So how do you like that NPD, Mr. Hardcore? The longer this goes on, the more ridiculous those pre-Wii analyst quotes on the front page become. Remember when ‘Revolution’ would only sell 6 million for its lifetime? There is no doubt this is a revolution in gaming.
I don’t hear much about the long term ramifications of Wii domination. Imagine a generation who grew up with motion controls. Motions controls ARE the future. We aren’t going back. If Microsoft and Sony don’t have many of these Wii features, they can kiss this industry goodbye. It is like a post-NES console coming out without a D-pad and still relying on the joystick. Man, those consoles died *fast*.
I’ll try to get two articles up before the New Year. I doubt I’ll get either up in time though. These articles have been sitting on my computer for a while, around 75% done, and it is time to put them up.
‘Avalanche’ is a more dialogue style one that points out how the Wii avalanche occurred step by step, backed by Nintendo quotes as usual.
The other is a very different one called ‘Wheel of Disruption’. It is about… the Wheel of Disruption. It is not like Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Disruption refers to a type of cycle, not unlike the Water Cycle. When I was writing it before E3 2008, I thought it odd the article decided to wander off of Nintendo and video games to go into global economies and zeroing in on a phoenix like nature of the American economy.
While I believe the pessimissm is being overstated on the economy, the Wheel of Disruption really makes you feel the future will end up smelling like a rose.
The content on this blog is not as refined as the main site, of course. I want to talk about ‘user generated content’ since the industry thinks it is ‘the big deal’ or rather, Nintendo does. This is one of the first instances since prior to the DS where I think Iwata is making a major mistake. His developer background has its insights… and its liabilities. What developer wouldn’t want a game where everyone makes their own content? It is exactly like programmers making ‘games’ in the 80s that were ‘user programmed… follow the sheets inside and make your own!’. Today, it is ‘unleashing one’s creativity’. Back then, it was ‘get your kid ready for college’. The sales of LBP, despite its big push from a console manufacturer, has to be a disapointment. But I can’t think of any ‘user generated content’ game that has sold big. User generated content is a symptom of what I call the ‘Content Crisis’ that plagues this industry. Gaming is a content industry.
I’m thinking back fondly at the Blue Ocean articles where the ‘continent’ gets swallowed by the Blue Ocean and all the little hardcore gamers wash out to sea screaming insults at ‘casual gaming’ before they gurgle beneath the waves.
I’m no longer interested in ‘The Old World’. Let it sink. (The last article to talk about the ‘hardcore’ will be ‘avalanche’). What is this New World going to bring?
When people think of ‘casual games’ or ‘Wii success’, it is best not to think too hard on it. Just think ‘arcade gaming’, and you’ll be in the right spot.
One thing I’ve also been wondering is how in the world Tetris got classified as a puzzle game. I suppose it was because of the jig saw shapes of the blocks. But I think more was the prejudice of the era as games were racing towards 16-bit and this game with simple blocks and no scrolling comes out.
Tetris is an action game. The game is dependent on reflexes more than anything. The tetrads don’t evolve. They stay the same while the game speeds up faster and faster until the player can’t keep up. Yet, I look at WiiWare, where Iwata says he wants the ‘next Tetris’ to appear, and I see it is filled with puzzle games. But if they really wanted to emulate Tetris, they would make action games. And, oddly, I don’t see too many indie makers making action games outside a missile command or asteroids remake.
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