It's no secret that people of all ages love Nintendo products: consoles, games, franchises, you name it. You're probably just as likely to see a grown man wearing a Mario costume on Halloween as you are a 3-year-old child. The sheer number of Switch consoles sold since launch suggests it can't just be kids playing those games, not to mention the mountain of content about games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made by and for adults. And yet, when it comes time to criticize a Nintendo game like the recently released Echoes of wisdomThat old argument often comes to the fore: “The game is After all, for children.”
In my experience, this statement is most often used to silence criticism that is perhaps too specific or whiny, such as my opinion that Zelda's shakes in Echoes of wisdom evoke diet culture. The assumption that Nintendo games are for kids is itself flawed, and I don't think it aligns with what game creators and consumers say they value. Besides, why wouldn't we worry about the smallest details of a game our children will play? (It's also a straw man argument, and maybe also a bit of a hasty generalization, if logical fallacies are your thing.)
This common generalization about Nintendo games goes back to the vague and false perception held by many American audiences: anything animated is designed exclusively for children. But at least that view has fallen out of favor in American discourse along with the rise in popularity of anime in the US and expressly adult animated shows such as bojack rider and Goalkeeper.
71% of Americans play video games and the majority are 45 years old or older.
But that fix has not yet reached video games. To this day, most gaming-related headlines in major publications focus on the threats and/or benefits of gaming to developing minds. Only in the last decade have legacy media companies whose readers are decidedly adult, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, launched entire gaming sections (although these sections have not always been maintained). More than a handful of times, when I told a stranger about my work as a games journalist, they responded by telling me whether or not they let their kids play video games. It's important to note that none of this reflects reality: Circana reported Tuesday that 71% of Americans play video games and most of them are 45 years old or older.
When it comes to Nintendo, some of this perception is valid. Compared to the average game published by Sony or Microsoft, any game published by Nintendo is more likely to also be appropriate for children, and Nintendo's marketing is full of bright colors, chibi characters, and simple writing. Most of Nintendo's first-party or exclusive games are rated E for all (Mario vs Donkey Kong), E10+ for everyone over 10 years old (Echoes of wisdom), or T for teenager (Xenoblade 3 Chronicles). M-rated titles, such as Emio – The smiling man and the Bayonetta franchise, are weird.
But the fact is that nothing in Nintendo's marketing indicates that its games are specifically aimed at children or even young adults. When I asked Nintendo who their games are really intended for, this was the company's response: “Our hope is that our games bring joy to as many people as possible, regardless of age, culture, or gaming experience.”
Additionally, just because Nintendo games are appropriate for children doesn't mean they are inappropriate for adults, nor does it mean they are easy. The “this game is for kids” argument has also been used (by myself and others) to detract from a player's experience. I have certainly promoted my own successes in mario kart 8 either Tears of the Kingdomonly to continue my gloating with something like: “Congratulations; “I can beat a game made for kids.” My apologies to my past self. It's not that I think any of those games are necessarily difficult. The thing is that a game that is perceived as easy does not mean that it is for children, and that difficulty is a completely subjective concept that occasionally turns into ableism. (We see this in other parts of life, too: the so-called “easy” walking trail in a park is often the only one accessible to wheelchairs. Why not just call it “accessible” and let hikers determine if it is easy for them or not?)
Regardless of how it is used, this argument is a great way to delegitimize a certain sector of gaming, an sector that is often dominated by gamers who are not adult men. Perhaps that's partly because the Nintendo Switch has been so successful that it has become popular; for example, it is referenced in the chorus of Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso.” Its portable nature also makes it accessible to a wider audience and is affordable compared to a gaming PC.
Whether it's Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomeither Mario and Luigi: brotherhoodNintendo has finally confirmed that its games are indeed intended for everyone, but perhaps most importantly, they are for someone. Plus, if Nintendo was just for kids, wouldn't all of us who grew up with it have moved on?