Of course, the Seal alone won’t be enough to prevent bad titles; Nintendo would also have to implement some sort of publishing restrictions in order to simply stop the worst games from going to retail. Unfortunately, this scenario is unrealistic due to the fact that the industry has grown so much over the past twenty-five years it is nearly impossible to slow down any publisher, much less stop them. Therefore, the only other viable option is consumer education, and Nintendo should take the lead by putting their mark of approval right there on the box only for games that deserve it. I’m not saying the Seal should adorn every game, far from it. I believe it should only be placed on titles that have shown themselves to be of exceptional quality and substantial customer value. Only those games which Nintendo itself would be proud to publish should see the coveted mark, and it should stand out clearly, like a beacon proclaiming, “Ignore that other nonsense, it’s me you want.” I’m not naïve enough to believe that such stringent standards would be implemented and enforced (the potential for corruption is rampant), but a guy can dream can’t he?

One argument I’m sure a few people are forming in their head is, “Why should Nintendo or anyone else be responsible for telling these consumers what they should and shouldn’t buy? It’s a free market and if they’re too stupid or lazy to research a game before they buy it then they should just live with the consequences.” This is a stance which we, as lovers of games, cannot and should not allow. Remember those times as a kid when your well-meaning parents bought you a game, thinking they were doing you a kindness? However, rather than picking up Super Mario Brothers 3 they bought Top Gun. They simply didn’t know any better, and you had to smile, thank them, and play a crappy game while they beamed at the kitchen table thinking they had done so well. They weren’t dumb, just uneducated on what makes a good game. By simply bringing back the Seal, Nintendo can help overwhelmed parents like these, who currently walk into a game store and don’t really have a clue what to buy, so they just read the back of the case and purchase the first thing that sounds interesting. With the return of the Seal and a simple marketing strategy, consumers can become more informed, and hopefully deserving titles will see their sales improve while the dreck will find itself relegated to the bargain bin where it belongs.

As a reader of this site, you have already proven that you probably know enough about games to avoid the worst of the worst. You likely check out previews and reviews of any title you’re thinking of purchasing, and you already have a fairly solid grasp of which developers put out the good stuff as opposed to the get rich quick con artists. However, with games expanding into the mainstream, we owe it to the newcomers to help them sort through the jungle and only spend their precious cash on titles they won’t regret buying ten minutes after booting it up. The media is doing its part by providing reviews, you are doing your part by telling friends what games you enjoy and what you would steer clear of, now it’s time for the manufacturers to do their part and play an active role in the process.

As it stands now, more and more shovelware is being released every month, and sadly a lot of people are buying it. If we wish to protect gaming from unscrupulous business, then the time has come to take a stand and show them we won’t turn a blind eye to awful products anymore. We all have a role to play, and it starts at the top.