Gaming Angels has a brief opinion piece on Nintendo’s latest ad campaign, which features various famous women (Gabrielle Douglas stars in one) proudly proclaiming “I’m not a gamer” while holding out their 3DS.

I partly agree with GA’s take on the ads, that they’re dismissive of gamer culture and somewhat imply that a successful woman would never self-identify as a gamer. But I also see what they’re going for, and who they’re marketing to, and I’m not convinced that inclusiveness is a bad thing. Why are these things only for Gamers-with-a-capital-G? Are movies only for Film Buffs? Are novels the sole domain of Bookworms? Ultimately, this sort of abandonment of the hardcore is a necessary step in gaming’s transition from niche interest to legitimate artistic medium. There will always be room for dedicated aficionados to argue about the finer points of troop placement in XCOM, but that doesn’t mean we should be offended when someone makes something for Someone Who Is Not Us, or even makes an ad implying that those terrifying Others might like to dip their toe in the pool.