I have gamed for some time now, and if you’re around my age then there is no doubt that Nintendo dominated your childhood.

This generation the iconic Nintendo received slack from gamers due to their casual approach to gaming. From a business perspective, bringing out your inner child proved successful for Nintendo as the Wii console is currently sitting on over 90 million units sold worldwide, resulting in the culture of gaming reaching a broader audience.

I remember playing classics such as River City Ransom, Metal Gear, Metroid, Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, and a slew of other great titles on the NES before the Super NES gave me the opportunity to play Street Fighter 2 without using my pocket change. Everything was going just fine until Sony released the Playstation One, and after saving my hard-earned money to buy one I felt that I made an adult purchase despite being a teenager. The Playstation brand ushered me into adulthood, and from the day I brought my PS One home I haven’t turned back. Their games, and the graphics that accompanied them, spoke to me on a very mature level.

That point was only made much clearer with the arrival of the Playstation 2.

Andre Tipton from Real Otaku Gamer explained why hardcore gamers are guilty of abandoning Nintendo, and not the other way around. I do agree that the hardcore gamer has indeed abandoned Nintendo, which could explain their decision to release the more advanced Wii U to make up for lost time.

I believe the decision for some gamers to leave Nintendo behind wasn’t made of  spite, but from the simple act of growing up.

To better illustrate my point I will use Netflix as an example. Recently I watched a few episodes of the original Transformers cartoon. I’m not sure if there is an adult male who didn’t love watching the Autobots rage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons as a child. After a few episodes I realized the same material I loved as a child doesn’t keep my interest as an adult unless the property has been been modernized like Transformers Prime or the new Transformers: Fall of Cybertron game.

This is how I feel about Nintendo. I respect what they have done for gaming but I have simple outgrown their presentation and outlook.

Nintendo, thanks for being a big part of my childhood. You are an iconic force in gaming that deserves respect from gamers of all types. Personally, I see you as a good friend that I haven’t seen in a very long time, but that doesn’t mean we will never speak to each other again.

Project P-100 and Zombie U could get things off to a good start though…