Is gaming being "dumbed down"?
Those attending the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week may have noticed that a not-so-subtle revolution is going on in the world of computer games. A "movement" is afoot-call it the casual game effect. This movement is being sparked by the Nintendo Wii and the fact that a plethora of low-cost games with minimal graphics are hitting the market. In addition, cell phones are emerging as an important casual-game platform in the U.S. Put this all together and it's easy to see that the high-end 3D graphics-intensive game market is not necessarily at the center of the gaming world anymore.
Sure, Alienware and Voodoo PC still rule the high-end gaming PC market, and game console platforms, such as the Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), still dominate in the world of high-end gaming graphics. It's also true that this is still a lucrative market where big bucks are made. But from a larger gaming perspective, the shift to less graphics-intensive games is where the big numbers will come from in the future.
Here are some facts and figures...
The Wii is now a retro console. Let’s get nostalgic about an often maligned system.
Crazy to think the WII is to the Switch 2, as the NES was to the WII back then. 20 Year difference.
My wife asks me to bust it out (heh) everyone once in a while to play bowling and tennis with the kids. There was a ton of slop on it but some good stuff as well.
Wii was great but boy howdy did it cause Microsoft to go on a dark walk with the Kinect and the disastrous XBox One launch that they arguably never recovered from.
Not nostalgic for me.. I was there.. anyone who wasnt a little kid realized it was a gamecube with shit tacked onto it, it was the "joke" system and was well below even the switch in terms of comparing it to the latest machines at the time. The machine was well loved by young people and "casual gamers" who now remember it 20 years on, or in most cases more of its sales came in the 15-20 years ago range not right at launch- but again its not nostalgic for people who were "gamers" then really, just for those who ended up with one in their house, the games , graphics, interface and online features were archaic already in 2006.
New report from Skillsearch found that 22% of those surveyed had been laid off within the past 12 months.
It's a step forward for Stop Killing Games.
hmmm.. i have a feeling this whole.. its cool to play video games attitude ive seen from 14 yr old girls in the mall everyday for the past year could easily be a fad.
I dont think it could eat into hardcore gaming. Because casual gamers arent relaible potential customers. They wont always be there. because they are "casual". their fan base will be ever changing and could easily become unpopular.
for alot of school people right now its a major fad just like ipod was/is.
They will have their own world of gaming. but never will that take away from true gaming.(Dont get offended Wii owners cookin mama aint a true game to me)
Besides i cant remeber the last time i saw "hardcore" video game posters on bus stops haha... I think its(or will end up) booming as much as casual games have.
all that spell is nintendo was smart to know that innovation wins.
are why the industry isn't taken as serious as movies even though the video game industry has the potential for movie entertainment
casual gamers is what we do not need. They buy the console then never buy an original game. I bet 90% of the Wiis sold have a wii key in them to play pirated games. Unlike PS3 and X360 which mod chipping them (I know PS3 mod chip ain't out) removed online. Wii got next to no online and cascual gamers give a toss about playing Wii Sports online.
I like Hardcore and Casual
ill play Halo and Metal Gear just as fast as ill play Wii Bowling and Smash Bros..
The problem with the HD ("Hardcore") era is that it takes to damn long to make the games.. Then when most of them come out they are Pee ons.. Look at Turok and games of that nature.. All talk talk talk.. NO action.. Plus most good games on the HD systems are SHOOTERS.. People are getting tired of Shooter after Shooter.. And are hungry for somethin new.. And the NON SHOOTERS keep gettin delayed..
Thats why nintendo is killin.. The Wii goes beyond the FPS box.. So that way when your tired of killin ppl 24/7 you can do somethin else..
Dont Believe me?
COD4
HALO 3
Resistance
GRAW
RB6 Vegas
Gears Of War
Bioshock
The Orange Box
Lost Planet
Unreal Tournament 3
Turok (not good example)
HAZE (soon)
Killzone (soon)
HD systems have been over run by shooters.. And theyre quick attempts at innovative games have been poor.. The JRPGs of late have been poor.. Most of theyre high production games range around 6 to 10 max hours of gameplay.. And only a select few made any real impact online.. And they were mostly shooters at that.. Dont lie to yourself and say otherwise..
THAT is why the Wii will win until someone gets creative..
On a side note..
Where the F*** is HOME and my in game XMB...
UNLESS.. HOME IS the in game XMB