Much has been made over the past two years about the appeal of the Nintendo Wii to people who don’t traditionally play video games. Like many gamers who have had access to games pretty much since birth, I just don’t find the Wii philosophy and catalog of games that compelling. I understand why it’s such a brilliant machine and why it is successful–I really do!–and I believe that with more imagination, the catalog of games could interest me and other “traditional” gamers. For now, though, I’ll stick to my Xbox, Playstation and DS.
That should be it. I should let my grievances lie, as really, my gamer needs have been served pretty darn well for 25+ years, so it’s about time the grandmas, little sisters (no, not these little sisters) and the unfanatical masses got a turn at gaming. But I still can’t quite quash those niggling feelings that there’s more to this equation than different strokes for different folks. Are savvy branding, motion-sensing gadgets and familiar activities all that that the new-to-gaming Wii fans want from a console?
Since my mom’s spending the week with me, I decided to try a little experiment. I gave her a brief tour of the current gen systems, not asking her to play at first, but just to see what her reaction would be to the latest technology in all its HD splendor. First up was Far Cry 2, my current console favorite and hands down the most gorgeous gaming experience I’ve ever had. Seriously, this game is photo-real with amazing sound design and lush African vistas.
With coaxing, mom admits that it’s pretty, but clearly her interests are waning. Okay, on to Little Big Planet. Here’s another game that achieves unheard of graphical sophistication, only with realism replaced by a handcrafted fantasyland– it’s like sitting at the helm of Michel Gondry’s imagination. Again, mom is unmoved. Now I switch to the Wii and Wii Fit. From the moment the balance board hits the floor, mom is fascinated. Clearly she’s heard about the device, but this is her first time seeing it. The idea that a common bathroom scale can also detect shifts in weight – that is the mind-blowing leap. Nevermind that the gameplay consists of leaning left or right, or that the graphics are decidedly last gen. Mom was moved. And a thousand kotakuites screamed in pain.
I entered into this experiment knowing what the results would be. Again (he protests!), I really get why. And yet part of me still refuses to accept. It’s not that I want my mom (as a proxy for all nontraditional gamers) to play GTA 4 or Bioshock or Shadow of the Colossus—it’s that want to believe that mom can feel a sense of awe and wonder from exploring a virtual space. You know, the feeling you get the first time you ride your Kodo into Feralis and just gape at the size of those trees?
Back to my first demonstration, I realize that mercenary subject matter doesn’t appeal to mom, but what if Far Cry 2’s world was repurposed to make a photo safari game or an interactive National Geographic trip through tribal villages? Maybe then she could feel the awe and wonder? No. It’s a fool’s desire to wish my mom could get an emotional rise from Sony’s emotion engine technology. This is the same fanatic desire I used to have (and still do, at times) for more folks to give animation, comics and visually fantastic films a chance, and it’s still a battle not worth fighting.
We gamers, otakus, fangirls and fanboys, whatever the label and whatever our geek poison, are united by a common ability to have a profound emotional response to fantasy. (Will scientists locate this “geek gene,” or is it environmental?). Sometimes it’s associated with childlike innocence, sometimes it’s the mark of a misfit, sometimes it’s frowned on as antisocial. Increasingly, it’s just…normal. It’s ironic that as nerds increasingly rule the world, we still rally behind little tokens of acceptance (Obama doodles!) and unite in outrage when our needs aren’t met (Nintendo, why hath thou forsaken us?!). How much more mainstream do we want to be?
Stumble Upon
Del.icio.us
Buzz
*Sigh* Not this argument again…It’s getting very hard to defend my choice of console and it’s a little tiring to do…I know a lot of people are getting testy with Nintendo, but after all the years of entertainment they’ve given us I think they deserve some more consideration.
I have a Wii, and I enjoy it. I knew long before it even came out that I was going to get it. Why? Mostly because of Zelda. I LOVE Zelda, and I have faith that Nintendo knows not to screw with one of their biggest and best franchises.
