What the Wii got right
When I was seven years old I spent many of my days playing Wii Sports Resort with my older brothers. My favorite was Table Tennis. Because I was so young, my brothers dominated the game, but now looking back I realize it’s a rite of passage to lose games as the youngest child.
Despite my losses, I found Wii Sports Resort thrilling. My brothers and I challenged each other to countless matches, feeling the intensity of the game so much that we would jump onto our feet, flinging our remotes and giggling at how ridiculously excited we were.
Last week, my brother purchased the new Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, a modern successor to the 2009 classic Wii Sports Resort. My family still owns and plays the original, so seeing a revamped edition got me thinking about why a game from 2009 still holds up.
Since its release, Wii Sports Resort has sold more than 32 million copies according to Nintendo’s official sales data and is the third bestselling Wii game of all time. Many millennials and Gen Z players suggest nostalgia is still the main reason they love the game. If you look up “Wii Sports Resort” on TikTok, the videos are primarily centered on what it was like experiencing the Wii as a child.
Everyone loves a good nostalgia trip, but I don’t think that’s the only reason the Wii is so beloved. It succeeded because of its communal aspect.
As corny as it sounds, it was never about the game. It was about who you were playing with.
This is also why Just Dance was so fun. The games would get so exciting that they needed to make wrist straps so that the remote wouldn’t launch across the room while you and your friends immersed yourselves in Wii Sports’ Swordplay.
Today, some online interactive party games have taken Gen Z and millennial friend groups by storm. Quiplash, for example, created by Jackbox Games, has gained popularity because of its simplicity and comedy. It also does something that not many interactive online party games easily accomplish: It is a game that reaches across audiences.
But it is one of few online interactive party games.
Video games have progressed more and more over the years, and I believe that a big part of this transition has been the loss of in-person multiplayer experiences. There has been a growing emphasis on online multiplayer games, some of which have been recently coined “friendslop.” The term came from the large increase of low-budget, cooperative indie games often played by friend groups online. An example of this would be “PEAK,” a cooperative survival game where you and your friends must climb to the top of the mountain peak. The game gained massive popularity, and more “friendslop” games were created en-masse.
While there is nothing wrong with online multiplayer, we shouldn’t let go of in-person multiplayer.
When you play games in person together, you are engaging in a different kind of connection with the other person. You’re watching them leap from their chair in excitement, you’re reading their expressions and, most importantly, you’re spending time together.
I’m not saying we need to get rid of online multiplayer games. But we do need more in-person experiences. In a world that is increasingly technological and increasingly isolating, we should utilize technology in a way that brings us closer together, not farther apart. That’s why I am advocating for more games like Wii Sports Resort or Just Dance. If more people embrace them, companies will produce more of them.
Next time you and your friends or family want to play a game, pick an in-person experience. Embrace the competition or the teamwork. Most importantly, have fun and play with each other. After all, that is the whole point of these video games.
