If there's one company that can accurately call itself the Disney of video games, it's Nintendo. Nintendo's classic characters are some of the most recognizable in the industry, and at one time the company's name was synonymous with gaming as a whole. However, Nintendo isn't as big as the goliath that is Disney, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the long-time Nintendo employee and iconic video game developer, thinks he knows why.
Speaking in an interview, Miyamoto claimed that Nintendo isn't as big as Disney due to concerned parents wanting to keep their children away from video games, despite them having no issue with their children watching Disney movies. Miyamoto maintained that Nintendo couldn't get as large as Disney unless "parents start feeling comfortable about their children playing Nintendo." It's an idea that some may have overlooked, but actually makes a fair bit of sense.
Even though Nintendo's first-party games are almost exclusively family-friendly, there are still parents out there that believe video games cause violence. While there are many studies that disprove that theory, and some studies even link video games to aiding cognitive skills, many parents still believe that there is a link between games and violence, which would, in turn, make them apprehensive to let their children play.
Miyamoto was recently declared a person of cultural merit in Japan, and it's odd that parents would potentially consider his work bad for their children. However, Miyamoto plans on "creating greater opportunities for a large audience to enjoy", which may help show parents that Nintendo is fine for not just their children, but for them as well.
Disney doesn't have the largest presence in video games, but with properties like Star Wars doing well in the medium, despite some controversy with EA, it's hard to imagine the company not investing in gaming further. If that is the case, Disney could pose a legitimate threat not just to Nintendo, but to Xbox and PlayStation as well. At this point, the company owns a healthy chunk of the most popular entertainment franchises on the market, and it's not inconceivable that Disney could produce its own platform complete with major exclusive titles to dominate the market.
Source: Nintendo Life
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