If you had asked me two months ago if I would ever have an iPad, I would have laughed.  I already had an iPod Touch for two years and could not understand why anyone would want an oversized iPod.  Well, my wife ended up getting a fantastic price on one from someone at my office.  I was so blown away by all it was capable of, I ended up getting one for myself two weeks later.

Now, two months later, I am hooked.  I absolutely love the iPad. It is not just a large iPod, as I had thought.  The apps look gorgeous on the screen and are developed to take into account the screen size.  I am able to do so much more than I was with the iPod.  Other than for work, I am rarely on my computer anymore.  Does it replace my computer?  No.  But it certainly covers a lot of the same areas and can even go beyond what I do with my personal laptop.

Spiritually - It has allowed me to go deeper in my Bible studies with a split screen for a commentary.  Clicking on words, I can perform a lookup in a Bible dictionary.

Photography - I am able to download photos from my camera.  No more need to take my laptop on trips to handle downloading my day's worth of photos.

Music - I can keep all of my sheets of music stored on the iPad.  I can create worship sets for the week and can even annotate my music with markups.  There is almost no need for printed sheets.  There are some really great apps to write music as well.  I can now grab the iPad and get a musical phrase recorded or come up with an electronic jam sequence.

Games - There are so many great games and they look beautiful on the iPad.  It has been a wonderful gaming device.  I have some fun in-depth strategy games, a few 3D RPGs, sudoku, time management, space sims, and more.  They cover everything from the casual to the harder core gamer.

This just covers a few of the reasons I so enjoy the iPad.  It has made me more productive.  I don't look at it as just a device.  It has absolutely transformed the way I do things.  From drawing diagrams for work, reading a technical book, and even listening to the songs for this week's worship set while I'm in bed, I continue to find useful apps to fill a need.

You can expect more blogging on the iPad over the months.

And, yes, I wrote this entire post on the iPad.

Over the weekend I finally saw the new "Tron: Legacy"...twice.  I enjoyed it so much, I took my younger daughter with me the 2nd time.  One night later, she went again.  This time with my wife.  I'm hoping to see it one more time before it leaves our theater.  The music, the visuals, the sound.  I absolutely loved the movie and came back with my first real 'movie experience' in years.  It's one of those movies I'll remember when I saw it in the theater.

I've been a fan of Tron ever since the original was released.  It really made an impact on me at the time.  It was such a great idea and concept.  A world inside a computer or video game.  I also pumped many quarters into the arcade game.  Over the years, it had become a fading memory.  Though a memory I would reference every so often.

In 2002, I bought my first DVD.  It was the 20th Anniversary of Tron.  My wife was like, "I"ve never even heard you mention this movie before.  That's what you want to buy?"

In 2003, my hopes were raised as the PC game "Tron 2.0" was released.  I swooped it up and really enjoyed it.  The beginning of the game was frustrating and hard, but once I worked through that, the game ended up being a really exciting time.  I still have fond memories of many of the levels and puzzles.

The following year (2004) I bought "TRON 2.0: Killer App" for the Gameboy Advance.  I enjoyed it, but the shining part were the minigames and port of the Tron arcade game.

There were rumors of a new Tron movie in the works, but nothing ever came through.  But ever since then, I've been waiting patiently for the Tron sequel.  Well, "Tron: Legacy" met my desires for a sequel.  I love the many references to the first movie and the updated Tron world looks SO good.  Different enough you know it's an update, but similar enough you know you are in the world of Tron.

This last weekend saw a Tron revival inside of me.

With the end of year sales and Christmas, I don't know about you, but we ended up with a few new games.  Rather than going through each game and trying to play all of them at once, I took a different approach.  I decided to take it easy and get to know one or two games at a time.  It's helped me to really enjoy and savor each game, rather than moving quickly on to the next one.