Now, I’m not going to deny that Nintendo has definantly fallen in love with casual gaming, but at the same time I don’t see anything wrong with that. Casual Gamers will lead to Hardcore Gamers given the time, so I seriously doubt that Nintendo will forsake those customers. Would you rather have one-time customers in your store? Or would you rather have long-time, faithful customers that keep returning year after year?
I think the main trouble with the Wii is that it’s relying too much on it’s one gimmick, namely the motion control stuff. Sure, it’s awesome for some games, but then you have stuff like Super Paper Mario, where the motion control is used rather half-assed (Point remote at screen randomly).
Right now Nintendo’s sort of floundering in this sea of unknown. They don’t really know how to maximize the potential of the motion control, nor are they willing to break out and do something different. They really need to get some new flavour in that company to shake things up (Too bad I’m only in my second year of University…)
So for now, I’m sticking to my Wii. I’m sort of using the Zelda series as my gauge to see when/if Nintendo looses it. If they make Zelda jump the shark, then I’ll be jumping over to a new console (Though what one I don’t know). For now though, I’ll stick to my Wii.
((Jake, if you haven’t tried it yet, you should definantly give Okami for the Wii a spin. It’s one of the funniest, original games I’ve ever played, and is definantly worth a shot. It’s also one of the few games that you actually use the Wiimote for something other than waggling, although funnily enough, it wasn’t originally designed for the Wii)).
The Wii is quite appealing I will admit, but I’ve never had the urge to buy one. For one, the games are quite expensive, which also pulls me away from the PS3. Have you seen those games? They may be higher quality, but even in Walmart they range way above my monthly pay. I myself have a PS2 and a PSP. I don’t think I can ask for anything better than that because it has such a wide variety of gaming. One of my favorites would have to be the Kingdom Hearts games (exclusively PS2). With its hybrid mix of Disney Characters, Final Fantasy characters, and individual, independent plot, I just can’t put it down. Though I do venture to the wild side with games like Raving Rabbids. With that I can throws cows, shoot plungers at bunnies, and dance the night away. Who could ask for more?
Many of my friends own Wiis…Wii’s…Wii(plural)? Well whatever it is, it’s very popular among my friends. One of the things I first discovered with the Wii was Guitar Hero. Yes, another game that did not appeal to me at first (in fact the first time I tried it I completely sucked *sob*). Though after a few visits to my friend’s house a few plays, I made it all the way to medium *woot*. I do plan to get my own Guitar Hero for the PS2 soon, but I don’t plan on venturing over to the Wii section anytime soon.
Kristi, Just to clarify, I don’t mean to drag out the “my console is best!” argument, as I know it’s a stupid one. I was trying to wrestle with why I, like so many people, have a hard time accepting it when others don’t feel or aren’t interested in having the same type of reaction that a passionate fan does. I don’t think Nintendo’s floundering at all — they know what they are doing and they are kicking ass for it. They’re effectively rebooting the fanatic cycle, offering the first real jumping on point in decades (at least for consoles).
I have Okami on the PS2 and it is a great game. Don’t feel the need to rebuy it, but I heartily pass along your recommendation to anyone who hasn’t played it yet!
Maggie,
Kingdom Hearts does indeed rock. Can’t wait to see where they take the series next. I hope they work in some Jules Verne by way of Disney’s take on 20,000 Leagues — that would be great to explore in 3D!
I’m not a gamer (although I would be if I owned a system) but I am a geek. And I’ve also noticed it’s been met with much more acceptance over the past few years. I have a theory.
I think three things attributed to the recent surge of “Nerd is Cool” in our culture:
1. The release of the XBox
2. The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
3. Napoleon Dynamite
These three things happening within a few years of eachother had a profound impact on popular culture and set the stage for our current circumstances. Someday I’ll write a book about it.
