It’s been a wonderful Christmas for gaming, as the sales figures we told you about recently from the past month bear out.

For many, SPOnG included, the highlight of Christmas 2006 was Wii Sports. We played it excessively over the Christmas break, with girlfriends/wives and wherever possible at friends and family get-togethers.

The verdict from Nintendo’s target market – the lapsed, the ladies and the elderly – was almost unanimous.

Nicky Sharpe, a mother of four boys in her forties, perhaps summed up the general response best, telling us, “I’ve never played videogames with the boys and now I’m the one turning the console on and asking them for another game of tennis! It’s certainly the best game we’ve ever bought in terms of bringing the whole family together.”

Brian Keeler, a primary school teacher in his mid-thirties who hasn't played videogames since being a teen, told us, "This is amazing! I can imagine using this in class even with a lot of the younger children. I want one now!"

Meanwhile, Adam-SPOnG’s gran, Eileen, in her late seventies even gave Wii Sports Bowling a go, telling us, “I used to love going bowling, but I don’t really get the chance to get out to do stuff like that, so I really enjoyed playing that bowling game. Mind you, it was a bit tiring after a while!”

Of course, when we introduced most of the non-gamers in the family to the joys of Zelda their eyes glazed over, their minds began to wander and they began to want to watch yet more Christmas misery and tragedy in Eastenders.

The unfortunate upshot being that we didn't get to spend half as much time with the glorious Twilight Princess as we had wanted. Still, we've got something left to keep us happy through the cold, winter darkness until the games industry wakes up again in March just in time for the Easter sales peak… and the PS3.

Let us know your own Christmas gaming experiences – with Wii and/or with any other console or game – in the Forum.
Share this item on... Comments >>