Between Black Friday and Christmas, we got five games.  We did not start playing anything until Christmas, though.  I've been concentrating on "Mario Kart Wii" and "Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip (Wii)" and having a great time.  Both of these games have been superb and very enjoyable.  Mario Kart has been fun for our whole family and we often play it together.  "Shaun White" has mainly been single player gaming, but my daughter and I just started playing the multiplayer part of the game.  Both of us have been having lots of fun with it.  The controls are really well done and the game itself is quite enjoyable.

I recently popped in "Toy Story Mania (Wii)".  Reviews have been mixed, and rightly so.  The interface is rather confusing and what they call 'Story Mode' is not a story and also contains a few rather weak mini-games.  Initial impressions were...confused.  But after further play, and moving into the more open parts of the game, you realize those weak mini-games are rare and most of the mini-games are full of fun and charm.  It's a great family game as you play against each other and compete for high scores.

Still left to play is "NBA Jam (Wii)" and "Kid Adventures: Sky Captain (Wii)".  Not sure when I'll get to those, but in the meantime, I am very happy with the first three purchases.

I recently got a new T-Mobile G2.  Any time I get a new gadget, I always investigate its gaming potential, whether it's intended by the device creators or otherwise.  I still remember writing a simple Final Fantasy-like game for my old calculator in High School.  I've also always installed solitaire on even the most basic cellphones when possible, because, well, you never know when you'll need it.

Fortunately, this device doesn't make gaming so hard.  In fact, with the fast CPU, capacitive touch screen, and physical keyboard and trackpad, it doesn't get too much better for a cellphone.  And the Android Market doesn't disappoint when it comes to variety.  And last but most certainly not least, it's not a closed system like an iPhone.  Closed off systems drive me nuts - I will only accept openness, and Android provides that in spades.  But that's perhaps for another blog post.

As for games themselves, I have downloaded around 30 so far, but I have mostly played just a few of them so far.  I have played Angry Birds the most by far.  I highly recommend it.  And since the Android version is ad supported freeware, there is no excuse - grab it now.

Other good ones include Frozen Bubble - which is a classic ported from desktop Linux.  Bonzai Blast is also high quality, as is PewPew.  My wife likes Glow Hockey, and of course I had to load the requisite Solitaire Free Pack.  OpenSudoku is also nice.  Please beware of violence and scantily clad ladies (only in the menus), but Gun Bros. is a very high quality game, which reminds me of Ikari Warriors somewhat.  But I'm not too thrilled with the menu 'decoration', so we'll see how long I keep it on my phone.

I could talk about others also, but suffice it to say that I don't need much more convincing on one point - Nintendo and Sony should definitely continue to make sure that they offer compelling portable gaming experiences that are worth bringing along another device for, because since getting this phone I've been trying game after game, and playing little else.

So a few days ago, I was able to download and play the demo for Dragon Age II. My first impression was "This is really stripped down." I wasn't surprised, as this is a demo. So I watched the opening cutscene, and thought that was decent enough. Then the game started. When I first started controlling, I noticed a serious flaw: The mouse does not rotate the camera unless the left mouse button is held. The problem with this is that the left mouse button is also your action button. You attack, move, select and do more with it. This may not seem like a huge issue, but when the enemies are constantly moving away from the screen, the only way to reliably adjust the camera for attacking is to pause the game. While this is a fairly common feature in Bioware games, this scheme was incredibly awkward. If I so chose, I should be able to actively control and fight without having to pause the game to readjust my viewing frustum. There was no such option that I could find. I can excuse the lack of customization since it is a demo, but the control scheme is a battle to use effectively.

In the presence of arms, the law grows silent.

Since I haven't posted yet, I'm going to inaugurate this with a bit of Science Fiction fanaticism. Namely, I'm going to take you through my favorite franchises and such. At the end, I'll include a top 5 list with my favorite Science Fiction shows is order.

