How is Wii turning non-gamers into gamers?

It seems to me the Wii is turning a whole generation of non-gamers into a whole new generation of non-gamers. Imagine millions of kids growning up on this casual Wii mentality, playing games like Star Wars: Clone Wars, waving there wii-motes around, giggling and drooling, thinking this is the golden age of video games. They are not getting skilled at deep play mechanics and will probably never will if the Wii is their primary game console. I dont see how this is going to be good for the future of our hobby, given the Wii's ever growing user base of casual non-gamers.Videodogg

Its making non gamers occasional once a month gamers.  I have a wii, and I it is the least favorite out of the 3.  I dont want all games to be hardcore and Im not big into fps, but the wii just doesnt have a lasting appeal to it.  Its more of a "hey lets have a family game night and bowl on the wii" thing.  Now I actually love doing that with my boys and my gf, so dont get me wrong, but for the most part it will not make those casual gamers into hardcore ones.  But Nintendo is perfectly happy with getting casuals to buy their machine and only use it a few times a month or so because they still made money off it.

It isn't.

Are you saying there's something wrong with a person liking wiifit over fallout3?

It isn't.

Are you saying there's something wrong with a person liking wiifit over fallout3?

goblaa

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

 

gearsofhalogeek

 So, do real gamers only live in real America?

[QUOTE="goblaa"]

It isn't.

Are you saying there's something wrong with a person liking wiifit over fallout3?

monkeymoose5000

Which is...?

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

gearsofhalogeek

or maybe they will make a console that is easier to develop for and they will have a larger amount of decent games

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

gearsofhalogeek

Real gamers have PCs anyway :P Consoles are inherantly casual, designed for people who don't want to put the time or effort into PC gaming. Matchmaking, gfx, hardware reqs, controls. It's all overly simplifed so that you don't have to worry about it. 

It seems to me the Wii is turning a whole generation of non-gamers into a whole new generation of non-gamers. Imagine millions of kids growning up on this casual Wii mentality, playing games like Star Wars: Clone Wars, waving there wii-motes around, giggling and drooling, thinking this is the golden age of video games. They are not getting skilled at deep play mechanics and will probably never will if the Wii is their primary game console. I dont see how this is going to be good for the future of our hobby, given the Wii's ever growing user base of casual non-gamers.Videodogg

how is this any different from what kids were doing during the days of the atari 2600 or the nes? 

[QUOTE="Videodogg"]It seems to me the Wii is turning a whole generation of non-gamers into a whole new generation of non-gamers. Imagine millions of kids growning up on this casual Wii mentality, playing games like Star Wars: Clone Wars, waving there wii-motes around, giggling and drooling, thinking this is the golden age of video games. They are not getting skilled at deep play mechanics and will probably never will if the Wii is their primary game console. I dont see how this is going to be good for the future of our hobby, given the Wii's ever growing user base of casual non-gamers.redmetal86

how is this any different from what kids were doing during the days of the atari 2600 or the nes? 

[QUOTE="gearsofhalogeek"]

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

goblaa

So, do real gamers only live in real America?

and only the ones that matter live in real america. (ask a stupid question.......)

[QUOTE="gearsofhalogeek"]

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

Serraph105

or maybe they will make a console that is easier to develop for and they will have a larger amount of decent games

i could be wrong though.

See what happens is the kids and non-gamer and what not will be playing their Wii. The'll get tired of the shovelware and they'll go looking for somthing that actually get a good game more often than once every four months. They'll then switch to a better system. Mission acomplished.

[QUOTE="goblaa"][QUOTE="gearsofhalogeek"]

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

 

gearsofhalogeek

So, do real gamers only live in real America?

and only the ones that matter live in real america. (ask a stupid question.......)

That went completely over your head, didn't it?

[QUOTE="Serraph105"][QUOTE="gearsofhalogeek"]

its going to have a detrimental effect on future consoles, microsoft and sony will see the number of units the wii has sold and take the casual route next gen. leaving real gamers out in the cold.

