Nintendo's Wii game console put the "we" back into video-gaming this past year.
Wii - which was released in late 2006 - has both changed the video-gaming scene and resulted in a major impact on Nintendo's revenue.
Nintendo's profits for the first nine months of the fiscal year, which will end on March 31, nearly doubled in comparison to the previous year, due in large part to Wii game machine sales.
Since its launch, Wii has attracted attention for its interactive approach to video games, with a controller that encourages active participation and focuses on action over improved graphics.
Offering both classic games like Mario, Zelda and soon Super Smash Brothers, as well as new favorites such as Wii Sports and Wii Play, the Wii system has attracted both avid video-game players and newcomers.
"Nintendo has gone for a different market than PS3 or Xbox 360," which are aimed at intense teen gamers, Wharton junior Andrew Leonard said.
The Wii "brings elderly people, young people and families into a world of video games that they previously had no interest in," he said.
College junior T.J. Du agreed that the game appeals to people who don't have the hand-eye coordination needed to play "hard core" video games.
"Wii uses very intuitive motions," Du said. "The character on screen follows you. It's like playing the real sport but made easier."
This year, the Gregory College House Council purchased a Wii for the dorm's lounge, a move that, according to Gregory House Dean Christopher Donovan, has been popular among students.
"People borrow it Friday night, and come Saturday, they are still in the lounge playing," Donovan said. "It's frightening sometimes."
With more than 6.3 million game machines sold, the Wii was the second-best selling video game system in the United States in 2007, according to data released by the independent market-research company NPD Group.
The only game to outsell Wii in 2007 was Nintendo DS, with nearly 8.5 million sales nationwide.
More than 2.3 million Wiis were sold during the last two months of 2007 alone, partly because of the winter holidays.
During the holiday season, Amazon.com sold 17 Wiis per second, according to an Amazon news release.
According to NPD Group, the video game industry grew by 43 percent in 2007, and Nintendo was responsible for 60 percent of that growth.
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