As you've probably seen, Lewzr's recent clogpost, much like a lucky crane game toy, was plucked from the crowd and deemed by the fickle whim of fate to be worthy of frontpage note, leaving the other two-dollar polyester toys to swelter in desperate loneliness under the garish carnival lights, their plastic eyes gazing in numb supplication as they await the cold touch of fortune's metal fingers that may never seize their scruffs.
And I'm glad it did, because it's quite on-point. Many of us have spent a good chunk of our lives lamenting our social ostracism, frustrated by our attempts to make others understand the allure of our beloved pastime -- or at the very least, to stop infantilizing and nerdifying us for it. As Lewzr points out, how stupid is it of us to excoriate the popularity of casual games' ever-broadening adoption when it brings the greater diversity, understanding and acceptance of game culture that we say we've wanted for so long?
For one thing, just because we say something doesn't mean we mean it. Most of us are no longer teenagers circa 1990, where in between headbanging to Rage Against the Machine and gripping our chests in paroxysms of torment to the Cranberries, we soulfully decried our oddball status while painting our fingernails black and marinating in the heady musk of the era's Teen Spirit. Our generation, along with normative society, has matured and diversified somewhat -- but while angst's a thing of the past, it doesn't mean we're truly over it. After all, we had to grow to embrace the angst of solitude, used it to define us, armed ourselves with a sort of twisted pride in order to survive, and I suspect we're not so ready to relinquish that pride as we often claim. It's admittedly offensive that, just when we're growing out of our resentment at alienation, "everyone else" abruptly about-faces and decides we're cool after all.
But the real reason we should quite rationally fear casual gaming is a lot less emo, and a lot more concrete. Read on for the awful truth, my brothers.
When I'm not making love to you all with my keyboard here at Destructoid, I cover more biznessy news as the editor of a virtual worlds news portal, as well as in other arenas. It's true that a lot of my reporting has taught me that the increasing buzz around virtual worlds, MMOs and the recent flood of casual gaming news and business demonstrates that enterprise has finally realized that there's a broad (and broadening) market for gaming; in other words, that there's more to our industry than hardcore on the console. Which, again, is in and of itself a good thing.
But the other thing they realized is how much money they can make, primarily through advertising.
Lewzr's not the only one to have pointed out that the fact that our Moms all now love to play Peggle at work just leads to a greater acceptance of gaming as a more mainstream pastime; after all, just because people wanna play more browser quickies doesn't mean our console offerings are losing their richness.
But the cold green fact is, there's an entire burgeoning industry composed of business folk who have realized that engaging games can be effective packaging for very lucrative advertising, and they're designing gameplay around it -- whether that's creating games designed to generate repeat hits to the ad-supported portal, or designing in a way that forces users to pay attention to ads without disrupting their experience. I'm not referring to "advergaming" -- games that are themselves interactive ads, but to the fact that with so few people actually willing to pay for games online, designing for the advertising has become an essential.
Design that wants players to pay attention, stay engaged and keep returning -- not necessarily a bad thing. But my worry is that the ad money that can be made designing relatively simple games with mass appeal, fewer companies will be investing dollars -- or creativity -- in the much riskier (and much more expensive) epic gaming ventures we've all been raised on and love to death.
Gaming, something that once felt like a sort of secret handshake among an enclave of underground nerds, is now the hot device of the year; people are looking at games as their vehicles for doing anything and everything. This sometimes results in embarrassing ventures -- like when your Principal tries to talk in slang. Speaking of advergames, take Toyota's recent "Little Deviants" game, an ad for the Scion, shock for shock's sake and way too formulaic to be as hip as it thinks it is (Slate concurs with me -- anyone else played it?). Mass commercialization is part of any medium's growing-up, and I know it's immature, not to mention irrational, for me to feel a bit violated. Still, I do.
Away from the hot, salty emotion and back to the facts, though, this quote from the blog of Microsoft's Kim Pallister (via GameSetWatch) sums it up:
"At Casual Connect this year, there was a lot of talk about the big media companies (e.g. MTV/Viacom) coming into the space. What I don't think people grokked though, is that not only will they come in and compete for the same customers, but they may completely upset the apple cart in an effort to get those gamers interested in their IP (and thus watching the shows, buying the dolls, eating up all the Hollywood soup and washing it down with a sugary, fizzy dose of free-to-play branded MMO."