The title of this blog, the translation for which is in italics, is the title of an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, my favorite Star Trek show. Why is it my favorite? For starters, it has deep, convincing characters and incredible plot arcs. It dives into Trek mythology deeper than any other show has, especially with the Cardassians and the Bajorans. It is also one of the few shows where the status quo changes after every episode. If there was significant damage to a runabout in the previous episode, odds are you won't see it, and will likely hear Chief O'Brien complaining about it.

Next up, we have the Stargate franchise. Their have been 3 shows in the franchise, Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate: Universe. SG-1 revolves around the adventures of the titular team, SG-1. SG-1 has various lineup changes along the way, but the mainstays are Teal'c, Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. Other noteworthy members include Jonas Quinn, who took the place of Dr. Jackson during season 6, And Cameron Mitchell, who commanded SG-1 during seasons 9 and 10. Sadly, Richard Dean Anderson, who played O'Neill left show show after season 8. SG-1 starts off as a fairly episodic show, mainly getting the audience used to the idea of the Stargate. Then it starts dragging plot elements in: The Ancients (The Race who built the Stargate) the evil Goa'uld, and the friendly, if reserved Asgard. The show becomes more arc-based as the show progresses, with seasons 9 and 10 involving a series of arcs involving a malevolent race known as the Ori.

Atlantis is a different deal altogether. It deals with the Atlantis Expedition, who journeyed to the distant Pegasus galaxy to explore the lost city of the Ancients, Atlantis. Right off the bat this show is different. A different gate, an almost-new set of characters, different wormholes, different everything. The Atlantis Expedition finds the Pegasus galaxy to be victim to a race of aliens called the Wraith. Starting with the first episode, the show takes a very serialized turn.

Then we have Doctor Who. The good Doctor has been saving time and space since the 60's, but the show went off the air in the early 90's. It was rebooted in 2005, with the ninth incarnation of the Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston. After one season, the Doctor regenerated into his tenth incarnation, portrayed by David Tennant. This incarnation was the best-received incarnation to date, and my personal favorite. After 3 seasons of saving the universe, the Doctor regenerated once more into his eleventh version, played by Matt Smith. Doctor Who is known for being a quirky show, and the new series is no exception.

Then we have a show that defies cliche. This show has the best acting of any Science Fiction show, some of the best effects of any science fiction show, the best characters, some of the best plots, and above all, highly serialized. Ladies and Gentlemen, this show is Battlestar Galactica. BSG ran for 4 seasons, has 2 movies and a miniseries pilot. The miniseries sets the stage, the show enacts the greatest television drama in Science Fiction history. The movies, while secondary to the plot, add more depth to the already-grand universe. The narrative can drag at times, and some episodes aren't near as fulfilling as others, but some flukes cannot drag down such a show.

The top five:

5. Doctor Who

4. Stargate: SG1

3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

2. Stargate: Atlantis

1. Battlestar Galactica

Honorable mentions include Babylon 5, which I have sadly not seen enough of to judge properly, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

There have been a lot of Kickstarter funded games getting heaps of publicity lately.  Have you backed any of them?  I like the concept provided that the good are delivered.  My husband and I backed the Shadow Run and Double Fine adventure games.  We passed on the Leisure Suit Larry and Ron Paul projects.  Have you backed a project?  If so, which ones?

Having beaten Skyrim and not thinking too highly of Benny Hin, I found this youtube video absolutely hilarious.  

I thought to myself, that would be an awesome avatar.  So I downloaded the movie using http://keepvid.com/

I then added text to the movie using Windows Movie Maker.  

After the text was in place, I converted it to a gif using this free program: http://evanolds.com/movtogif.html

And now I have this:

Those still on dialup will hate me.

Lately I've been playing with SwapNote and it's been fun sending notes back and forth between my husband and members of this site.  As fun as this system is, it can be abused by sending crude drawings or recordings containing profanity.  On the flip side, this can be a great way to share the gospel and uplift believers as well as sharing a verse or two with complete strangers.  I struggle with memorizing scripture but actually taking the time to jot it down helps rather than just reading it alone.   If you'd like to be a member of our 3DS Bible study post your friend code and let us know! 

