Rob Fahey, GamesIndustry.biz:

At the same time, though, Nintendo itself has a conception of “casual” and “core” that probably isn’t shared by the majority of sites reporting Miyamoto’s comments. Miyamoto talks not about themes but about enjoyment of challenge as the distinction between the two groups. To him, a supposedly “adult” game full of blood and ripe language could be utterly casual if it spoon-feeds players with dull, linear gameplay. Meanwhile, a brightly coloured Mushroom Kingdom epic could qualify as “core” if it challenges players in the right way. Consequently, Nintendo’s family-friendly IP and the broad appeal of its themes is entirely compatible with a focus on “core games”, to Miyamoto’s mind. What he’s talking about changing is something at the root of design, not the thematic wallpaper of the company’s games; he wants to challenge people, not to force Nintendo’s artists to remove all the primary colours from their Photoshop palettes.

Later:

Under Miyamoto’s watchful eye, they’ll also be challenging and engaging; but anyone taking his comments on “passivity” as near-confirmation that we’ll see Grand Theft Mario down the line is utterly misreading the situation.

Fahey hits the nail on the head. One of the reasons I am rarely drawn to the FPS genre and “core” titles is the sense that I’m simply playing the same game with a new skin. The last one to do so was the BioShock franchise and that hooked me with story and slightly better “wallpaper,” not challenge.

I enjoy Nintendo titles not only because challenge ever-present; their palettes, characters, and universes are full of life. I am certainly not the first to say that Nintendo titles are as much children’s games as Disney/Pixar titles are children’s films. Up didn’t leave a dry eye in the house, Wall-E toyed with nostalgia and love only adults could understand, and Wreck-It Ralph was full of lessons of sacrifice only relatable to an 18 and older crowd.

Nintendo is not hitting reset; they are expecting us to.

Earlier today, Nintendo announced refreshed 3DS and 3DS XL units, simply called the New Nintendo 3DS. Kotaku has a great breakdown of the Nintendo Direct event including screens of important slides highlighting auto-brightness, the external build, viewing angles, swappable battery, retro button comparison, and more.

I have been eagerly awaiting (and anticipating) a standard 3DS refresh. While it doesn’t look to be trimmed down in size (these things look like Fisher-Price toys), I’ll take the new internal enhancements to the 3 1/2 year-old 3DS, gargantuan 3DS XL, or striped down 2DS.

In the days of the original DS, there were tons of games I felt I was missing out on but was not satisfied with the hardware. I was pleasantly surprised when the DS Lite was announced. I vividly remember racing out to pick up one up on launch day. This device rekindled my love for Nintendo and video games as a whole. I can’t say that it will offer the same life changing experience, but I will likely be racing out for the New Nintendo 3DS. Interesting name.

Chris Plante, Polygon:

Two groups are at opposite ends of this moment:

One side has folded its arms, slumped its shoulders while pouting like an obstinate child that has learned they are getting a little brother or sister but wants to remain the singular focus of his parents’ affection.

The other side has opened its arms, unable to contain its love and compassion, because they understand they are no longer alone.

This week, the obstinate child threw a temper tantrum, and the industry was stuck in the metaphorical grocery store as everyone was forced to suffer through it together. But unlike a child, the people behind these temper tantrums are hurting others. It’s time to grow up. Let’s not wait until next week to start.

I am very happy to see writers Auerbach and Plante echo each other’s sentiment of “childish rhetoric.” I’m even happier that Plante is escalating this conversation to include the reality of the situation.

David Auerbach, Slate:

Now a harder suggestion: Police yourselves. When an impetuous member of Anonymous “revealed” the wrong person as Michael Brown’s shooter, many other members aggressively and publicly condemned the member. You’ve got to do that, too. When the more infantile and hateful members of the online gaming contingent harass a woman, you should remind them what the actual goal is, and tell them that they’re tripping themselves up. Remember that you’re talking to a child, in spirit if not in actual fact. If you police yourselves, Reddit and Steam moderators won’t have to. This is not an easy task, but it is possible. Self-organizing communities are one of the miracles of human civilization.

Elizabeth Sampat:

I keep using the word “survive” but I can’t help but wonder: is this surviving? What parts of me are surviving? Can any woman escape this whole?

That’s the thing. The truth is, a lot of the women who are being driven away have never met or interacted with Anita or Zoe. A lot of the women in our industry exist in a constant state of fear. Women who make games and would never dream of connecting their face or real name with a Twitter account, just in case. Women who would never go indie. Women who are terrified of starting a crowdfunding campaign but who can’t get their dreams funded any other way, and so their dreams just die.

Are you okay with this? Is this the industry that you want?

An insightful must read from Sampat.