Free-to-play's the key. Most of the ventures on this newer trend don't charge subscription fees or download fees, opting instead to earn revenue from ads sold on portals, or via microtransactions (the purchase of small virtual goods). And that might mean a kick in the wallet for games like WoW, who charge for their experience.
I don't exactly believe that suddenly we'll inhabit a world where the PopCap Empire crushes the console RPG under its thumb, or where Webkinz or BarbieGirls bankrupt WoW and there's nothing left for us. But the concern that the evolving business models will change gaming is a legit one, I think. This year's E3 might perhaps be taken as evidence that it's already begun. What do you guys think about it? And, because they might be two different things, how do you feel about it?
Contest:
9:05 AM on 07.30.2007
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We're at that turning point in history that music went around in the Nineties. The main product is going to be absolute garbage...commercialized, infested with ads and tainted by the hands of corporations who don't know the first thing about making games.
Or maybe I'm over reacting.
I don't like this new market. If people want to be gamers, fine, It's never been easier to become a gamer. But if the only console you own is a Wii, and you think that Mario guy is cool, you're not really a gamer.
I think that people will get the wrong idea about our culture from marketing like this. I am sure we'll see a decline in hardcore games, and a garbage ton more party games.
after reading that paragraph, i'm totally convinced that i can get my fiance to let me marry you as well. where were you during that time of my life, we could have been great together. [:
sometimes your truths are almost to close for comfort, but then i realize that i don't really think you could be too close. [;
But look at this year: we have some great AAA titles coming. Not countless, but still quite a few. There are still only like 5 good pc-games a year. If you are not into JRPG, the last 1-2 years didn't have THAT many great ps2 titles either.
With an expanding game industry, we may see a bit of an initial slump with the relocation of resources towards the casual sector. But it might pay off if they make so much money that they can fund indie games and other hardcore games as well. If the companies would care, of course...
the problem is that casual games would bring in much more money to publishers than hardcore titles. I can see a lot of big companies (you know, the ones with all the money that make stuff like Bioshock) putting hardcore games on hold for the next Party Game Bullshit #8.
Remember the story about Inafune ditching Dead Rising 2 in favor of more mainstream stuff?
I think in the beginning this watch-to-play scheme will only work for the basic browser games. Serious games for the consoles or PC that use the same philosophy will not work, as the gamers that the company's are targeting, will not put up with it.
In the end, we might see some serious games use it, mostly online-only games, but I'm not sure if this is as serious as we are making it out to be.
oh, i agree leigh, cultural impact has a way of being widespread rather than localized, but just the fact that you hit my highschool years on the head almost in order scared me a little. if you would have quoted any part of henry rollins' "i know you" from his boxed life spoken word album i would have declared us soul mates.
i'm not trying to creep you out. i'm a nice guy really, it was just one of those moments that makes you really feel retrospective and confused.
Hey kids! Don't conform with those losers! Conform with us! Our cars are square! Remember, if you didn't blow your entire college fund on it, you didn't buy a big enough tailfin!
Lame.
Casual gamers refuse to learn anything new. When seeing a game that uses a fuckton of buttons on their gaming pad, they're too intimidated to even bother with it. They'd rather play a simple game requiring no learning curve or tutorials.
Casual gamers are also amused by simple mechanics. They don't care if they're playing a baseless mini-game over and over, they find it amazing given the fact that they lack true gaming experience.
But isn't this all to familiar? Yes, they're n00bs, but everyone was once a n00b too. These mini-games are not eternal. Even casual gamers will get bored, and once they are, they'll pick up a hardcore game that they've been hearing about on the web, or through friends, or anywhere else. Who knows?
This of course is simply the optimistic view that casual gamers will simply become more experienced, however, it's perfectly possible that the mass commercialization and mass ignorance scenario occurs. After all, how many kiddies do you know that started with nu metal and ended up with pop and oldies thinking that it's "more mature?"
But why wouldn't publishers make both? You don't need a huge team to make the average casual game, and I don't see EA or Ubisoft telling the Madden or Prince of Persia teams "okay, stop what you're doing and churn out some mini-game compilations." They'd get smaller, less experienced teams work on the casual games and let everyone else continue to do what they do. And with the money they make from the casual games, they'll be able to make more of both types.