I recently beat a game that had a questionable but unique love story.  I'm going to try and be vague so I don't give away spoilers in the game I'm talking about here.  The main characters in this title are two teenagers that are adopted siblings.  As the story progresses, they grow closer and are comfortable in each other's presence even in mixed gender bath houses. While they never begin a romantic relationship, they are encouraged to do so by many other characters in the game.  I'm all for a good love story but I found this one a bit awkward.  Perhaps my convictions stem from this verse in the Bible:

Leviticus 18:9 says Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

What do you think?  Do you find this relationship natural or awkward?  Granted genetically there no foreseeable issues here but I still find it going against God's law.  

I have been running ChristCenteredGamer.com/CCGR.org for over ten years.  In that time we have had our fair share of scoffers and trolls who don’t understand the purpose of this site.  It is not our place to tell people what to play or not to play, but rather to inform them of what is in a game so they can make an educated purchasing decision.  Last night I was having a blast playing the casual RTS game Fate of the Pharaoh.  Given the title I was expecting references to the Egyptian culture and gods.  Not surprisingly, I did discover references to Ra the sun god and was able to earn achievements for beating his times in each level.   No big deal, I don’t mind a bit of a challenge.  While I was playing through the levels, I saw some of my villagers worshiping their idols.  I had no control over it and wasn’t asked to participate, so I continued to play on.    When I reached level fourteen, the tables turned.  Instead of gathering materials and gold for my villagers, I had to gather these resources and give them as an offering to the goddess Maat to progress to the next level.  This is where I have stopped playing the game.  Why?  Because I feel it breaks the first and second commandments.

Exd 20:2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.   4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:  5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God…

 Will every Christian feel the same way?  Probably not.  However, those that will agree with me will be thankful for saving themselves $7 for this game.  For all of the non-Christians that visit this site, here’s a question for you:  Would you be equally upset playing a game not labeled as a Christian game but require you to acknowledge and worship Jesus to continue?  I bet the developers of that game would get a few complaints.  I understand that it’s not real and it’s just pixels and 1’s and 0’s etc, but so is pornography if you want to use that excuse.  If you get busted by your spouse for looking at indecent pictures I bet the 1’s and 0’s argument won’t work out too well. 

Digital or real, I don’t feel comfortable breaking the commandments of my Lord.  I refuse to play any game that forces me to pay homage to a god other than my own.  I hope you can better understand what we’re about and where I’m coming from.

In Him,

Cheryl
-ccgr-

Man, this year was a great year for video games. There were lots of comeback games such as Sonic Generations and Rayman Origins. This year also marked the releases of LittleBigPlanet 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

This year also had a lot of great movies such as Captain America, The Muppets, and Courageous (can I get an amen?).

And to think, 2012 is going to have The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Kid Icarus: Uprising, the Wii U and other great movies and games.

What do you think? Was 2011 one of the best years of gaming and/or movies?

Saw Courageous with my Youth Group Saturday. Great movie! Great message! More people need to see it. When we went, it was my Youth Group, and about 10 other people.

I was very surprised at this years E3. I wasn't too crazy about Sony and Microsoft's conferences, and I didn't think the Nintendo one would be any better. I was shocked at the new console, Wii U.

 Like many Christians gamers, I feel a twinge of guilty when severing heads in Skyrim, or unleashing destructive magic from my palms.  It's easy to think we're just having meaningless fun, but this anxiety is proof enough for me that we should start to take games more seriously. 

However, I don't feel called to quit gaming, so how does a Christian proceed? We all believe games have such potential in telling stories yet we're left to live with tug-of-war raging inside us: one between questionable morality and edifying messages.

By morality I of course mean the stuff you don't want your grandmother to see: violence, sex, swearing etc.

And by quality I mean excellent production values and thoughtfully crafted messages that ask big questions of the world.