 

gearsofhalogeek

or maybe they will make a console that is easier to develop for and they will have a larger amount of decent games

i could be wrong though.

Sure the 360 is easier to develop on, but it still cost a ton of money to just make a single game, and a lot of times, if it doesn't sell, then your favourite developers would go bankrupt. In this case, they have to develop games that they know gamers would like, and often times it would mean another shooter with prettier graphics and the one unique thing that seperates them from the rest of the pack.

The Wii is time consuming to develop (you have to program the shaders into the game from scratch), and they still have the reputation of Nintendo giving themselves head starts before developers to gain an unfair advantage. However, this is also a system which indie developers with big ideas can take advantage of, the Wii's development cost is so cheap that the Wii is truly the most innovative console out there, and giving the indie developers a chance and allowing them to afford to take a risk is what drives the gaming industry forward, not the next big budget shooter.

lol sorry goblaa, didnt realize it was you i was replying to, oh, go play your ataris and poop in a corner LMAOgearsofhalogeek

Haha, I can't even remember how the hell that line came up in the first place. :lol:

The Wii sold the most software this year....Tell me again if they are buying and playing games how does that make them a non-gamer?

The Wii sold the most software this year....Tell me again if they are buying and playing games how does that make them a non-gamer?

HarlockJC

Probably the same reason you wouldnt consider someone a chef for making a bowl of cereal.

[QUOTE="HarlockJC"]

The Wii sold the most software this year....Tell me again if they are buying and playing games how does that make them a non-gamer?

 

vashkey

Probably the same reason you wouldnt consider someone a chef for making a bowl of cereal.

Except a chef takes years of training, and being a gamer only requires you to turn a game on and play it.

Funny side fact: Did you know that to be an astronaut by definition only requires you to go out into space?

[QUOTE="HarlockJC"]

The Wii sold the most software this year....Tell me again if they are buying and playing games how does that make them a non-gamer?

 

vashkey

Probably the same reason you wouldnt consider someone a chef for making a bowl of cereal.

A chef is a person who cooks professionally. In a professional kitchen setting, the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen, the executive chef.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef

So the can't be a professional gamer because they play the Wii?

Maybe they want to just play for the fun of it. Would they still not be gamers because they play games?

nintendo just wants to appeal to non-gamers, thats all. is that a bad thing making more people want to play videogames? kind of a pointless threadTrav57

[QUOTE="Trav57"]nintendo just wants to appeal to non-gamers, thats all. is that a bad thing making more people want to play videogames? kind of a pointless threadmurat8

[QUOTE="vashkey"][QUOTE="HarlockJC"]

The Wii sold the most software this year....Tell me again if they are buying and playing games how does that make them a non-gamer?

HarlockJC

Probably the same reason you wouldnt consider someone a chef for making a bowl of cereal.

A chef is a person who cooks professionally. In a professional kitchen setting, the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen, the executive chef.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef

So the can't be a professional gamer because they play the Wii?

Maybe they want to just play for the fun of it. Would they still not be gamers because they play games?

Nope, Im talking about the type of people who buy the Wii cus it's somthing new and exciting, get bored of it and never play it again.

Im not talking about a profession.

Saying someone is a gamer though just because they have a system they don't play doesnt make much sense to me.

Am I a bowler just because I've gone bowling a couple times in my life?

Am I a bowler just because I've gone bowling a couple times in my life?

vashkey

yes. youre not a professional bowler, or a frequent bolwer, but a bowler nontheless. you know how to play the game, and have a better chance at winning a game than someone whos never bowled at all. a non bowler if you will. 

Who cares...M rated games don't make you cool and hardcore FYI.wassup432

that is just about the stupidest thing i have ever read. Just because i have run before it makes me a runner? Just because i have cooked before it makes me a cook? just because i have built something before it makes me a builder? just becasue i have swam before it makes me a swimmer? just because i have smoked a cigarette before it means im a smoker? FNKYMNK

yes, yes, yes, yes, and god yes to the last one if you still do it after the initial smoke. you may not frequently do these activities, but you still are one nontheless. you know how to do these things, and have a better chance of doing them well compared to someone who has never done these things. a non do-er if you will. 