Speaking of Geeks ruling the world, Pink Raygun posted an article after the election that I really liked:
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2008/11/05/we-the-geeks-of-the-united-states /
The one thing I hate about gaming is that they don’t release a game that can be used on all systems! For example, I would have loved to play Kingdom Hearts:Chain of Memories, but it only released on the Nintendo DS. And the “I imagine” games for the DS look like tons of fun, but yet again, no DS to play with. And I’m certainly not going to buy a console just to play a few appealing games.
Maggie, I know what you mean. Two years after the latest console war began, I have every current system, but I feel like a chump for playing into the arms race. Right now we’re still stuck in a reality where the console exclusives are wielded like rapiers in a battle for market share — it’ll be a better environment for everyone when the console/software divide isn’t so alienating.
Good for you, Maggie! I quit reading a lot of forums on gaming Web sites because I got sick of people saying the new consoles and games don’t cost that much. I’d like to earn as much as those gamers. Nice to see someone else who feels the same way.
I’m a hardcore gamer, and I love the same things: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Xenosaga, Rogue Galaxy and Chrono Trigger/Cross. I haven’t jumped on the Wii boat yet because they don’t have these titles, but that’s okay. It’s nice to see more people being introduced to the glorious world of video games, and it certainly does take some of the stigma away from being a geek. At least people no longer look at me funny when I say I play.
One last note to Maggie: Don’t worry about Chain of Memories. You weren’t missing much. But, if you really want to play it, it’s coming to the Playstation 2 either in December or early next year. I guess Square decided to show some love for its Playstation fans!
Maggie, I’m totally with you. I hate seeing commercials for new games only to find out it’s exclusive to ONE console…and it’s never the ONE console I have…arrrgh…
For instance, I’d love to try out Little Big Planet, but of course, I don’t have the system.
The only luck I’ve had is with Okami, which as Jake pointed out was originally for PS2. I remember seeing commercials for it and having to tune them out because I didn’t have a PS2, but as soon as I found out it was ported to the Wii I snatched it up and fell in love (I recommend the artbook for anyone that owns the game).
I’m sure it’s really the fault of the console companies, because no game developer would want to limit the number of consumers they could reach by only putting their game on one system. I think the console companies are trying to find that ‘next big thing’ that’ll keep the fans coming back, so they’ll release a game on their console only.
I only have one game (For Gamecube) that was released on all the major consoles, and I think it’s only because it wasn’t seen as having a chance to be a big hit (Which, sadly it wasn’t, despite it being a pretty good game).
Ha ha! I only have a Gamecube and that’s because a friend gave it to me for free! I had really wanted one for the longest of times, but my parents said they were too expensive and I didn’t have enough money to buy one solo. So, when my friend R. upgraded to Wii, he gave me his Gamecube!
I love that game.
I play Zelda like crazy, interspersed with Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean.
D., who lives a few doors down from me, has a D.S, and let’s me play Pheonix Wright on it.
The Return to Labyrinth manga needs a video game. Ideally, it would be a puzzle game with a sprinkling of combat. Of course, I know one person here who would play it just because there would be Skub.
was that aimed towards me Gobblin? If so I’m rotflmao. If not, I’m am totally pissed off. haha jk.
The only reason I don’t believe we should not have a video game for RTL yet is because we need an anime or a movie before that. Besides, since it’s an occult type thing, it probably won’t sell as well as it needs to. Though it would be awesome to kick Mizumi’s butt in 3-D! And Skub would probably be twice as cute in 3-D. (Not to mention Toby and Jareth)
squeals as she imagines controlling her favorite RTL characters in a video game
Also regarding the whole “console battle”, the PS2 is the most popular selling console on the market so far. It’s doing better than the PS3, xBox, and the Wii combined. Woot!
I have had a little bit of interest in Zelda, but have never found an interesting one for the PS2. One game that is compatible on a lot of systems and is, I believe, quite lovable would be the Tomb Raider games. Sure you got Shadow of the Collosus, Zelda, Indiana Jones, and James Bond. But how many kick but girls are out there? I gotta give my props to the leading lady in that category.
