Kotaku writer talks about his parents wii party

This is Mario at the Party

Last year, I brought my Wii home for Thanksgiving. Not so much to show it off, but more to give me something to do while I was there. besides, I was loathe to leave it behind since I had just purchased it. Once it was up and running I dragged my rather skeptical parents down to check it out. It should be noted that my parents' last run in with video games was when they bought my brother and I an Atari 2600 back in the day. They enjoyed it then, but only just. It should also be noted that my folks are pushing sixty (sorry, mom) and video games are not something they think of doing as entertainment.

Once everyone had gathered downstairs, everyone being my parents and brother, I popped in Wii Sports and let the Wii work it's magic. Within twenty minutes everyone was up, jumping around and playing and cheering. It was a wonderful experience... until it was time for me to leave. Let's just say that I barely made it out alive with my Wii in tact.

Upon arriving home, I got an email from my Mom saying that her and my Dad wanted to get a Wii for my brother for Christmas (yeah...right, for my brother) and could I please look around and see if i could find one. Well, as we all know, none of us would look a brand new Wii in the face for some time after that, so needless to say, my brother didn't get one for Christmas.

Fast forward to two months ago. I was visiting NYC and went to the Nintendo World Store where they happened to have a ton of Wii's just sitting behind the counter. I had a little extra cash so I went ahead and bought one, with an extra nunchuck and a copy of Wii Play which of course comes with an extra controller. So they were all set up with a Wii of their very own which I sent out as a combination Mother's Day/Father's Day gift. Needless to say, it was a big hit and my parents are now wii addicts.

Fast forward again to last night where my parents, now the coolest couple on the block, had a Wii party with two other couples. It was a great success and they were evidently up all night drinking wine and playing Wii until their arms were sore and they had to stop. Both of the other couple in attendance vowed to get Wii's as soon as they could get their hands on them.

Now, regardles of what you may think, I am not a Nintendo fanboy. I love all my consoles equally and I am well aware that each has their own strengths and weaknesses. But, the power Nintendo has harnessed in getting to people beyond the regular gaming set is nothing short of amazing. Maybe by bringing more gaming outsiders into the fold, people will start realizing that games are not something to be feared or looked down upon and that the Jack Thompson's of the world are something to be patted on the head and ignored.