Topic: How can Nintendo boost Teen appeal with the NX?

On a console level at least, Nintendo is, and arguably has been weak in the teenage audience, despite having games that would appeal to them, and in some cases, directly aimed at them. By the time some kids get to middle or high school, Nintendo just kind of falls out of their radar for the most part. So here's how I think they can bounce back with the NX.

1.) Have some realistic games in there - While girls (from my experience) for the most part, tend to be more open-minded and may enjoy quirky and/or anime-esque stuff. And while the more diehard teen gamers like niche games (at least me and my friends do). The Jocks, or the cool guys might be harder to sell cartoony, cel-shaded, or light-hearted games to. Nintendo would need some sports simulators, realistic fighters, and a few realistic shooters to get these guys interested. This means either securing these games from 3rd parties, or pushing your own copycats to fill the void.

2.) Agressive social media campaign - Phones and the Internet tend to be teenagers primary screens, moreso than TV. So go all out with social media marketing, have hashtags on several ads, make deals with things like Deviant Art, and YouTube. And if you do advertise on TV, make sure it's ABC Family, MTV, and whatever other outlet that targets teens and young adults. Connect with the youth in a way that feels authentic, without pandering.

3.) Fix their online - this is pretty self-explanatory, but it looks like we're getting exactly this with their DeNA partnership.

4.) Embrace local multiplayer - At my school, there's a lounge area available to students during lunch, and play games. Nintendo has always championed local multiplayer, and teens often like to get together for multiplayer (again from my experience). So continue to encourage this social interaction in the future with Smash, Kart, whatever else they decide to come up with.

Anyway, take it from someone who's in their Senior year of high school (I'm 18 BTW). It's not that Nintendo is "uncool" or "kiddy" with teenagers per-se, it's just that they're kind of... invisible to them mostly. I hear a lot of kids at school talk about PS4, Xbox One, or (god forbid) the Glorious PC master race. But unless it's the 3DS or Smash, Nintendo just goes unacknowledged for the most part. Since Nintendo wants a broad audience to stick with them as they grow up, they need to make themselves visable to them again. In fact, let Sony & Microsoft have the 24-and-up crowd. Make the NX and Nintendo a hip, lifestyle brand for 12-24 year olds and families.

Push the teen properties more?

I think making sure that there are way too many threads on message boards about "What can the NX do to succeed?!?!" is the definite way to go.

Teen centered bundle.

@TheMisterManGuy
The problem with focusing on the teen crowd and "let Sony & Microsoft have the 24-and-up crowd", is that the money is with this group. Teens don't have a lot of spending money, in many occasions are dependent on their parents, so they are not the group that can spend on consoles and games - the 24+ crowd usually have a job and can spend more money, and that is what Nintendo cares about.
Teens usually are loud and whine a lot, so we know what they like, dislike or ignore, but they aren't a group that will bring in many resources. Just saying.

-Don't treat the teen audience like children
-Recognize that teens lack appreciation for cartoon style games
-Chat options, microphone, ethernet port
-MA rated exclusives from Western developers (second party or third)
-Online exclusive shooter at launch
-Establish a sports studio to deliver NCAA football, baseball, Punch-Out Online, F-zero, NX Golf
-On par GPU/CPU or better

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll

I don't think teens are against cartoony visuals. And they don't really care about the ESRB rating TBH. Teens will play anything that is well marketed and cool. Cartoony visuals can be cool to teens, just look at Jet Set Radio.

I think you're all talking about a particular kind of teen. Particularly a male teen who really cares about what his friends think about him. Which is probably the majority of the teens playing games but still. I think it's worth noting that when people grow up they don't care anymore. "Older" gamers are more than comfortable sitting down to play something like Mario or Zelda. It's only in your teenage years that you think growing up means putting away your "childish things"

It's the patronising stuff that turns adults off games. And it's also the stuff that turns teens off far more than just a style or a lack of "gritty realism". And I don't think that Nintendo makes many games at all that are particularly patronising. Even if it is "childish". I mean lets face it, as an adult what is gaming? You're not trying to impress people with how "mature" you are. Really what you want to do as an adult is escape from the real world. What better place to escape to than something that's as far removed from reality as possible?

