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A Revolution Indeed


While I am probably the last video game blog on the planet to comment on the subject of the Nintendo Revolution's name change, my waiting is not without reason. I write this on the eve of E3's beginning, and the controversy about Nintendo's new system is at a full on roar. For those not regulars to the world of video games, E3 is like the ultimate once a year Roman Orgy of video game trade shows. It's held usually in LA or Vegas, and is only open to people in the industry. More so than even the Tokyo Game Show, this is where us nerds find out what they're going to be playing for the next year or so. This year it is where we will finally(if the gods don't hate us), see a great many things including Halo 3, the new Nintendo system actually running, same for the Playstation 3, and a whole lot more.

This particular entry though is about Nintendo's latest entry into the home console market. Up until a week ago, the system was named the Nintendo Revolution. While this name might have come off as a little presumptuous to some non-gamers, the whole of the gaming community seemed to really embrace this name. It implied change in a company very used to sticking to its tried and true status. It implied that the new controller (seen above) would truly break away from what up until now had been a very evolutionary set of game controllers. However this name was not meant to last apparently. Last week Nintendo announced that the new system being released around Thanksgiving formerly known as the Revolution, would from now on be known as the Nintendo Wii(as in Whee or Oui). The thud heard following this announcement could likely be heard around the world.

Some gamers have had violent outbursts in response to this news, going so far as to say they wouldn't play a system named Wii. Others have reacted as I have, that while it's a dumb name, it's the games that matter. Some even think that this hoopla has all been an elaborate marketing scheme designed to draw attention to Nintendo at E3 so they can announce the systems REAL name. This conspiracy theory was somewhat shot down however when a copyright for the name Wii finally surfaced.

I think this whole story though brings together a much larger set of questions though, mostly revolving around the importance of naming in today's market. For example; would some of today's most recognizable products, such as the iPod, be where they are if they weren't named what they are? I would like to assume it's true quality that sells, but others would try and tell you that without a good name, even the most revolutionary product is doomed to fail. I imagine it's very hard to tell most of the time. In the case of Nintendo, it will certainly go down as one of the most scrutinized product names of all time.

So with that I ask you to throw your opinion into the mix. Tell me what you think of the new name. Also let me know some of you favorite(and least favorite) product names of all time.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I like the new name!
it's so kawaii ^_^
Anonymous said…
The name definitely sucks. It reminds me of going wee-wee. I don't want a system that reminds me of pissing.

I agree about the importance of naming. My undergrad thesis found that changing the names of our nuclear weapons and Russia's weapons can drastically change how we feel about them.

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