wondering if he was doing something wrong. I told him that it wasn’t true 1:1 fighting, so he left with a bitter taste in his mouth. Despite that he is a bit of a book worm, I’m sure he can throw an upper cut in real life than in a video game.

The Nintendo Wii is a magnificent machine and everyone can agree (hopefully). In my opinion, it’s software and technology is difficult to learn, but not hard to master. So you have to argue if the console is accessible at all to the consumer. That can be subjective, and you have to be a patient avid gamer to find that out. But then that destroys Nintendo’s philosophy completely. A child has to learn how to ride a bicycle and a teenager has to learn how to drive a car. The Wii is unlike anything we’ve seen in video game history, stop criticizing it and give the system some time (this is a note to those who don’t understand how new this technology is in gaming). I bet the next-next generation of Nintendo’s console will include 1:1 motion sensing and that’ll be the day some people stop complaining.