I enjoyed you and your fellow alpha mom blogger on the latest EGM podcast. It really opened my eyes to your perspective on gaming and on gamers.

Howdy! I'm a dad and a gamer. Maybe even a "hardcore gamer" although since having a little girl, opportunity to game has hit an all time low.

Some advice. Stay away from gaming forums such as 1up.com, neogaf.com, kotaku.com etc... The guys that post there have been weaned on videogames and their ability to place themselves in the shoes of a person that doesn't game, let alone an honest to goodness female; is spectacularly low.

Generally you will find a great deal of ignorance and venom which will potentially sour you on the gaming community.

We're not all bad.

The term "Alpha Mom" doesn't necessarily carry negative connotations. You're identified as an "influencer" and someone that is savvy regarding technology when compared to the what society deems as the "average" mom.

With that said; the term "Alpha Mom" is closely associated with the Bogey Man or Osama Bin Laden in some gaming communities.

You clearly have a firm grasp regarding why the gaming community is up in arms regarding what they perceive as the diluting of their "gaming pool" so I won't get into that at all.

What Nintendo is doing isn't bad for gaming and in ten or fifteen years there could potentially be a larger group of people that accept/play/appreciate video games as a valid medium.

What they're doing is new, and different. "New and different" scares people.

With Nintendo targetting an entirely new demographic (the "moms"), there is a whole new group of people that game developers can target. A number of those companies will produce a great deal of poor quality games in order to make a quick profit off of a target market that is decidedly less informed about games.

This could lead to the new target market (you guys) becoming soured on gaming over time, simply because you were taken advantage of by companies that take little pride in what they create and simply want to make a profit in as efficient a manner as possible. It has definitely happened in the industry before and it could happen again simply because of what Nintendo is doing.

This has some gamers feeling punchy.

Also; Stefania Pomponi Butler admitting on the podcast that she had a copy of Twilight Princess given to her and it hasn't even been opened will no doubt irritate a number of listeners. Cries of "She has the best Wii game given to her and she won't even play it." will no doubt sound similar to the cries at the witch hunts in Salem. A fan that has played every single Zelda game. That has supported Nintendo for years and can't wait to play Twilight Princess (and there's alot of those people) would no doubt find what she said to be a source of irritation.

It's perfectly alright that people don't know which end of the controller to point at the television.

It's perfectly alright that people are intimidated by gaming, or that they don't have the time, or that they just don't enjoy them.

Making references that chopping vegetables isn't aggressive enough for the "hardcore gamers" is a not-so-subtle jab. There are a number of hardcore gamers that just want to play a good game. What you're doing in the game isn't important. What's important is the experience.

I think what frustrates me the most about this whole "Wii Army thing" is that it's possible that a great deal of the mother's recruited by Nintendo are coming from a complete and utter lack of knowledge regarding the gaming industry. All they really know about the industry is what Nintendo happens to feed them. These mothers are nothing more than extremely clever viral marketing for Nintendo.

"Look! Our games are fun and they're non-violent!"

When you can hear on the news about some idiot doing something awful and Videogame X on the XBox or Playstation was the reason behind why he did such an awful thing.

Nintendo comes out looking pretty stellar.

Alpha Moms aren't hurting the industry. People buying up Nintendo Wiis aren't hurting the industry either. There's still scads of exceptional games out there worth buying and playing and what Nintendo is currently doing will never change that.

You, and others like you ARE being used though. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are definitely at war right now and you definitely got pulled into Nintendo's army and you're doing precisely what Nintendo wants you to do.

Be an educated consumer.

I'm sure you put time into what you do and don't buy for your children. Put a bit of time into the gaming scene and you will see that there are exceptional games to be played on all the consoles. Gaming can be highly enjoyable when you don't get locked into one particular brand playing only Nintendo games, or only Sony games, etc...

Ignorance at the consumer level hurts the industry.

Just don't be ignorant. Put the time in to do your research, or find someone, or some site that you can trust. Get informed that way, but currently, you and a number of mothers are simply a part of a viral marketing campaign.

Being a hardcore gamer of 20 years, the concept of Alpha Moms is both good and bad. As Jen and Shane from EGM brought up, we are scared that our beloved franchises are being retired or set aside in lieu of non-games. However, Nintendo's marketing is almost a guarantee that they will stick around in the future, in a form the original fans recognize or otherwise. We're not a scary bunch, we may be intimidating through our compassion for games, but alot of us as you said were weened on gaming and can't understand the "take it or leave it" attitude. The EGM-Live segment was interesting, and I'd like to welcome both you and Stefania to the gaming community, even if all you're playing Wii Sports.

