I was at Toys R Us today pursuing the “Buy 2 Wii games, Get 1 free” deal that is going on this week. As a result, I have three new games, and a fond memory that most likely will drive me for a while.
Unfortunately, I discovered a ploy by the company in attempting to minimize their damage by holding back the vast majority of their supply while trying to clear out older titles. Whether it may be to ensure sufficient stock for the upcoming Black Friday holidays, or to minimize the lost profit from this generous deal, it is never good to see a clearly well-stocked cabinet all reversed in a statement of “not for sale.”
While pursuing the meager options, a very kind gentleman with a teenager boy in tow, were checking out the options, unaware of this deal. He is bemused by the high prices Nintendo have commanded for their games, despite the age of some titles. After explaining the deal, and continuing to explore the options together, I felt compelled to ask him how he play the games.
You see, this well built gentleman is missing an entire left arm and half of his left leg — a recent victim of a tragedy that was not explained. Iraq? Afghanistan? Ford Pinto? I do not know. I am curious of how he would control games with a controller that is meant for two hands. He was more than happy to explain how it all worked — showing how he could wedge it against his good leg, and dance among the buttons with his hand, becoming strikingly good at it, enough to boast of his prowness.
Surprisingly, despite what some thought, he says that the Wii is actually the hardest console to play on, since the nunchunk and the wiimote are both independent of each other, with buttons on both side of the controller. He bemoaned the difficulty of playing Super Mario Galaxy, but thanks to ArsTechnica, I was happy to report that the game support the use of Gamecube controllers, which is much easier for him. However, he did point out that he love to use the wiimote to point at the screen to capture star bits and shoot at enemies and strategic characters.
There were clues that this was an event that occurred several years ago. He is well adjusted to his life, and very much in a happy mood overall. This is what drove me to ask the question, which is clearly taboo in society. It is not, especially for people like us with a handicap. I am deaf, and is more than happy to explain what that entails, while he lost an arm and leg (boy, California housing prices are insane…), and is clearly happy to explain on how he adjust to his new life with his old love. He mocked Guitar Hero, calling it a game that plays music he’ve played a long time ago on a REAL guitar. And look at it, the cheap plastic frame… *shudder!* This was a MAN of music, let me tell you.
The lesson I have learned? Do not be afraid to ask, especially if that person is happy. The other lesson I am becoming aware of? I need to see if Nintendo could find a way to wield the Wiimote with the nunchunk for some of the games, just so that people with only one hand could control it with greater ease.
Time to write them a letter.
