Could Nintendo Mini Games See a Change?

If you’ve been playing Nintendo games for any amount of time, you’ll certainly be familiar with the mini games that are often placed within as a way to break the games up and to offer something a little different – two Nintendo classics have certainly utilised these better than others, with both Pokémon and Mario titles of the past including their own version of slots – the games use the coins earned from the slots to purchase in game items, but given the ongoing issues and pressure facing modern gaming to get rid of these features particularly as changing regulation legalising gambling like a change for sports betting in California, could these minigames become a thing of the past with the mounting pressure?

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This is a change that has already been seen in some recent games, Super Mario Odyssey for example as rather than a traditional slots style interface and gameplay, you’d choose between a number of different moons to collect your prize, it has been the first game in a long list of releases to see a different approach to the way these mini games are offered, and if continues will end something that is a fond memory for many who grew up playing these earlier games and took advantage of the mini games as a way to find something different in the games.

The change comes as there is an ongoing crackdown on exposing underage players to potential addictive gambling features, and whilst these mini games are exclusively focussing on in-game rewards and often follow the typical Japanese style approach where one building is for the game and the building next door is for the prizes, the same example of Odyssey did the same to remove this feature and will certainly be the growing trend moving forward too.

It doesn’t mean there isn’t good news, however, as there may be new creative ways to approach these new mini games and implement them into the games, Nintendo does have a history of innovating change rather than removing features so even though the older style slots may not remain in place it does allow something new to come in, perhaps similar to the approach taken by Odyssey or a continued work in progress to deliver something new, and with the new features that come along it provides an exciting experience for not only new players but also for the experienced players who have a long history with the games too. Many will look back fondly on the time where these mini games offered a period of change in gameplay, but will also look fondly forward to having something new to break up that time and something that offers a very new experience in a genre that has been around since gaming first started to emerge.