Hi, i found your segment of the recent EGM podcast very entertaining, i guess you could describe me as a hardcore gamer.

I think the real issue some gamers have with this sudden influx of casual games is that, games can be truely engrossing experiences; such as watching shows like LOST; which I'm sure everyone could appreciate given the opportunity.

But what nintendo is saying to people is: "no, these games arent for you, play some more wii sports"

when, in actuality; these more hardcore games such as bioshock, zelda, halo and the like would probabbly appeal to the casuals just as much as wii sports, cooking mama and brain training, if not more so.

Don't generalize. I posted at neogaf for a long time and I now post at a similar forum and I think it's great how Nintendo is expanding the market.

Your a (redacted) idiot

*edited to remove a correctly spelled f-bomb. Poor grammar of the author left unchanged.*

Jonathan-
I don't think Nintendo is saying that at all. Not only are they still releasing their hardcore titles at the same rate as they always have, but their also advertising those hardcore titles and still recognize that they have their same old fanbase to appease.

And I disagree that moms, girlfriends, aunts, etc... would enjoy Metroid Prime 3 as much as Wii Sports. When I was home for Labor Day, my mom got dizzy watching me play Metroid Prime 3 and told me that she was amazed I could keep up with it. She'll Wii Bowl with me, however.

Amanda won't stop talking about the Wii party. But I have a sneaky suspicion it was because of the limo---

I have a distaste for video games. probably because when I was dating my husband he would play them non-stop and ignore me for hours (he has thankfully grown out of his obsession).

I was disappointed with the Wii games---I felt as if the company didn't take the time to really ask kids and moms what they wanted. I only had the time to play with a few and I certainly haven't researched much at all, but the games didn't capture my attention or interest, and my 5yr old was definitely more captivated by the bowl of skittles.

we have since bought American Idol for the Playstation and have played it nightly together as a family. Molly, our two-year-old, can belt out a mean "Heartbreaker"---

It just doesn't seem that much fun to virtually bowl, golf or play tennis; which makes me wonder who their test marketers were.

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. I'm Matt, a former professional video game player.

In this current game generation of gaming consoles I own a Sony PlayStation 3. I did own a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox 360. Reason why I got rid of my Wii and 360 is because I got bored of the games on my Wii and my 360 died 5 times.

You seem to look at all the consoles and look for games like Wii Sports. Well, grant it you wont find a Wii Sports like game on the PS3 you will find wonderful casual game experiences that are going to be released in the coming months. Games dont have to be from retail, they can be downloadable.

Take a look at games like Echochrome. Its a great puzzle game. Theres sudoku which is always good. Theres fun little games like Blast Factor that is more of a hard-casual game which is more of a retro style 2D shooter. Since you like that game boogie games like Singstar, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero would be games you would quite enjoy. As for games similar to Wii Sports there is a sports pack and a skiing game being released for download sometime between now and March.

Another amazing game being released that your kids would love would by Eye of Judgment. If you ever saw the Star Wars movies its exactly like that card game where you play a card and a monster appears. You battle with the cards to take over 5/9 squares.

Some other features of the PlayStation 3 greatly expand the value of the PS3 at it's price of $499. Its a Blu-ray DVD player which improves the visual quality of your movies. It's of course a DVD player that upscales your movies. It plays music and has really nice photo modes to display your family photos.

The PS3 is also backwards compatible with 90% of all PS and PS2 games. So you should be able to play a good amount of casual games. You can play the Buzz! Quiz game, classic Singstar games, and many other classics.

As for video games that are more hard-casual that you would enjoy with your kids, try to rent and check out role-playing games. They are basically interactive story books. They might be a bit violent but its all fantasy and rarely ever have any blood. In my opinion, Pokemon is just as violent so they can be suitable, but try to look for the games that your kid would understand the story. The classic Final Fantasy games fit. Final Fantasy X might but its harder to follow due to the fact its more of a corrupt religious story. When the kids are older Final Fantasy XII will be more educational because its about government struggle.

Still take a step back and look at the games. The Wii is great for some things but will be horrid for complete deep experience that actually have an underlining purpose in the story.

Just stop looking at everything on other consoles and PC as evil, overly violent, hardcore games when they arent.

Hi.