So the question becomes, can graphic violence and questionable morality still be waded through for quality story telling and thought-provoking themes?

I like to use the Bible as a guide when navigating entertainment because it is full of graphic violence, sex, cursing and spiritual forces, both good and evil. But in everything is a good and trustworthy message: Sin will bring destruction while God offers redemption.

Some might argue it might even border on hypocrisy when Christians condemn a potentially thought-provoking entertainment based on violence or sex, and there are strong redemptive themes throughout.

So, here are four questions I found helpful to start thinking more critically about games: 

1. What are video games to you? 

Are they mere entertainment? Escapism? Or do you find a deeper meaning or connection? Do you find yourself admiring the heroism of Link, descending the depths of darkness to purify and bring light? Do you suddenly feel like championing the cause of the down-trodden, just as your character goes out of their way to help the innocent?

2. What affect do videogames have on your soul? 

Do you feel spiritually uplifted after the credits roll, or do you feel sick to your stomach? What did the game teach you? That living by your own rules makes life easier? Killing and stealing is the quickest way to victory? Or that the most meaningful side quests were done to help out a stranger?

3. Does God care what we play? 

 Have you every prayed and asked God to show you something through a videogame? Do you think God can use games to reach others? If so, have you ever considered that God may have a heart for gamers?

4. Where should we draw the line? 

Is there a danger in pushing through too much garbage to get a small nugget of goodness?A guiding verse might be Philippians 4:8 Whatever is true, noble, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy... think about these things.

I believe we have been called to love videogames because it uniquely qualifies us to speak the language of a growing digital generation.

 And there are millions of gamers out there who will never seek Jesus out in a Church. But they are captives in darkness, without hope. And every night they bring their tired souls to the computer screen or Xbox and find some solace there. We are the soldiers tasked with the rescue of this digital generation. God has put the passion of gaming in our hearts to reach these people, and it is a high calling.

Our battlefield is here on the internet, using our love of games to connect with this lost generation. Let's point them to Christ with thought-provoking discussions on sites like Christ and Pop Culture and CCGR. Let's train other Christian gamers to discern the truth in the games we play, and reveal how Christ is at work in all our Red Dead Redemptions.

 The snow is white like my blind eye peering through a horned helmet. The distant howl of a wolf startles me, prompting a knee-jerk response to unsheathe my two-handed battle-axe. I stand motionless on the mountain path.

 Waiting.

 I hear his ragged breath through the trees before I spot him, a flash of teeth seeking flesh. I bludgeon the beast's skull with a grunt and chase his hide before it slides down the mountainside.

This is Skyrim. And my mountain path is a sacred meditation marked by stone tablets, laying out the history of the land, the people and our religion.

This is a spiritual moment. Not in the game, but here on the couch I've been sitting on for the last four hours, sipping noodle soup and green tea, (I have a cold ok?). I had a spiritual encounter sometime between clothing this 300-pound Viking in leather and magic rings and climbing this ancient rocky path.

The Voice. Greybeards. Gods. Demons. Yes, they are overtly spiritual, and I'll admit, the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of High Hrothgar all smacks of borrowed mysticism.

But that wasn't my spiritual experience. No, it was here on a mountain clearing overlooking the village I left a few minutes ago, that I met God. It started with an urge to leave my comfy couch, my soup and even my green tea. It was an urge to go outside, to explore.

It was like my slumbering soul suddenly jerked awake, like my wife after sticking my ice cold feet between her warm calves. I wanted to be in nature. I wanted to feel the sharp, cold wind on my face, freezing the juice around my eyeballs. I wanted to be on that peak of Skyrim. And that desire also conjured up sadness. Not because I couldn't afford the ticket to the Rockies, but because somehow I knew even if Skyrim was a place I could visit with my own fleshy body, it wouldn't be enough. I was longing to be in the place that Skyrim reminded me of; the jagged peaks of the Throat of the World are only a postcard from somewhere I can’t go.