The last point I'd make is that when I was a teen the coolest things were always the things "nobody else" was into. I suspect that teenagers have been and will always be like this. I mean it often ends up being stuff that is actually very popular anyways. It's just marketed to look like it's not. So if Nintendo was to focus on getting teens on board? What I'd say they need to do is not change anything other than their marketing. Start to make some marketing talking about how different they are to everyone else. Nintendoes what Sony doesn't

I was actually trying to give the least helpful answer possible (did I succeed?), because teens aren't any different than adults and children, they're all individuals. You can try appealing to a particular trait, but it will become less appealing to others who don't have that trait (and it won't guarantee a success with the demographic you're trying to appeal to). For instance, aggressive marketing has always turned me off, and I doubt I'm the only one, if it's shoved constantly in my face I will begin to detest it.

Not much use for an ethernet port if it's a handheld.

Myself, I never stopped watching cartoons, and I know I'm not the only one.

@Whitewatermoose: While 3rd party support is important, Nintendo doesn't need to rely on Multi-platform games as the main 3rd party support, nor do they need EVERY single multi-platform game. Now, getting CoD, Madden, etc. will certainly help, but it shouldn't be the main 3rd party focus. What should be the main 3rd party focus, is exclusives, and exclusive deals. Yes, getting the year's latest AssCreed will help, but it wouldn't be as big as Nintendo securing say, League of Legends as an exclusive port. Plus, the NX can potentially be a home for unique Japanese-developed exclusives.

Like I said, Multi-platform is important, but Nintendo is usually at their best when they're trailblazing their own niche, and there are more effective ways to get the teen demo.

I think a mistake that any company can make is trying to serve to many masters. Trying to target certain audiences is rarely a good idea. Trying to make a product for certain audiences is different. You can make a game for 12-15 year olds but if you target that age group you could be missing certain things. Limited your view down to 1 age group or 1 demographic means you won't have mass appeal and people are only 15 for one year. However, trying to target everyone is also a big problem, one of Wii U's main problems in the early years. The best way to get customers is to make the best product you can. If you want to make games for 12-15 year olds because they are very diverse and something suitable for them increases the amount of people your product will succeed with, then that is good. If you are targeting 12-15 year olds because you think they are the only demographic interested in your product then maybe your product isn't good enough. Don't hold yourself to target a certain age group, create a good product that can be suitable to an age group. At least that is my opinion. If Nintendo tries to target a certain age group too much they will turn away people in different age groups, but if they are able to make good products that are suitable for an lower age group (without targeting them) then I think they will do well.

Knowing your audience and expanding areas of your product to reach people possibly missed by your view is important. Focusing on only your audience for your product is going to lead to a product that only that audience wants. You don't just want teens to want your product, you want the gaming community to want your product.

There are 2 paths Nintendo can take to do so. The MTV path, and The WB path. The MTV path is pretty straightforward. Tap into teenage rebelion by being aggressive and boundary pushing boundaries. Sega managed to get the 90s teens by adopting MTV's marketing style. This mean pushing raunchy content and shock value to create cool factor. This can still be effective if adapted to a modern age. But MTV wasn't exactly known as a network parents could trust. If Nintendo still wants to maintain a clean, wholesome image, they'll need The WB path.

Before it merged with UPN to create what we now know as The CW, The WB was a popular network with teens. It was basically, a teens network with a family slant. Teen Dramas were the big showcase, but the network also aired family sitcoms and kids cartoons. The WB didn't rely on cool factor like MTV and instead provided shows about teenage life rather than reality shows about stoners. They also had a healthy children's audience with Kids' WB! as Pokemon was a ratings monster.

This route requires a balance though. The antics of Dawson's Creek got The WB into a lot of trouble with parents when it premiered. So if Nintendo goes this route, they need to make their games appeal to teens, while keeping them clean enough to go under the Nintendo brand.That way Nintendo can still have a healthy kid audience and have parental trust, while still being cool with todays teens.

pray to God that teens are less desperate to act "adult" and be "cool"

to me it seems likely that Nintendo would have to sacrifice all dignity and alienate anyone that likes Nintendo in order to properly get a teen demographic if they focus on a teen demographic