The Wii is doing simply amazing. Whether due to its simplicity, design, wider market appeal or a host of other reasons, the console has sold amazingly well to the point where it's beginning to overtake the 360. Obviously Nintendo is doing something right. That's why when I heard about the Wii Zapper last week I was a lot less skeptical of it than I was of the Wii in the beginning.
Not everyone is happy with the new accessory for the Wii however. In fact, some are downright outraged. An article on Game Politics today showed some tidbits from a recent poll, with parents accusing Nintendo of introducing a violence element. They claim the Wii Zapper teaches children how to "aim and shoot", going so far as to call it a harmful addition that will encourage real life violence.
I don't think I'm alone when I compare this to Jack Thompson and his ridiculous "murder simulator" accusations he throws at just about every new game that comes out. Let's not forget that Nintendo has done this before, with accessories such as the original NES Zapper and the Super Scope in the 80s and 90s. Did those devices turn a generation of gamers into murderers? I can't imagine confusing the Wii Zapper with a real weapon. What is the purpose of attacking a game accessory? Jack Thompson may have a lot of allies in New Jersey, it seems.