The casual game doomsday scenario a lot of people are worried about just doesn't seem at all logical to me. No other form of popular media has had a similar problem. Shitty horror movies and blockbuster special effects films make the most money at the box office, but that doesn't stop the studios from continuing to make art house flicks or romantic comedies.
this whole casual gamer debate is definitely an interesting topic, but as much as i side with Shenocide and his ideas I still see some reason to worry about leigh's thoughts on the matter.
if game companies see how much money can be made from small underdeveloped mini-type games, what is to keep them from severely limiting their development of more complete games. granted there is too much of a user base for high profile games, but what is to keep this train of thought from destroying the hopes of a real promising game just because the hype train behind it doesn't make it seem like a AAA title or instantly fit it into this casual gamer market strategy.
that has always been my biggest complaint about any industry. when things begin to happen that could lead to a stagnation of innovation, we see things with possible promise get looked over for more of the same old thing. now granted not every independent idea is a good one, but i would hate to see even one good one never get made.
i agree that i don't think this is a problem of doomsday proportions, but i feel this is something to be aware of so that the train can be stopped before a full-on derailment. [metaphorically of course.]
I've become totally casual, sneaking in a few quick levels of Mario 2 on my Wii here and there. With the Wii's virtual console, I've realized that it's never been the "newest and most advanced" games that were keeping me interested. It was simply the fact that when I had absolutely nothing to do, I could jump into a game and kill a bit of time. The problem with games like Final Fantasy XII is that those bored few hours turned into a 100+ hour over a few weeks "waste of time".
For me, I know better and I stay away from games that are just too long and involved (pretty much anything on the last couple of generations.) Sure there will be exceptions such as Metroid on Wii and Mario Galaxy, but I could care less about the rest.
You've got to give a little to get a little people and casual/mini games seem to be the way. You don't have to watch Big Brother so why buy Mario Super Hits on Princess Peach's Turbo Pussy Lips?
casual games are needed. my life, sadly, keeps me from being able to sit down for long play sessions. so sometimes being able to play a quick level or mini game and getting back to business is great. i'm still worried about what i mentioned before.
to the comments about casual games being like the movie industry's mindless adventures... we already have those in gaming. they are the movie tie-ins and plethora of crappy games. if piracy has taught me anything, it's that there are A LOT of shitty games out there. i just don't want a flood of casual games to flood the market and make it 10x worse.
...when was the last time Nintendo made a new IP that wasn't some casual game?
Pikmin.
On to the topic at hand. I really don't see casual gaming as the end of hardcore gaming. All of the hardcore gamers feel that companies will shift their focus so they won't make games for them anymore, but for me, most of their focus isn't on me anyways. Let me explain. I've noticed a large variety of first and third person shooters coming out recently, as well as rts'. I hate these kind of games, and may play one once in a blue moon. So, what exactly should I do. Oh wait, there's these three titles that aren't in the aforementioned genres, but their appeal sports and racing titles. Excellent. Now, I'm exaggerating just a tad, like many who fear this whole casual nonsense, but it still holds somewhat true for me. There's not a wide selection of gaming that really interests me lately. Hey, at least those FPS crowds will have lots to play the upcoming months.
Think of it this way: publishers are naturally risk-averse, because - to quote a recent GI article - virtually every game they pick up is a really slim bet. It's in every company's best interest to invest in a sure thing, so it's reasonable to expect that they'll begin putting more money into advergames and casual stuff that appeals to a broader market. My employer is in such a deep financial hole that they basically have no choice but to follow this route in order to avoid bankruptcy.
By extension, this means that the traditional games we love will have to be FREAKING AWESOME for a publisher to even notice it, let alone start pumping money into it. Mediocre crap just won't cut it anymore. Every game that enters business development, no matter how original or unique, will have to blow everyone away if it hopes to see a commercial release. So to that end, we may see fewer games we like, but their overall quality could be much higher. I'm all about raising development standards; it can only push people like me further in our quest to exceed expectations, and I'm beginning to learn how to thrive off that pressure.
On the other hand, quirky breakout titles like Katamari or what-have-you will also become less commonplace. But the steady growth of the indie scene, coupled with the reduced financial risk of online distribution in the form of Steam and GameTap, could mean that there's always somewhere to turn for obscure works of genius.