All Nintendo is after is money. Everything they promote these days are just cash ins. They appeal to mothers and children because they are too stupid to know what a good game is and buy the crap anyway. The Nintendo Wii only has a handfull of decent exclusives. Nintendo is full of gimmicks and other propaganda to get our mothers and aunts to buy the garbage they call games. Good riddance Nintendo, you lost a fan boy about 2 months ago to Microsoft, a company that cares about gaming and cares about its fans. I pledge to never buy a Nintendo system again.FNKYMNK

again, how is any of this different from the days of the nes? nintendo was always about money. every company on the face of the earth is. thats the whole point of a company. to make money. they surely wouldnt do this crap for free. nintendo had gimmicks during the nes days, and had moms and aunts buying games for other people, a good number of which werent even that great. and to think a company actually cares about you is hilarious. Microsoft, like every other company, wants your money.  

Just say I have only done the listed things once. And your logic suggests that if you do something once you automatically know how do to this thing. I am not trying to start an argument but your logic makes no sense. If a paraplegic walked previous to the incident where they became paraplegic would that person that can no longer walk still be a walker?

Well obviously every company wants money, the world revolves around money. Nintendo used to make good games that its fans enjoyed playing. And the gimmicks on the NES actually enhanced gameplay and fun. Take Duckhunt for example. Microsoft has frequent updates, free downloads, useable online play and a great community. Sure Microsoft cares about money, they care about their gaming department too. Nintendo doesn't care about making good games that its fans will be happy with anymore, they just care about getting more money and selling garbage that they know people will buy.

Just say I have only done the listed things once. And your logic suggests that if you do something once you automatically know how do to this thing.

FNKYMNK

Well, if youve done it once, unless there were something physically stopping you, why would you not be able to do the exact same thing twice? 

I am not trying to start an argument but your logic makes no sense. If a paraplegic walked previous to the incident where they became paraplegic would that person that can no longer walk still be a walker?

FNKYMNK

they would be a former walker. a paraplegic would not be able to walk because they are physically not able to do so. nothing is physically stopping you from doing any of the other things you mentioned. you can still cook, run, swim, build, and smoke, provided you havent lost the ability to use your limbs or  entered a coma. if medicine/science progresses to the point where they can use their legs again, then their status is changed from former walker to walker again. the whole point of this is, you are what you do as long as youve done it before, know how to do it, can still have the ability to do it in some form. 

Well obviously every company wants money, the world revolves around money. Nintendo used to make good games that its fans enjoyed playing. And the gimmicks on the NES actually enhanced gameplay and fun. Take Duckhunt for example.

FNKYMNK

thats it? ok lets see. out of over 700 nes games, only 18 used the zapper, and people probably only cared about 2. duck hunt and hogans alley. thats not a lot of enhancement. what else, R.O.B? what did he enhance? only 2 games :/. the power glove and power pad? more useless crap.

Microsoft has frequent updates, free downloads, useable online play and a great community. Sure Microsoft cares about money, they care about their gaming department too. Nintendo doesn't care about making good games that its fans will be happy with anymore, they just care about getting more money and selling garbage that they know people will buy.

FNKYMNK

nintendo has updates as well. nintendo has free downloads, maybe not as frequently, but free nontheless. nintendo has a usable online play. people use it, and they play on it, regardless of friend codes, which not every game even uses, and has a great community too (mainly because i dont have to hear their voices, am i right? :lol:  ) the two companies are more similar than you realize, especially in their money grubbing aspects. nintendo has been making the same good games that fans will be happy with. mario? check. zelda? check. metroid? check. smash bros? check. pikmin? on the way. all games that nintendo fans are happy with and wanted sequels for. its not like they have that many ips. who do you think they are? sony? even they dont make enough ips for every month out of the year

this is just like in the nes days. mario? check times 3, well 2 if you dont count mario bros 2. zelda? check. metroid? check. its the same company that it was some 20 something years ago. first party franchises, gimmicks, and some crappy third party titles. nothing has changed at all.

wow, im done with this forum, you are a total noob. end of story, no point in replying because i wont see it.FNKYMNK

translation: i cant think of a counter. 

