Nintendo Network Communities

The Community feature from Mario 3D Kart should be included for all online games for all of Nintendo’s systems by being implemented at the system level within the firmware of the 3DS and Wii U. The Communities feature should be just as ingrained into the Nintendo Network online experience as the MiiVerse. The benefits that the Communities feature provide are deceptively significant.

There are several web sites that host online communities through blogs, forums, podcasts, and other communication methods. When members of these communities want to play games together, they usually have to post their Friend Codes up on the site using these methods of communication. Then, they must enter all of those posted codes into their systems. Next, they may schedule when they will be playing so they can actively look for each other and connect their games.

With Mario 3D Kart’s Communities feature, that process is vastly improved. When members of these communities want to pay Mario 3D Kart together, each community posts its single Community Code. Multiple codes are only necessary if the communities want to host various modes or rule sets for play. Then, the members enter the Community Code and are able to simply join into the community play without having to enter many Friend Codes from many players. They may still schedule when they will be playing, but now it will be possible to just jump into the session at any time regardless of how many others are in play.

The Communities feature also allows the players within these communities to play with each other without having to divulge their individual Friend Codes on the Internet. This benefit should not be undervalued. It is reasonable to feel protective of one’s Friend Code. Many more players will likely join in the community games when they no longer need to put their personal Friend Code out there. The less intrusive Community Codes should help to grow Nintendo’s online population.

The Communities feature works spectacularly well for Mario 3D Kart. It is, frankly, shocking to not be hearing about its inclusion as a standard feature of the Nintendo Network and MiiVerse. Its integration into the 3DS and Wii U at the system level should be a given, common sense feature that is only a matter of time. Nintendo thought about including the Communities feature in the 3DS’s firmware, but they did not have the time to implement it before launch. So, they put it in Mario 3D Kart instead. The Communities feature should be integrated into the 3DS’s firmware through a system update, and it should be included within the Wii U’s firmware from day one. Hopefully, this will come to pass when Wii U launches, and the Nintendo Network account system is set up to work with both the Wii U and the 3DS.