12/26/2007 10:25:10 AM

No offense to your sister (I'm sure she's a lovely person), but there's very little chance that your sister is going to start craving games like the average hardcore gamer. That's not to say she won't gain more of an appreciation for playing games, but I have seen very little (read: none) evidence that backs up the idea that the Wii is a gateway system to a more hardcore console.

At the same time I would argue that part of this is YOUR fault. That's right, Chuck, you are to blame here, too. You probably shouldn't have handed her an Xbox 360 control with that ridiculous keyboard attached to it. Sure, she might have had the same reaction even without the extra buttons, but her reaction seems pretty natural given the fact that she's looking at a foreign control with dozens of buttons.

She doesn't know the games, she doesn't know the control, and chances are, she doesn't know the system very well. So easing her in would have been more appropriate, in my opinion. Perhaps you mentioned this, but it's a good idea to simple state that not every button is used. A guitar has a lot of frets, but you don't have to use every single one when you're learning how to play. Easing her in is key, otherwise she's going to get frustrated and not have any fun.

On the flip side, I completely understand why somebody who doesn't consider themselves to be much of a gamer would have more fun with the Wii. It's not that the games are better (because they really, really aren't), it's that she can pick it up quickly, wave her hands around a bit, feel like she's doing something, have some fun and then sit back down having had a good experience. To her that's what gaming is.

Of course, to most average and hardcore gamers the hobby is more than having a few minutes of fun once or twice a year. To most gamers the idea of sitting down with an engrossing game for hours on end doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but I suspect if most non-gamers probably wouldn't even think of doing something like that. To most gamers there's a feeling of accomplishment, but the non-gamer sees it as an escape for just a few minutes and nothing else. That's the canyon those two groups have to bridge ... and it's not going to be easy.

The proof is in the Wii's software sales. From the looks of the attach rate, there are a lot of Wii owners who are buying their system for Wii Sports and nothing else. Maybe they'll buy Wii Play (to get the control) or even Mario Party (because it has the word "Party" in the title), but are they going to buy Metroid, Smash Bros. or Zelda? Not very likely. That's why there are so many mini-game collections, that's pretty much the only thing that actually sells on the console. That is the kind of thing your sister would be into.

Would your sister have more fun with Wii Play than, say, Pac-Man Champion Edition or some of the other XBLA games? What about the casuals games on the PS2 and Xbox 360? It might take somebody teacher her how to play some of those games, but I wouldn't be surprised if she also had fun playing on more "traditional" consoles. Heck, with time she may even start to come around on those controls.

Nintendo is doing an excellent job of attracting non-gamers, but how much power should we give a group of gamers who don't buy games and don't care about what's coming out? There are a lot of people who will be just as happy only playing one or two games on the system, and as far as I'm concerned I don't think we should spend too much time trying to change these people. Nintendo was right that there's a market for these people ... but to what extent does this group really matter? I'm certainly glad that new people are seeing gaming as something fun, but at the end of the day these people don't have much power.

Based on the games that sell on the DS and Wii, I personally think it's useless to try and bridge the gap from casual gamer to hardcore.

Cyril Lachel

12/28/2007 6:47:05 PM

Yay! Cyril's giving the big middle finger to the overly-empowered casual gamers ;)

I mean, hardcore gamers are like mountain climbers. They've got the equipment, the desire, and the training to reach the pinnacle of what video gaming has to offer.

I consider myself more of a rock climber. I have a couple systems to keep me well-entertained, but my library of games is modest, and my drive to master games I buy is rather non-existent.

Nintendo? Those are the guys introducing the "rock wall" to kids in the playground. Sure, it's a good time. But you're still just screwing around in a playground, and the rewards of being A Gamer are scaled back as such.

(Ahh, it's still Ugly Metaphor Day (everyday!) with Randy Kalista.)

Randy Kalista

12/29/2007 1:49:38 AM

Yay! Randy completely misunderstood my point. ;)

It's not that I don't think casual gamers should exist, I just don't think they deserve the amount of coverage they are getting these days. The media (both mainstream and enthusiast) seems to be painting casual gamers as the next big thing. But they aren't. That's not to say they shouldn't be considered, but it seems like the casual market is getting more attention these days than any other market. It's to the point that journalists and analysts are starting to wonder if Sony and Microsoft's next console will be more like the Wii.

I've been hearing this talk for a full year now and it's starting to drive me up the wall. Casual gamers may be cheap systems, but they don't buy software, and that's what this whole thing is about. Give the casuals their coverage, but don't do it at the expense of everything else.

Cyril Lachel

12/31/2007 9:29:05 AM

"I about choked on the Nintendo press conference when Reggie was saying that only the hardcore gamers sit outside waiting for a console."

Thankfully you didn't choke, because I would have been the one forced to resuscitate you (being the person sitting right next to you at that E3 conference).

Reggie said a lot of bold things at that conference. The thing that nearly sent me over the edge was when he talked about how strong the Wii's third party support is. Considering that he was in a room full of journalists (most of whom actually know how to look stuff up), I'm just shocked at the guts that guy has.

Thankfully he's talking to game journalists, a group of gamers who don't believe in actually looking stuff up and fact checking. If the journalists in our industry actually acted like REAL journalists then these companies wouldn't be able to flat out lie to us.

Back on the point, as long as Nintendo continues to beat the drum about broadening their audience we're going to continue to hear the media report it. That doesn't mean that the games press needs to do the same thing.

Cyril Lachel