Yes, I was talking about you, Maggie.
Agreement on that on, Maggie, I’m sorta playing Lara Croft: Legend right now and loving every minutes! (“Sorta” because the person who owns the game only lets me play it on weekends. 
I had it on the gamecube, but apparently the disk was corrupted and froze up every five minutes.)
Lara Croft.
If I replace my Gamecube, I’ll probably buy the PS2 because Kingdom Hearts looks freaking awesome. And the silver headed boy appeals to my anime-fangirlism…
Gobblin, don’t get me started on Riku (a.k.a the silver-haired boy). He is tied for first with Jareth on my fangirl hottie list. The thing about Kingdom Hearts is that where there are die-hard fans, there are also die-hard critics. A lot of gamers find Kingdom Hearts incredibly stupid because of the naive combination of mature, violent final fantasy characters combine with the innocence and musical world of disney. If you take a second to look at it, it really is a risky enterprise. But after playing it, the unique, independent plot totally overshadows the fear of incompetent gameplay and conflict, leading to a successful gaming experience.
If I were to be involved with a Return to Labyrinth video game, I’d probably go for a puzzle/adventure game hybrid. Actual gameplay would be more puzzle/mini-game based with an overarching story and stuff to collect that spanned the individual puzzles.
Sensei Jake shows his brilliance once again. I bow before your superior intellect. I would have just had it be like the old Kings Quest games crossed with Baten Kaitos…
His name’s Riku? I played a bit of the first Kingdom Hearts game but only got through the first dream sequence before I had to go home.
SO Riku… Does he fly around dropping Death Notes to the villains? Just joking. 
Part of the reason I want to play it is I’m curious how they pulled the Disney/Final Fantasy crossover thing without it coming across like a badly written fan fiction. The opening was really cool, but it really didn’t give much foreshadowing as to the plot… Or did it? My friend who owned the game was like “Now pay attention, this stuff is really important to the plot.”
Gobblinize et al,
If you like Death Note and Kingdom Hearts, then I think you would LOVE The World Ends with You, a DS game from Square Enix that came out about 6 months ago. It’s a modern day action MMO that you play with the stylus that has a very anime story and great character designs and a catchy j-pop soundtrack. There’s a neat mechanic in which clothing (instead of armor) gets bonuses based on popularity, and the more you do well while wearing a certain brand, the more popular that brand becomes. You get abilities based on “pins” that you collect, and the most addicting element of the game for me was the ability to level up your pins so that they evolve into new forms. It’s not quite as epic as Kingdom Hearts, and you don’t get the cameos, but it’s a great change from the usual fantasy settings for RPGs.
Jake, that sounds awesome! But alas, no DS… Though the idea for the RTL game is cool. I would have suggested an “I Imagine Labyrinth”, but that would have been exclusively for the DS.
Riku would never do that! I’ll admit he’s evil for a while, but that’s only because he’s blinded by the darkness. Sora and Kairi are lucky to have him! I know I would appreciate him if he hung out with me *wink wink*.
An also honorably mentioned game would be the Tony Hawk games. Love those to death.
“The World Ends with You”? That sounds…interesting.
I’ll have to check it out.
Did you know there are Ryuk fangirls? I discovered this only recently. They’re scarier than the Light fangirls… If that’s possible. *shudders*
I think Light is pretty cute. Though L is much cuter in my opinion.
L rules. Just plain and simple, L rules and Light is an idiot for not falling in love with Misa. Seriously, Misa would have been sooo much better off with L.
And somewhere in the distance there is the cry of a fan fiction being born…
But Ryuk fangirls…? Ewwww… I don’t even want to think about him being an object of adoration to the intensity which burns in our hearts for Jareth or L or (grudgingly I admit his attractiveness) Light. I mean, he gives me the creeps and he’s so… Ew. Just EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!
Anyone here like Bleach or Naruto at all? Those supply some pretty awesome gaming as well.
Hey, don’t dis Ryuk fangirls!