The First Rule of Club Nintendo

As lazy as I sometimes find the video-game industry's use of nostalgia as a crutch, even my granite-hard heart isn't impervious to its rose-tinted allure. For a long time, one of the purest sources for high-grade nostalgia stimulants has been Club Nintendo, a consumer reward program though which you exchange points earned by purchasing Nintendo products for various trinkets that often recall both the most memorable and esoteric bits of Nintendo's past. And, for a long time, Club Nintendo hasn't been available in the US, increasing both the rarified air around the program, as well as my frustrated longing for its prizes.

I believe I actually squealed and clapped when Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway revealed that Club Nintendo was coming to the US at its pre-TGS press event, and in an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Dunaway has revealed a few more details about how the program will work stateside. In addition to stating that Club Nintendo will be up and running in the US before the end of the year, she made the important distinction that it will be more like its Japanese counterpart--which rewards you with physical goods--than the European one, where the rewards tend towards desktop wallpaper and ringtones. Dunaway goes on to mention that the rewards will be a blend of Club Nintendo stuff that's been available in Japan, as well as some unique stuff for the US, though no specific word yet on what you'll actually get. The fundamental idea of rewarding loyal customers this way is pretty appealing to me. It seems oddly old-fashioned, reminding me in a way of the old Activision patch program, though with way less amateur TV photography and jean jacket potential.