Blanton, K. (1991, December 19). Sega’s Genesis takes on Nintendo for yule sales. The Boston Globe, pp. 57-58.

OVERVIEW

"To grab market share, Nintendo is relying on corporate muscle and a long-standing reputation with kids. The company, which has annual sales of $4 billion, is pumping $25 million into advertising its super system."

This article shows how Nintendo is serious about penetrating the lives of kids with their video games. Twenty-five million dollars pumped into advertising means that Nintendo will direct its attention toward the primary psychological needs of adolescents: identity, intimacy, and meaning. "The popular entertainment industry sees youth as a prime market, a distinct, ever renewing demographic group possessed of ample leisure and money to make sales soar." (Schultze and Anker, Dancing in the Dark, p. 77). It is important for the reader to see that the video game industry involves lots of money and therefore will seek to play an influential role in youth.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What is the significance of Nintendo having annual sales of $4 billion and pumping $25 million into its advertising?
2. How should Nintendo and other video games be perceived in view of their large profits?
3. What kind of "reputation" does Nintendo have with kids?

IMPLICATIONS

1. The video game industry must be viewed as an industry that is ultimately driven by enormous profit. Seeing the amount of money involved helps one understand that video game industries seek to influence kids.
2. The influence of video games may "surpass the influences of traditional sources of adolescent nurture such as family, church, and school" according to the authors of Dancing in the Dark.
3. The issue must be addressed in accordance with how deeply youth are involved in video games. If youth are not overexposed to video, then its influence upon popular culture is not significant enough for concern. Thus, the overexposure to video games must be carefully determined by parents, teachers, and youth workers.
4. As there are advancements in the technology of video games, one must look out for the greater potential of video games to influence youth.