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Congratulations, casual gamers - you've just won a major victory for mankind, common sense in general, and the entire interactive entertainment industry as a whole. So go claim your trophy: Its name, Nintendo's Wii.
At stark odds with the presently sorely-undersupplied and hefty-priced ($499/$599 20GB or 60GB) PlayStation 3, the much better-stocked and value-minded machine ($249 w/ Wii Sports game pack-in) isn't just a boon to holiday shoppers. It's also a minor coup for all of us who adore software providers such as RealArcade, Oberon Games, Reflexive, PlayFirst, iWin.com, Big Fish Games, etc sending a clear message to consumer/enthusiast media and retailers alike.
This missive's gist: We, the people, have for too long been ignored and underrepresented in the console marketplace, and it's about high time software developers actually sat up and took note.
Make no bones about it - this business has traditionally catered to 18-35 year-old males, as in the past, they've almost exclusively been the ones to staff development houses and keep the dollars rolling in. But as illustrated by the success of the casual gaming sector, an expected $1 billion market by 2008 according to Jupiter Research, in today's expanding virtual world, game-makers can no longer afford to be so myopic.
The upshot being that, as recent studies by PopCap and RealNetworks prove, it's not that non-traditional demographics (e.g. women, seniors and desktop novices) aren't interesting in gaming, as previously assumed. These people's tastes and interests have simply not been catered to, with the multitude of sci-fi role-players, massively multiplayer online epics and fantasy dungeon hacks out there not speaking to their needs.
Enter Wii, the first set-top box to champion this philosophy... a feat all the more impressive in the face of competitors' dogged insistence that next-gen disc formats (e.g. HD-DVD or Blu-ray), 1080p high-definition graphics and on-demand music/movie/TV purchases are the way of the future. While the Wii does offer 24/7 online connectivity and let you download classic NES, Super NES, Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 amusements for under $10, it's no supercomputer. Roughly twice as powerful as a GameCube, maxing out at 480p standard-definition visual resolutions and lacking even basic DVD playback, it's obvious that greater horsepower isn't the emphasis here.
Rather, as folks such as Mario/Zelda creator and chief creative guru Shigeru Miyamoto have stated all along, they're focused on another key goal instead: Ensuring players of all ages can jump right in and have fun. Sound familiar? It should: This is the same principle powering titles like Zuma, Luxor 2, Diner Dash and Bejeweled, digital diversions aimed at the widest possible audience by way of familiar themes, simple control schemes and enjoyable, bite-sized entertainment experiences.
While the Wii may look daunting at first - a motion-sensitive TV remote-type controller that translates physical gestures into on-screen responses is its chief selling point - there's really little complexity to it. Simply swing the device to bat balls over the net using a simulated tennis racquet, hack away at the air to make swordsmen launch blade-spinning attacks or conduct a computerized orchestra with the wave of a virtual wand. Titles like Madden NFL 07 and Trauma Center: Second Opinion make even better use of the unique interface, letting you chuck footballs by performing chopping motions or gently wave the gizmo, utilizing it as a surgeon's scalpel.
In short, as Nintendo's insisted, between novel outings like medieval adventure The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, arcade racer Excite Truck, martial arts epic Red Steel and the so-gonzo-you've-got-to-see-it-to-believe Rayman: Raving Rabbids, the Wii's all about offering those aged 5 to 95 new ways to play. There's even a sound reason the company chose to go with the revolutionary control scheme - people look like they're having so much fun flopping around the living room that the system will instantly attract onlookers' curiosity and attention.
Meaning as follows... While exclusive, downloadable indie games; high-profile strategic romps or first-person shooters; and built-in hard drives that store albums and film shorts are a nice touch for hardcore enthusiasts, they're not necessarily the sort of thing that'll appeal beyond this core fan base. And if publishers truly wish to expand the market and tap into gaming's ever-growing audience as they've so-long insisted (adapting the biz to encompass Mom, Dad and lil' sis in addition to the teen males of the family), they're going to have to think smarter, designing more immediately enjoyable products that resonate with and appeal to everyday people.
The Wii, of course, being the first major beachhead us common folk have established in an industry long overrun by long-haired, acne-covered death metal enthusiasts and their bizarre, reflex- and patience-testing designs. Here's to your first triumph in the battle to reclaim the living room - and restore a little reason and order to a once-niche market that's fast outgrowing its ill-deserved reputation as an exclusive haven for the sunlight-deprived and socially inept.
Scott Steinberg is managing director of Embassy Multimedia Consultants. The industry's most prolific freelance author and radio/TV host, he's covered gaming/technology for 300+ outlets from CNN to the LA/NY Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone, USA Today, TV Guide, and of course, Gamezebo. Other ventures include software publisher Overload Entertainment and Games Press, the ultimate resource for game journalists.