Skyrim reminds me of heaven.

Sermons and hymns (unless sung by a choir of Nords) just don't convey the wildness, wonder and the sense of purpose I imagine heaven offers. There are no golden, fleecy clouds and harps to... uhh harp on. There are no white bathrobes and soft-spoken angels with nothing better to do than star in cream cheese commercials. No, this is the heaven I want to spend the rest of eternity in; an untamed world of unexplored mountain caves, warm cottages, cold mead and big beards.

Unlikely afterlife? Maybe. But my soul just tried jumping out of my shirt, so I think there's something to this place.

Besides, the characters we're creating to conquer this northern province of Tamriel sound a lot like the description of Jesus,

...and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[d] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelations 1: 13-18 NIV)

A man with golden clothing, white beard, glowing eyes, voice like the sound of rushing waters, (not unlike the dragon shouts?) with seven stars in his hand (dual wielding destruction magic?) and a double-edged sword in his mouth.

Awesome character build, and no, I'm not being facetious here.

This is a truer picture of Jesus than the skinny brown-bearded hippy we immortalize in stain glass. That was the old man, Gandalf the grey, a pilgrim hooded and cloaked. Not the all-powerful being unleashed: Gandalf the white.

This is his true nature. Sword-in-tongue and stars in hand.

Not a churchy image. Yet the image millions of young men are embodying in Skyrim.

Skyrim reviews are beginning to pour onto the internet and it sounds like Bethesda has delivered on all the dragon sized hype.

So the question for me isn't should I play, but how should I play?

While Skyrim looks like there are tons of ways to play via multiple classes and skill trees, the question becomes, will I be able to do everything I want in my first playthrough?

Can I become as proficient as I would like in both the bow, axe and destruction magic? Will I feel cheated trying to be a jack of all trades, l forced into specializing?

If so, I have narrowed my personal play styles down to three: the Imperial race, a paladin tank in heavy armor, complete with sword and shield with restoration and destruction magic thrown into the mix.

I imagine travelling the lands as a righteous crusader, taking from the rich and giving to the... me. Gold and weapons go to me. My valuable time spent doing the poor's quests is my gift. Also the appeal of giant coat of burnished steel glinting in the torch light is hard to deny.

A second choice is the Bosmer Wood Elf character, a sneaky rogue specializing in archery, breaking into locked chests and with a knack for alchemy.

I can't believe it took until my third outing in Oblivion to fully explore the bow. While it borders on nonsense, zooming in with the bow is better than chocolate. Add in the sneak damage? Chocolate wrapped in that gooey marshmallow spread.

My final choice is the hardy Nord, a viking-esque warrior carrying the biggest two-handed axe or greatsword I can find. I am curious to try out the Smithing skill and see what kind of weapons can be concocted from the ingredients I find along my path through Skyrim.

Basically, I'm modelling the Nord after Chris Hemsworth's depiction of a dethroned Thor. But instead of falling in love with Natalie Portman on modern day earth, he kills dragons and forges Mjolnir. By himself.

How about you guys, what kind of style are you looking forward to on your first playthrough November 11?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a satisfying game. It scratches my sneaky Metal Gear itch, a frothy mug of root-beer to quench my thirst for Mass Effect's interactive conversation, and eases the ache for Elder Scroll's open world exploration, though on a small scale.

Deus Ex even weaves an intricate and poignant narrative, exploring questions like,  "What is it to be human?" and "Should arms be replaced by gatling guns?"

But 10 hours in and I am bored. Well, not bored, but restless. I am tired of sneaking around in the shadows, tranquillizing mercs and dragging their unconscious bodies into the shadows. 

