Are casual games the future?

[saprano]

you see what the wii done started http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186207...stnews;title;0 i dont know what he's talking about, us hardcore gamers built this industry. i will still and always buy games like final fantasy,resistence, and grandturismo.

[xtop]

*gran turismo. but i don't think its the future, tho i'd love to see them become more widespread. games like the psn and xbox live arcade games are wonderful for just a quick and fun gaming session

[saprano]

but what about us? i guess this is what happens when we go to pop culture.

[Zipzap713]

Are casual games the future? No. Will they be a big part of it? Yes. Casual games such as Wii Sports and Brain Age have brought a huge crowd into the gaming sector. But hardcore/competitive games are still what the big money maker is (Halo/Call of Duty/). Just expect casual games to be more common in the near future. But they'll never change the market.

[saprano]

oh you said dont think i thought you i think.

[xtop]

Originally Posted by saprano

but what about us? i guess this is what happens when we go to pop culture.

well i don't think we'll be left in the dark. but a simple game is nice on occasion

[saprano]

Originally Posted by Zipzap713

Are casual games the future? No. Will they be a big part of it? Yes. Casual games such as Wii Sports and Brain Age have brought a huge crowd into the gaming sector. But hardcore/competitive games are still what the big money maker is (Halo/Call of Duty/). Just expect casual games to be more common in the near future. But they'll never change the market.

but what happens when your mom starts fighting you for the controller?

[Zipzap713]

Originally Posted by saprano

but what happens when your mom starts fighting you for the controller?

Then it would be time to get a new TV and Game System for her own use

[kingofgrills]

I think casual games will be a part of gamings future, like a newly recognized genre, but I don't think casual games are the future. The Wii has done phenomenally well in its first year, but I don't know if it can continue that momentum indefinitely. It's not much more than a repackaged Gamecube with double the memory, so tech wise it was limited from the start. However, for casual games, that's really all that's needed, right?

Inherently, I think the casual game marketplace will have its own challenges. Once the novelty of Wii Sports wears off, will the casual non-gamers Nintendo targeted continue to seek out new games? Or will they lose interest in gaming since they weren't really "into it" anyway? It's hard to tell.

I've been gaming since I got my Atari 2600 in, well, the late '70's, and I went through the video game crash of '82. Back then video games were still very much a novelty, like casual games and the Wii phenomenon are today. I'm not saying we'll see the same results, but I wouldn't be surprised if a large chunk of Wii owners lose interest and just stop using it.

[saprano]

good point

[tommyboy81]

Online games are. Any kind. Most likely all games you can play a year or two from now are going to be online. Also people who haven't experienced online gaming yet will around that time.

[mightypen]

How casual is casual?

Bejeweled/solitaire casual?
Nintendogs/Brain Training casual?
DDR/Singstar/Buzz/Scene it/wii sports/guitar hero casual?
Madden/Halo casual?
Gran Turismo/Final Fantasy casual?

[Septimus Prime]

Originally Posted by Zipzap713

But hardcore/competitive games are still what the big money maker is (Halo/Call of Duty/).

This is actually very interesting to read because, to some of us games like Halo were representative of the types of games for the "casual gamers" who were ushered in by the Xbox last gen. It's funny now that the Xboxers, who many of us consider "casual gamers" already, are calling the new Wii guys "casual."

The same thing happened when Sony first came aboard, too. The Nintendo players called them "casual," and then they in turn called the Xboxers "casual." I guess we've now gone full circle.

[Blu-Beard]

Originally Posted by mightypen

How casual is casual?

Bejeweled/solitaire casual?
Nintendogs/Brain Training casual?
DDR/Singstar/Buzz/Scene it/wii sports/guitar hero casual?
Madden/Halo casual?
Gran Turismo/Final Fantasy casual?

+1?

[oldmike]

the key is hardcore gamers buy way more games me i get 5 to 10 a year
most caual gamers get 2 or less a year and we are seeing it in wii sales
saw a poll not that far back showing gamers per system
Wii had 1.8 per PS3 and 360 were in the 4 to 5 range
so even with the fact that the 360 have been out for a long time
and all the PS3 that are Blu-ray players 1st and not even gamers


PS dont say there are no old gamers my mom and day are in there 50s
they have 360 and a gameing PC thou they only have 6 gam

[Zipzap713]

Originally Posted by mightypen

How casual is casual?

Bejeweled/solitaire casual?
Nintendogs/Brain Training casual?
DDR/Singstar/Buzz/Scene it/wii sports/guitar hero casual?
Madden/Halo casual?
Gran Turismo/Final Fantasy casual?

Nintendogs/Brain Training is what I consider casual. Wii Sports is casual too. I wouldn't consider Guitar Hero/DDR/Singstar as casual because there is a higher learning curve. The lower the learning curve, the more casual. The higher the learning curve, the more hardcore. You can't exactly pick up GH on your first try and blaze through on Expert. No, you need lots of practice.

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by oldmike

the key is hardcore gamers buy way more games me i get 5 to 10 a year
most caual gamers get 2 or less a year and we are seeing it in wii sales
saw a poll not that far back showing gamers per system
Wii had 1.8 per PS3 and 360 were in the 4 to 5 range
so even with the fact that the 360 have been out for a long time
and all the PS3 that are Blu-ray players 1st and not even gamers

uh what? The wii software attach rate is ahead of the ps3 even excluding wii sports, and roughly even when excluding wii-play.

[cking2729]

IMO, "casual gaming" is partly to blame for the video game crashes of the past. Right now average joe is having his fill of Wii Sports and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but who is to say he'll buy the next console, or the next wave of games? He won't. Casual gamers aren't the type to continuously go out and buy that unheard-of new game or the new expensive console, or to continuously keep up with the industry and turn out at the low points. Ultimately, the hardcore gamer is the rock, and it'd be a suicidal mistake to abandon what they (we) want.

[saprano]

Originally Posted by mightypen

uh what? The wii software attach rate is ahead of the ps3 even excluding wii sports, and roughly even when excluding wii-play.

it is?

[saprano]

Originally Posted by cking2729

IMO, "casual gaming" is partly to blame for the video game crashes of the past. Right now average joe is having his fill of Wii Sports and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but who is to say he'll buy the next console, or the next wave of games? He won't. Casual gamers aren't the type to continuously go out and buy that unheard-of new game or the new expensive console, or to continuously keep up with the industry and turn out at the low points. Ultimately, the hardcore gamer is the rock, and it'd be a suicidal mistake to abandon what they (we) want.

+ 1000