Enjoyed the segment on EGM LIVE. You moms were very rational and interesting about the topic. I teach high school and am a hardcore gamer, so I live and see both sides of the issue. Certainly some of the games I play would not be played by a child of mine (my hypothetical child, that is!)

The post promoting the PS3 above shows the lengths gamers will go to back their system of choice. Since gaming is an expensive hobby, in both terms of time and money, people naturally want to feel that they bought the "right" console. The "right" console, though, is a personal choice, and I think it's great that there are many options. The Wii is great for kids and adult casual gamers, and it does have something to offer the more hardcore as well. I'm a 360 guy myself, because I like online competitive games, but I also play with my Nintendo DS, which is much more casual.

We'll always have our 360's/PS3's as the hardcore and there's nothing wrong with you guys enjoying your Wii as well.

Congrats on a good interview, and on an attractive and interesting blog.

Thanks.

Hello,
I just want to first say that I really enjoyed your section of the podcast, it was most certaintly the highlight of the whole thing. I have been a gamer ever since my brother gave me a controller so I would think I was playin with him. I am now older and (hopefully)wiser, and in my opinion I can see no real negative of expanding the market. I predict only good things if people can finally see why we love our hobby so much, and experience it aswell.

I don't really understand the gripe much of my gaming bretherin have with 'casula' games. Personally me(and my entire family) loves Wii Sports and other assorted games.

Oh and in reference to one of the posts above, I sometimes post on 1up, NeoGaf, and Kotaku and there is nothing worng with any of those sites. Yes, there will be some jerk every now and then, but aren't there always no matter where you go? Just look 4 posts above this one.

P.S. Maybe you can come back on the podcast and give an update how you're feeling about the Wii and it's gmaes after the holiday season. Just a thought;)

Alpha Moms are the main crooks to popular products (nintendo wii) that given away free. Do you know how hard is it to find a wii in any store, pretty hard. Games are meant to great not lame boring short game not worth of purchase.
DESTROY ALPHA MOMS. I can't believe they are given games for free for just being a blogger mom, i say good day. Maybe alpha moms need the nintendo wii because all they do is get a wider Belly on the couch. You know other people want the wii but wii fit is not because you already have dance dance revolution, hello are you late to off the back. PEOPLE WANT NINTENdO WII NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello,
Well I'm an Hardcore gamer and just wanted to say I love the mini games and play my Nintendo Wii and DS all the time. It's nice to pick up a game for a few minuets here and there. I hope y'all don't think we're all unhappy with you. The truth is that us Nintendo Fans also love playing these types of game.

So let me be one of the first ones to Welcome you to our world and hope you have fun. A few games you might want to check out that is a blast are WarioWare and look into a new game coming out Zack and Wiki, great to sit with your kids and play with them. Google search them and you'll find out all the information you need.

I would also love to know what helps you decide what games to buy and where do you get your information about a game? I am truly sorry about some of the people in the gaming world that can't see this as a good thing. Have a great day.

Also about the Boogie game, I think y'all could get Disney to come out with a Radio Disney version or those CD's that the kids sing today's songs. Email Disney and see what you can get done. Good Luck!

Awesome job on EGM Live Jenny. It's really great to hear such a unique outlook on the gaming culture from the "Alpha Moms".

Just wanted to chime in here. Take care.

enjoyed the podcast

Just out of curiosity, what exactly is the title of your blog post is supposed to imply? Who wouldn't shut up? Are you referring to your experience recording the podcast?

I would love to see the Alpha Mom's back on EGM Live, especially this fall when the more "hardcore" of the Nintendo games come out that are aimed at the enthusiasts, like Super Smash Brothers.

Too bad you and Stefania (sorry about the nasty spelling) didn't get to talk a little more about Metroid. I'm not personally a fan, but it would have been great to hear the "casual" take on a more "Enthusiast" game.

Jenny,
so fun to have you, and look at the (mostly ;) intelligent discussion you've got going on your blog. so cool!

thanks again for coming on, and glad everybody found the segment thought-provoking, at the very least!

Hey, I enjoyed the podcast on EGM. Good to hear your POV and I think it's great that you're playing games with your kids. That's something I will my parent's would have done when I was younger on the NES/ATARI.

I think someone made a good point about 'being used' which I'm sure you're smart enough to realize, but, aren't we all being taken advantage of one way or another? ;)

Anyway, enjoyed the section and sorry about the knucklehead gamers; there are always a few in bad apples...