Nintendo apologizes for "geeks and otaku" remarks
Category: Wii, Posted: 06/17/2008 at 05:01PM CDT by Frank Ling, Editorial Director
The Wii accomplishes its game saves and storage of downloadable content on its internal 512MB memory and removable SD memory cards, which can be a chore, and has started discussions about an HDD among Wii owners.
About a week and a half ago, Laurent Fischer, marketing director for Nintendo Europe said that only "geeks and otaku" would want a hard disk drive add-on for the Wii game console.
The insult didn't go unnoticed by the Wii community and Fischer has apologized for his harsh remarks.
"I have huge respect for those who, like me, share a common passion for Nintendo and want to make it clear that I would never use and I didn't use this terminology in such a context or way to cause offense, he said. "I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offense and disappointment within the community."
The apology, while certainly appropriate, rings hollow. Calling your loyal constituency "geeks and otaku" isn't exactly the kind of words that endears people to you. If Fischer doesn't believe his words were used to create "offense," we'd hate to hear him when he really tries to insult people.
We believe Mr. Fischer needs to retake classes in the basics of marketing--Rule Number One: Don't insult your customers...
[via shacknews]
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I think you might be missing a "t" there, champ. =D
Pesky "T" always gets lots. lol. Thanks for the catch.
wow how many people really care about what he said because I really dont care and I really did not insult anybody. because geeks want it all on one system. so what is the really big deal?
I thought we were geeks and otakus... I just listened to a podcast called Game Theory that pretty much said just that; we are geeks and otakus. We're on the internet, writing in a message board website dedicated to games about our outrage about being called geeks and otakus because we don't have enough space on our Nintendo Wii consoles to download all their WiiWare/Virtual Console catalogue whilst keeping our Internet Channel and Photo Channel as well as our save games. We e-peen PS3 and Xbox 360s until the cows come out, we derail the Wii as a kiddy device despite it fastly becoming the dominant platform of choice for customers. We spooge over MGS4, GoW2 screenshots. We are geeks and otaku, we are the ones complaining about storage space; it isn't some soccer mom who got the Wii for WiiFit and some WiiSports with the kids, it's us... the geeks and otaku. Go ask a casual Wii gamer what an Otaku is and they'll think it comes with a side of chicken salad.
Yeah, I consider myself a geek...besides all my friends call me one, and it is usually as a compliment...
The word "geek" can only be used in positive way from another geek as a compliment. When people call me a metal head, it is usually in a derogatory sense, unless it comes from a person who is also into that genre. Both terms were first used as an insult, then made as a term of endearment for those within such groups. And just a guess here, but I highly doubt the marketing director for Nintendo is a geek.
I would --hope-- the marketing director IS a geek, as that's their primary demographic they need to address!!!!