You might not like video games, but listen up. At this year's E3 (Electronic entertainment Expo), two major companies jumped on the rusty but newly painted bandwagon that is Motion Gaming. What this means is, when you move, the character in the game moves. This is supposed to give you a truly immersive gaming experience and make you feel like you're actually in the game. I'd like to call it the Matrix effect, or the 'window which is facing the outside of your class when a teacher is teaching the subject you don't like' effect. Now, Nintendo has had this market on lockdown for over 4 years. They've cornered the "Casual" market (8-12 year olds, your grandmum, etc.) down to a T. But Microsoft and Sony have been focussing on the more "hardcore" market by spewing out tons of realistic games that usually involve blowing peoples' heads up into a billion bits (AKA entertainment).
Now, Nintendo has been selling thrice the amount of its WII console(which uses 2 controllers with motion-sensing capabilities) than both Microsoft's XBOX360 and Sony's PS3. So this year, both Microsoft and Sony tried to bring out their own motion controllers. Microsoft's Kinect and Sony's Move. The Kinect uses a camera to detect your entire body and put you in the game. No controllers. This sounds extremely cool. But right now, the only games they've put out is casual (boring) games such as fitness games. Now, imagine you come home after a tiring day of school. Do you want to stand in front of your TV and flail your arms around like you're stuck in a Lady Gaga video, or do you want to play a game? Sony's Move almost exactly mimics the Wii's nunchuck controller, so that's nothing new.
But this brings about a huge question for the future of video games: is motion gaming good? It truly destroys the rules and ideals of gaming that have been craftily built for the past 30 years. It WILL bring in a new demographic of gaming to people, but that could also be very bad. Core gamers (people who have been playing games for years) will suddenly find that they have no games to play. More new "casual" people with deep pockets = more fitness games = more money. Yes, let's use maths for once. This could very well lead to the death of the gaming industry as we know it. PC gamers will be the only "core" gamers left, but they also pirate almost every single game available. There have already been sales slumps for the industry in the past 5 years. Let's hope these motion gaming machines actually put out core games. i.e. I know you can touch these games, but let's hope they can touch you.
6 Comments
I’m gonna love seeing FPSs use wand-waggling on the PS3 and waggle-dancing on the 360 to play. Nintendo probably just brought out the Wii to make the dough, get everyone to switch over to catering to the casual, and now it’s gonna fucking pull a 180 and steal the hardcore audience in its next-gen console.
Fable 3 will work with Kinect.
I’m sure both controller and motion sensor markets can strive in the same environment. It’s not like we have to pick one or the other.
The Move and the Kinect aren’t required to play the games released.. Unlike the Wii. (With the exception of a few games)
Exactly, Fable 3.
You seem to assume that all motion control is bad, and I heartily disagree. It’s let to some amazing games that wouldn’t have been possible without it (Elebits, Red Steel 2, Punch Out, etc.). Certain things are just genuinely more fun through motion control (Sword fights, driving–which is most enjoyable with a wheel, but a Wiimote is about 10 times as enjoyable as dual analog). I challenge anyone to play Metroid Prime 1 and 2 on GC and then as part of the MP Trilogy on Wii and tell me motion controls didn’t make two great games even better.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword looks like it will be the “core” display of everything the Wii is capable of in the same way Wii Sports Resort was in a more general sense. I was impressed by Sorcery (even if some of the stuff was little more than “waggle”) and Forza on Kinect did look pretty cool (Although why am I going to spend $150 on Kinect when I can spend less and get an actual wheel?).
None of the rules and ideals of gaming have been destroyed. Nintendo has been responsible for every sort of control innovation you can think of. The D-Pad, the Analog stick, Rumble, and now Motion Control. There are plenty of “core” games on the Wii that have proven nothing is going to change in that regard because of Motion Control. What we’re on a steady progression to is virtual reality. It’s coming. Motion controls and 3D are just the most recent advancements in that regard.
By the way, “Motion control is going to destroy gaming” is years old. You’re a bit late on this whole thing.
Proof
I refuse to buy any of these motion gaming contraptions until they work with Katamari. Period. End of story.