Well obviously every company wants money, the world revolves around money. Nintendo used to make good games that its fans enjoyed playing. And the gimmicks on the NES actually enhanced gameplay and fun. Take Duckhunt for example. Microsoft has frequent updates, free downloads, useable online play and a great community. Sure Microsoft cares about money, they care about their gaming department too. Nintendo doesn't care about making good games that its fans will be happy with anymore, they just care about getting more money and selling garbage that they know people will buy.

FNKYMNK

err SMG(GOTY07), MP3, Zelda, Mario Kart.... I think you mean to say 3rd party dev's are using the Wii to make a quick buck

So if I hand a person who has never in their life played a game my old Jurassic park battery powered game from Tiger, they would instantly become a gamer. Even if they never played the game again or any other?vashkey

The term "gamer" refers to a person that plays games as a hobby. There are no other requirements rather than play games. And that's pretty much a fact.

Nope, Im talking about the type of people who buy the Wii cus it's somthing new and exciting, get bored of it and never play it again.

Im not talking about a profession.

Saying someone is a gamer though just because they have a system they don't play doesnt make much sense to me.

Am I a bowler just because I've gone bowling a couple times in my life?

vashkey

The Wii has a attachment rate of 5.61 a system. Not just Wii sports and Wii fit. That means most them are buying the games and enjoying them. You have no idea how much they are using the system, all we can go by are game sales.

If you are throwing the ball down the lane right now at a bowling alley....What would you be called?

[QUOTE="vashkey"]

Nope, Im talking about the type of people who buy the Wii cus it's somthing new and exciting, get bored of it and never play it again.

Im not talking about a profession.

Saying someone is a gamer though just because they have a system they don't play doesnt make much sense to me.

Am I a bowler just because I've gone bowling a couple times in my life?

HarlockJC

The Wii has a attachment rate of 5.61 a system. Not just Wii sports and Wii fit. That means most them are buying the games and enjoying them. You have no idea how much they are using the system, all we can go by are game sales.

If you are throwing the ball down the lane right now at a bowling alley....What would you be called?

I can answer that one but this may help some of the posters

Gamer(noun):- a person who plays games

Bowler(noun):- a person who bowls, someone playing 10 tin bowling or skittles is referred to a Bowler. Or a Bowler in cricket

thanks to Dictionary.com

It seems to me the Wii is turning a whole generation of non-gamers into a whole new generation of non-gamers. Imagine millions of kids growning up on this casual Wii mentality, playing games like Star Wars: Clone Wars, waving there wii-motes around, giggling and drooling, thinking this is the golden age of video games. They are not getting skilled at deep play mechanics and will probably never will if the Wii is their primary game console. I dont see how this is going to be good for the future of our hobby, given the Wii's ever growing user base of casual non-gamers.Videodogg

Dude are you serious? What happened to video games being about fun? At a young age, I wasn't worried about "deep play mechanics" when I had a Nintendo Gameboy and NES. It was all about finding the fastest way to get the plumber guy across the stage without getting harmed or pilling a bunch of irregular shaped blocks on top of each other in order to make them disappear.

Look just because the wii doesn't appeal to you and other so called "Hardcore gamers" it doesn't mean that you have to demean everybody elses enjoyment of the system. It is still my opinion that first party wise, Nintendo has always made the best games. Sure they have their moments of inconsistency (I.E. Wii Music, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, etc.), but they always make up for it. It's mostly the third party developers that make the wii look bad by just merely porting over games from last-gen onto the wii and adding the "wiggle"/"giggle" effect (Resident Evil 4 is a forgiveable exception to this since the controls were well implemented into the game and made it more enjoyable then before). And really so what if casual gamers like those kinds of games anyway. As long as they are having fun, it really shouldn't matter how deep the game is. Not every game is meant to be a Final Fantasy or Metal Gear, variety is always best.