Slog - Comments on Re: From A Nongamer With Love

Comment by bma

bma — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:45:03 -0800

I think that the industry *has* listened... or at least, Nintendo has. The remarkable thing about the Wii is that by reinventing the interface, they've made it more accessible to many people intimidated by the growing complexity of the controllers. And it's paid off! All of the anecdotal evidence that I've seen suggests that non-gamers (like senior citizens) are flocking to the Wii as a non-threatening alternative.

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:31:13 -0800

I would visit a Brawl tourney and maybe play in it, although I'm terrible at the game. Everytime I think I have the moves figured out I play some random hotshot who moves around and attacks me in such a way that I get confused and I forget what buttons to press. I hope I never have to fly a plane.

Sam, have you played the Endless Ocean wii "game" that I keep mentioning in other threads?

Comment by godsactionfigure

godsactionfigure — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:50:24 -0800

Awesome. A video game tournament for a game that rewards the random button masher.

Comment by Giffy

Giffy — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:38:27 -0800

What I took from her post was not that she did not like video that were difficult perse, but ones that require complex dexterity and quick reflexes.

Personally I love a challenge in a game, but prefer that challenge to be mental.

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:28:27 -0800

@3 (godsactionfigure), Brawl does not reward random button mashing. Have you even played any Brawl?

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:47:54 -0800

Yeah, what giffy says. I gots no fine motor skills, and that precludes me from gaming culture. No respectable "gamer" can't play first person shooters, and I can't. I would call myself a "casual" gamer, but apparently that has a specific meaning in gamer-land. "Soft-core" gamer is perhaps the best descriptor, in that I don't really seek them out and most of them don't appeal to me, but I do partake sometimes.

I guess what I was getting at with that list is games that have a low bar of entry. They get incredibly complex, but you can jump in and sort of figure out how to get started intuitively, which is why most of them have easy game play.

I didn't mention the Wii because, uh, all most posts were really long to begin with (I did originally write something about it, but cut it out), but I do think the Wii is on the right track in terms of accessibility. However, right now no third-party companies are making good games for it. Nick can comment on this extensively; it's outside my expertise. I hope the Wii is a major player in the future of video games, but right now I don't think there are the games for it that get people really *into* games, you know?

You know, I guess I'd call myself a gamer-by-association.

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:52:19 -0800

Also, we will be gone the last week of March, but if it's before or after that we'll try to be there!

Uh, what is Super Smash Brothers?

Comment by Joh

Joh — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:58:37 -0800

I will be at this Super Smash brothers tournament. I shall be training for 4 hours a day with Jigglypuff, so I can be a real competitor!

Comment by w7ngman

w7ngman — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:10:28 -0800

#6, an article you cited did mention gyroscopes, which I assume was reference to the Wii controller.

Most people can agree that the Wii controller is actually quite simplified. It's little more than an NES controller with movement. What used to be somewhat complicated actions, for example "sweep from down to right on the D-pad, then press A", have been simplified to a more accessible "move the controller like so, then press A". The movement tends to be more closely correlated with the actual action to be accomplished in-game, whereas D-pad sweeps are often quite arbitrary.

Full disclosure: I have never seen a Wii played nor played one myself.

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:20:52 -0800

Indeed, w7ngman; I've found the Wii much more intuitive to play (we don't own one, but I've played it) because the motions you make match the actions on the screen. Instead of aiming at something using a joystick, you point at it. It's a lot easier. However, I guess it's harder to adapt games from more traditional systems to the Wii because the controller is so different, so that's another reason games are limited.

Man, now I wish I hadn't cut that stuff about the Wii out of my post.

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:40:01 -0800

"However, right now no third-party companies are making good games for it."

Huh?? Have you played Zack & Wiki???!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:35:22 -0800

Most of the games she said she likes are the ones that I like - and her complaints about gaming are mine for the most part.

And I've been a gamer since forever.

Comment by ZwBush

ZwBush — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:49:06 -0800

I just bought a Wii and its fantastic. I agree that the games havent taken complete advantage of the console's ability, but that will take time.

I think the new Metroid game is pretty phenomenal. Can anyone tell me whats up with endless ocean? My gf wants that one. The sports game is great with a crowd, hasnt gotten old in my mind. Also, I am pretty nostalgic for nintendo in general. I own around 200 nes/snes/n64 games, and am not impressed with the virtual console's selection as of yet, hoping that will improve. But in the late 80s they definitely put out a lot of hard games. I have accepted that some are unbeatable without a game genie. BUT, i think the funnest ones are the playable, winnable ones. VIVA NES!

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:29:11 -0800

ZwBush, see my Endless Ocean comments in this other thread.

It's well worth the $30 price tag as long as you know what you're getting. Read the Amazon review/comments too.

Comment by sleestak

sleestak — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:41:16 -0800

I think it's also important to keep in mind that just because X% of the games today are easily accessible to non-gamers doesn't mean that it will be the same at the end of this year, next year, etc. Development companies recognize that the games with the most buzz recently are those that non-gamers like (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Super Smash Bros., Wario, Rayman's Raving Rabbids, etc.). Developers are going to go where the money is.

At the recent GDC conference one of the keynote speakers talked about how "casual games" are going to begin dominating the market.

Comment by Ace

Ace — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:07:28 -0800

Bowser and I will see you suckers at the Brawl tournament! Prepare to DIE!

Comment by Dawgson

Dawgson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:38:01 -0800

I will totally come play even though I seem to suck at Brawl. Maybe I don't suck and my tv is just too small for the intense action. That's what I keep telling myself.

Comment by Lionel Hutz

Lionel Hutz — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:13:30 -0800

I'm in... although all I seem to be able to do is make Yoshi roll around in spotted egg form until he falls off a ledge.

Comment by bemaha

bemaha — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:02:50 -0800

...I'm playing against Lionel Hutz (@18). You can roll around while I repeatedly slam myself into the ground as a Kirby weight until I fall off a ledge.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:38:50 -0800

Saturday nights are generally good for me. Though the only Smash Bros. I'm much good at is the original.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:41:12 -0800

@19: That reminds me how in Melee I learned how to do Kirby's backwards suicide piledriver off the ledge... but I always seemed to lose the enemy I was holding on to before I fell.

Comment by Lionel Hutz

Lionel Hutz — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:10:04 -0800

@19 -
Bemaha - You're on. We're both so dead.