In this week’s installment of The Score, we hear your opinions on Hiroshi Yamauchi’s effect on the gaming industry.

In addition, we ask for your thoughts on the Wii U’s marketing. What does Nintendo need to do in order to raise awareness for the Wii U? How will it let people know that it is a brand new console? What sort of advertising strategies should Nintendo take on?

The Score: Episode 21



What does Nintendo need to do in order to market the Wii U better?

To answer this question, head to the comments section below, or to our forums, Twitter, or even our Facebook page, and have your say!

Last week, we asked you…

The Score: Where would the games industry be now without Hiroshi Yamauchi?



Head below and find out what you had to say.

Your Responses Without the games this guy brought, there wouldnt be a reason to live, because this guy is like our father, he was our childhood With mario, DK and zelda and made us who we are now! Thank You Yamauchi-san -DimitraGiorgiou

it always made me LOL\’d so hard whenever one of these haters would go: \”Nintendo is nothing special, any other company (Sega) could\’ve saved the industry.\”. they\’re like that one kid from when you were in 7th grade, who would always got bullied, & when you stepped-up & saved him from an ass-whoppin\’ he’s like: \” i didn\’t ask you for your help, dork! you suck!!\” just to save face.. yeah, others MAYBE could\’ve saved the industry, but that doesn\’t change the history of who actually did it.. it was Nintendo. \”Did he really single-handedly save the gaming industry?\” -yes. haters gonna hate, & will always be in denial.. R.I.P, mr. Yamauchi.. you have left a legacy that created millions of smiles & good memories. rest well, sir..you certainly have earned it.. -GMB

I imagine it would be in a ditch quietly humming the sonic theme. -IamTheRealHuxleyPig Hiroshi Yamauchi san personally oversaw every single game from every publisher that wanted to get onboard the NES, so basically he was the company’s one man quality control center, if he didn\’t like the games content or felt it didn\’t meet his standards it wasn\’t getting on the system period, so yes in a time when the gaming market was at an all time low because of the unpolished and generic games being made he stepped up and demanded quality and innovation -Buduski

Absolutely no where. Gaming is a tough business, especialy to get into Nintendo(Hiroshi) ensured this industry thrived, by threads of wit and keen business acumen -ValeFalkren

It wasn\’t just that he oversaw many great games, he had faith in an industry nobody else did. After the crash of \’83, nobody believed that video games had any place in the market and thought they wouldn\’t sell. It was the fact that Yamauchi overlooked that and decided to market the Famicom/NES anyway that truly made him a legendary man, if it were not for him, gaming may still be a medium, but it would not have had the same mascots or following as it does. He will be missed. -Deraj626

I think it’s safe to say that Yamauchi picked up the torch at the right time. If he didn\’t do it I think someone would have, but it’s really hard to say whether gaming would still be a niche market or not at this point in time. -Alienfish I prefer not to think about that especially so close to the man’s passing. I just wanted to say Thank You for all that you have Accomplished in your life Mr. Yamauchi-san. -David K

Staff Responses Frankly, there may not be a video game industry without Yamauchi. He pretty much started it all for Nintendo. No, he was not the creator of the first game, but he is the man that brought Nintendo into prominence gaming-wise. His impact cannot be overstated. -Tom C (Scar_LiT) When people make the argument that the gaming market would be absolutely nowhere without Yamauchi I get a bit skeptical. I completely agree that the game industry would not be anywhere near where it is now without the man, but to say that it would be completely assimilated in the west is quite a stretch. Sega was already looking into the console market at about the same time as Nintendo, so there would have been a game market regardless. But, I do give the man credit for green-lighting so many revolutionary franchises (eg. Zelda, Mario, DK, etc). Without Yamauchi, the game industry would not be where it is now in terms of widespread appeal, but the game industry would still be here. It may be a niche market, as Deraj pointed out, but to say that the industry would be gone altogether is crazy in my mind. -Elia (Paleselan)

Don\’t forget to answer this week’s question below in the comments, via Twitter, Facebook or you can even head to the forums!