I want to shoot folk in earnest, but it seems Deus Ex was designed with sneaking in mind because a fragile health meter makes firefights extremely dangerous, with the option to "go loud" only viable when things really fall apart. Normally I would just change my play-style and relish the  challenge but the game does such a good job of making your actions feel weighty. When you use the stun gun, an icon indicates the enemy is sleeping and awards you the "merciful soul" experience bonus. This feels the Christian way to play video games. And yet, I am restless. Is this an urge to fight against, a battle for morality, or do I just need a different game to scratch this guns-blazing itch?

I don't take criticism easily. Especially when it comes to my personal beliefs or the things I'm passionate about. So when a secular game site takes aim at both video games and my faith, I am quick to reach for my righteous rage.

April 27, 2006: Nintendo has just released the name of their newest console, codenamed Revolution. April 28, 2006: The entire internet bursts out laughing, jokes about the “Wii” (pronounced “wee”) abound and fans of the big N let out a collective groan. Why, of all the possible names, would Nintendo choose a name that’s a joke? And it only went downhill from there. Once the Wii was released, there were endless “do you wanna play with my Wii (wee)?” jokes. Nintendo fanboys everywhere were giving the big N dirty looks while trying to convince people that it was cool name. But everyone was still wondering, why did Nintendo name it that?

            Fans were excited about the “Revolution”, the first pictures showed a sleek, black tower of awesomeness with blue light from heaven emitting from the disc drive. And why else would Nintendo codename something the “Revolution” unless it was something huge?  Sure, Revolution wasn’t the best name either; it’s a bit too long and hard to translate, not to mention presumptuous, but it was cool. But for the love of Mario, why the Wii? Why use a name that they knew people would make fun of?

            Well, let’s get one thing straight; they knew what they were doing. For years, Nintendo has beaten the competition, despite first appearances, because they know their audience. In fact, they probably know us better than we know ourselves. Despite some missteps (I’m looking at you Virtual Boy), Nintendo has always come out on top, despite the odds. Think about it for a second, the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) reignited the games industry, the Game Boy made it easy to own a handheld console, and the DS helped popularize touch controls. Each of these systems had stiff competition from consoles that were technically superior, but each one prevailed with sales that rocketed past the competition. And as we know, history repeats. At the time of writing, the Wii has sold about 95 million units, compared to the Xbox 360’s 66 million units and PS3’s 62 units. So the question remains, why did they name it the Wii?

            No, it wasn’t because they thought it was funny (at least I hope it wasn’t that). They wanted something short, universal and meaningful. If they kept the name Revolution, people would most likely abbreviate it anyway, and translating it to other languages would be problematic to say the least. Wii never needs to be abbreviated, can easily be translated to other languages, and is meant to sound like the English word “we”.

            Let’s focus on that last point. Nintendo wanted this new console to be a family thing. By removing the traditional controller, something confusing to newcomers, and replacing it with a familiar object, the remote, they were hoping to involve people who wouldn’t normally even consider playing games. Now Mom, Grandpa, and even your crazy aunt wanted to play bowling.  People everywhere enjoyed the simple gameplay of golf, bowling, tennis, baseball and boxing. Even without ever having picked up a controller, anyone could play the simple games the Wii offered. Then factor in online play and classic games available through the Wii shop, and Nintendo had one of the most social consoles ever.

            Despite the numerous jokes, Wii describes the console well. Not only does it emphasize playing together, the unique spelling is meant to appear as if two people are standing next to each other, or the Wii’s unique controller. Sure, it’s not the best name, and it’s likely going to be the butt of jokes for some time to come, but it’s different and memorable. Nintendo’s never been known to go with the grain, and neither do their products. They’re different, and what some would call inferior, but that’s why Nintendo has succeeded. By consistently providing experiences different from all the others out there, they’ve amassed a rabid following of both hardcore and casual gamers. Once again, time has proven that Nintendo knows what they’re doing, even if we don’t.

I'm fine with people having their own opinion, but this one borders on outright trolling: http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/122/1220061p1.html. This is the reason people think you're biased IGN. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/i-am-alive

I love IGN, they're my main news source, but I plan on taking their opinion with a grain of salt from now on.