Gaming for those who care to think.
Posts tagged casual
Should life be more like video games?
Mar 17th
Should life be more like video games? Is such a proposition even possible? Jane McGonigal thinks so. What does she mean? McGonigal believes that games are simply more rewarding than real life and that people would respond better to a real world with game-like attributes.
But just who is Jane McGonigal and why should anyone care? She’s a senior researcher at the Institute for the Future, but you can simply call her a futurist. It’s her job to predict how the latest fad might shape the landscape of the future.
No, she does not believe the world needs magic mushrooms that will make people grow, or ghosts chasing people through the super market. She does, however, believe that a major flaw of reality is that it simply isn’t as rewarding as games. If you get up and go to work everyday, there is very little actual feedback given from reality other than a paycheck. Compare that with a video game where you are constantly given feedback about how well you are doing your job and even tips on how to do it better. More >
Phil Harrison explains leaving Sony and his voyage to Atari
Mar 4th
Phil Harrison is no Peter Moore. He’s the quiet type who prefers to stay behind the scenes rather than show off his GTA 4 tattoo to thousands of attendees at gaming expos. Although, lately he’s been at the top of gaming news as the man who left Sony for the sinking ship known as Atari and left behind the platform he helped to succeed.
Though no specific reasons behind his departure have been indicated Harrison was very vocal at GDC recently publicly criticizing Sony Japan for not taking advantage of the booming casual games market. “It’s a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz,” stated Harrison. “And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan — people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other’s homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii.” More >
The precarious problem with the Wii’s first year
Feb 23rd
The Wii has been an unquestionable retail success so far. No one would have expected over a year after its launch it would still be difficult to find in stores, and it would still be outselling both the PS3 and Xbox 360. In the mindshare of so-called hardcore gamers, however, it has had a much rougher time. “Where are the games for us?” they cry out. The problem is that it’s rather difficult to see with both eyes closed.
The Wii has suffered through a drought of games on par with the PS3 and Xbox 360 in their first years of life. Not only those systems, but it has actually fared better than some classic systems such as the PS2 and N64. So, what is everyone complaining about? While the games are there, they aren’t exactly there the way many ways would want.
While Super Mario Galaxy was a true AAA title, many gamers were disappointed not by a lack of innovation or decent control, but instead by a lack of high-resolution textures. Similar criticism was leveled against The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Still, many hardcore players seem to miss the point that right there they have three AAA titles within the first year of a console’s release. The fact that the Wii is not the hardware equivalent of the PS3 or Xbox 360 is simply something they’ll have to get over, or miss quality games. This is the same as bringing one’s self to term with the concept that the DS and PSP will never be the graphical equal of their big brother consoles. More >
NFL Cockfighting not among EA Sports’ five new franchises
Feb 14th
Love them or hate them, EA Sports is a commanding power in the world of video games. From FIFA to Madden to NBA Live they continually sell well almost bulletproof to criticism. EA Sports apparently figures when you have a good thing going, make more of it by launching five new franchises within the next three years.
While one of those titles is supposed to be geared more toward the casual market, the other four will apparently be among the core franchises. How will that work? Expect more titles of the NBA Street and NFL Head Coach variety. Let’s be honest, are there really any other sports for EA Sports to tackle? Cricket? Lacrosse? They even already have a rugby franchise! More >
Video of the day: Street Fighter Online mouse control
Feb 13th
Here’s a bizarre idea. Let’s make an online version of Street Fighter that is played via mouse control. Who’s the target audience? Who knows! Seriously, there was a time when maybe people would casually play Street Fighter in a bar or bowling alley, but the only people playing it anymore are diehard fighting fans. The game simply left everyone else behind. Maybe that’s the rationale behind this simplified control scheme, but really it looks more daunting than casual.
Just in time for your Oscar party
Feb 13th
Just in time for your Oscar party, Sony has announced Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz for the Playstation 2. Following up on the success of it’s successor, The Hollywood quiz looks to help the PS2 cash in on the current trend of casual gaming with over 5,000 questions and three new modes of play it looks like those nifty new controllers will be put to use for quite a while.
There are plenty of nods to Hollywood including characters from Creature of the Black Lagoon, an Arnold/Stallone look alike, a pirate, and even the presentation is reminiscent of the Oscars with a red carpet and a Oscar-esque statue in the shape of the game’s host.
Scheduled for a March 11th release, The Hollywood Quiz doesn’t seem to be straying from the same formula that worked for the other titles in the Buzz! series by keeping the same modes from the other games like Final Countdown and Top rank but they are including three new modes called True or False, Hollywood Stars, and Rollover. More >
Study finds virtual fishing just isn’t quite the same
Feb 7th
A new study reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says people are leaving outdoor activities behind. The culprit? Well, video games of course.
In fairness, the study does not blame video games alone, but “sedentary, indoor videophilia.” So, basically anything enjoyed in front of a television or computer monitor. Camping, fishing, and visitors to parks have all seen declines-between 18-25% since the 1980s. There was a slight bump in the percentage of day hikes, but researchers wrote that off to campers being converted down to day hikers.
Where do video games come into play? While potentially no more of a time suck than any other video activity, video games have spent the same period of time as the study trying to recreate the great outdoors. Consider the success of casual outdoors titles such as the Sega Bass Fishing series. Granted, PETA and other organizations may be pleased that fewer people are going fishing, but the outcome is fewer kids feel the need to see an actual fish (fish sticks do not count). The virtual kind is easier to see, easier to catch, and there’s generally a lot less mess. Plus, who’d want to get too far from their Cheez-Its?
