Random thoughts on how the leisure industry could go about commercializing the Nintendo Wii – this is going to get thrashed around …
Givens
The Nintendo Wii is an amazing product. Personally, I haven’t seen a product bring together people of all ages, abilities and social groupings so much since, well probably the television.
The games are especially enjoyable with a group of friends
Issues
Security
Use the bluetooth to confirm the location of the controllers within a defined distance from the “Wii Booth”.
Safety
Blah, blah, blah – it’s a console design for use by kids, so it ain’t gonna hurt you directly. Players might accidently knock someone’s pint over, but if that genuinely endangers your safety after replacing the pint and apologising, then you are in the wrong sort of pub I’m afraid.
Education
The console is designed so that users need as little instruction as possible. If the customer can’t pick up a game after 5 mins, they are too drunk TBH :O)
Funding
Pay per person per usage slot. Pub could subsidise (even to 100%), according to what they think the profit from booze and food sales will yield.
Remote booking
Let customers book the systems in advance through the web (on their smart phones etc …) and at the venues themselves. No shows after 10% of slot time = slot available to whoever wants it.
Opportunities
Multi-venue simultaneous tournaments – Wii tennis leagues complementing billiards leagues. Electronic pub quizzes linking 100s of pubs together at the same time – pub goers love to compete with other pub goers … have local rivilaries, national rivilaries …
