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The Decline of the Video Game Mascot
Ant writes "Ryan Cullen, of Access Gamer, writes: "This is the beginning of a recent fad that I have noticed the past couple years. Lately it seems that the mascot video game character has declined in popularity. Names like Mario and Sonic, characters who were once able to make the video game world suddenly stop and pay attention, are now either shells of their former glory, or they are just not as huge as they once were. Why is this?""
I remember when Mario was a somebody, but now Nintendo is insistent on putting him in every type of game EXCEPT a platformer. Lately they've put out a cart racing game, a golf game, an RPG and a tennis game. Then they announce "here it comes! another Mario game!" and what is it? Baseball!
What happened to "Mario 128"??? Is Mario Sunshine the only thing us Gamecube players are going to get? Say it isn't so!
This is the beginning of a recent fad that I have noticed the past couple years. Lately it seems that the mascot video game character has declined in popularity.
Uh, so isn't this really the end of a fad? Games are being judged on gameplay and word-of-mouth instead of how many photo-ops some guy in a oversized fur suit attends?
GMD
watch this
Since when?
Samus - Metroid
Pikacho - Pokemon
James Bond
Jak+Dexter
Crash Bandicoot
Mario is still going strong
I'd say that mascots are declining because so often you don't see one character anymore. Recently games tend to be FPS, MMO or RTS which don't have the one ubiquitous character.
The mascot's domain lay largely in the side scroller.
I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
My daughter is in love with Mario. When she plays pretend the people at her tea party are Mario, Peach, and Luigi. She's in the age group that browses Nintendo's web pages and plays the little flash games they provide.
Mario isn't any less popular. Polls exist which show that Mario is more recognized among kids than Mickey Mouse. What's changed is that you grew up and are no longer in the Mario demographic.
Personally, I think it is because we have all grown up. The generation that grew to love and admire Mario and Sonic are all in their 20's and 30's now, and the younger generations aren't really into what Mom and Dad played when they were kids, even if they are new versions. This question is kinda like: "How come nobody likes wearing bell-bottoms, peace symbols, and huge 'fros anymore? We just grew out of them, and our kids don't have any reason to grow into them.
"No one is more miserable than the person who wills everything and can do nothing." -Emperor Claudius 10 BC - AD 54
"the faceless dude in a space suit wouldn't be recognised by many people outside of gaming circles" I dunno, both covers of Halo have him on the front. Maybe people outside of gaming circles don't know him by name, but... I mean, take this for instance: some people will pay $3500 for Master Chief armor. Not as popular as Mario, but this is only two games and he's probably more popular than Samus, who has had (I think) 6 games + 2 cameos.
But yes, outside of gaming circles he will probably never be popular.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
You still see that to some extent though - earlier this year, Mario was used not to promote a mario game, but for the general-nintendo "Who Are You?" ads.
This reminds me of a flash movie I seen earlier this year. It's pretty accurate.
I think the problem is they're trying to hide the same old games with a few central innovations, whether it be with a water pack (for Mario) or wind control (for Zelda). I also believe that games in general are starting to feel stale because there are no major revolutions to speak of, like there was when they moved from 2D to 3D. When this happened, they were more or less forced to create new genres, and the concept as a whole was new at the time. We need something like that again.
A mascot is not for staring in his own platformer. A mascot is for promotion.
For Nintendo their mascots were once only Donkey Kong and "The Plumber." Now Mario and DK share the duty with a small army of characters. Nintendo is a company of mascots. Saying Mario is Nintendo's mascot is like saying Kermit the Frog is Jim Henson's. You have to factor in the Pikachus and Elmos into the mix too.
Not only that the mascots purpose is to carry the banner for the company. If the game says Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Luigi, Pikmin, Link, Pikachu, or any other Nintendo mascot on the box, you know who made it and you have formed an opinion based on that.
It is true that while Nintendo use of mascots have grown, there doesn't seem to be a rival mascot anymore.
Back in the day, Sega and Nintendo were two of a kind. Both were powerhouse game developers that happened to make hardware. They both made great creations, and these characters would automatically be exclusive to their hardware.
Now you have companies like Sony and Microsoft who make hardware and hire developers to make games for them. For these companies, the hardware itself becomes the trademark. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, it is just a difference in philosophy.
There are still many many mascots, but most of the ones that don't belong to Nintendo can show up on any platform. So there isn't as much jawing and emphasis placed on Sonic vs Mario. Now you have the PS2 vs. GC vs. XBOX in the wars, and Rayman, Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Mario can all play nice.
You know what the biggest selling game on gamecube is?
Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Do you know what that game is? IT'S A BUNCH OF MASCOTS FIGHTING EACHOTHER! The mascots aren't dead, they are still a huge deal for Nintendo, that's why they use them so much, they sell hardware and games. How much do you think "Mario Tennis" would have sold without Mario? 10 copies?
Final Fantasy is less of a series and more like a sub-genre, which is what makes it popular. Much like reading books from the same author or specific subject, you have an idea what its about but you don't know the specifics, its familiar and new at the same time.
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