12 Stupid Gaming Moments That Unwittingly Defined The Last Generation

11. Nintendo Wii Is Widely Mocked Before Release, Destroys Sony & Microsoft

Like just about everyone else, I had plenty of fun mocking Nintendo when they unveiled the Wii, not just because of the name inviting any given number of childish jokes, but because I just couldn't fathom a future where motion control games were popular. Oh, how wrong I was along with much of the rest of the world, then, when the Wii decisively destroyed both Sony and Microsoft in the seventh generation console war, selling roughly 20 million more units than either platform and being a runaway success with everyone from core gamers to middle-class, middle-aged families who have never picked up a controller before (though admittedly, most of those units are now collecting dust next to the blu-ray player). Nintendo dominated the last generation with savvy marketing that helped to bring gaming more into the family living room, and as a result it did a great thing for gaming, by making it more socially acceptable and less a niche activity. And to think how wrong we all were, even if the whole motion control thing got wildly carried away (but I'll get to that later).