I may be overly optimistic here; this is kind of a best-case scenario, and the truth is more likely to fall somewhere in between my predictions and the "OMG GAMEZ ARE TEH DEAD 4EVA!!" doomsday ranting of the old-school types who fear change.
I want to agree, buddy, I really do, but we'll just use my mom for an example here. She wants a Wii, because she hasn't played a game console since the Super Nintendo. She is not on board with 12 button controllers and dual analog sticks. She tried to play Halo once and ran around shooting straight into the sky. Theses are the people who the gaming companies are targeting, and they're not "n00bs," they are people who have no interest in gaming beyond things they don't have to put thought into. They will never learn to play complicated games because games don't mean anything.
And as the market expands to accommodate these people, I worry that money and time that could be put toward developing good games with deep gameplay and story elements will be put aside to develop "Mom Happy Two-Button Jamboree 12."
Until I hear official word of KOTOR 3 being developed, all hope is lost. SERIOUSLY, I DON'T CARE IF IT'S BIOWARE OR OBSIDIAN BUT SOMEBODY BETTER MAKE THE GODDAMN GAME AND MAKE IT GOOD.
Movies: Hollywood mainly produces drek for the mass media. Their big advantage is that it is possible to create a quality movie for not much money.
Music:Top 40 radio. Need I say more?
Books:Having worked in a bookstore, what sells best is the type of Clancy, Patterson, and Cornwell crap that can be churned out by anyone with the formula in a month or two.
Expansion of a market always comes with benefits and detriments, and video games are no different. I definitely see the rise of a mass-market, largely crap video game industry that is hopefully countered by independent game companies that are able to use the technology(as it becomes cheaper) to make quality games.
That's my two cents.
All the while it was clear that such activites were not in the mainstream. News reporters pronounce "Nintendo" like it was some exotic cullinary ingredient, only mentioning it when they were exclaiming the death of some kid as it related to video games. Every other week some hack psychologist or politician came on T.V. and told me I was statistically less intelligent, more violent, and easily influenced, while all I could do was grimace and bear it.
I feel as if the mainstream doesn't deserve to enjoy our medium. Their invasion of our passtime perhaps does not mean the end of hardcore games, but I feel it will certainly cheapen and debase it. Want to recover health? Buy a Coke from the machine in every other room! Clothes for your female avatar in an MMO? Buy from Ye Olde JC Penny!
Sorry my boys, but if the massive money being made in the current gaming scene is any indication, I say there are more than enough non-casual gamers out there with enough non-casual money.
If game companies decide to focus more on casual, then they won't "abandon" us. They will simply break and other people and organizations shall rise to provide us with *our* type of games.
The only thing to truly fear here, is whether gaming could become fractured into casual and not camps, both with 'irreconcilable' differences.
And that mah friends would suck ass.
Side note: I just saw Leigh's myspace page and ZOMG she is HAWT!!!
p.s. I didn't spell check, sry in advance.
Casual gaming helps our image and it helps bring new gamers into the fold. I mean, they're not ALL going to stop gaming after Wii Sports. People need to stop being so alarmist and stop panicking until there's something to panic about. Just keep buying the "non-casual" games and relax.
Or maybe employees at the gamestop can implement a system that verifies that you do indeed live in your moms basement and have the requisite 100+ hours a week to sink into gaming before they sell you anything. As an added bonus, when you buy a new game you will have your pants pulled down and beaten with a paddle because you are new to the game you are buying and clearly not fit to play it.
Im certain that the casual gamer can use a Final Fantasy game as a bridge between casual and hardcore. You start by pushing one button for two minutes in a minigame and end by pushing one button for 100 hours.
oh and ritalin, as much as i love esperanto, i'm not really keen to learn another language just for the sake of a video game. unless that game doesn't really require reading, that way i can enjoy the language, but not be required to know what is going on.
The videogame industry is bigger than the film industry, and that's because of hardcore gamers not the new and feared casual gamer. There is plenty of money to be made off of "hardcore" games and they know it. Casual games aren't even close to a majority or even a large portion of the market, and even the Wii has only about 15 I think. So just relax buy the games you like and stop trying to segregate gamers.
In the end I think it'll be this anti-casual gamer crowd to ruin games if anybody is going to do it. If you like playing games play games. Honestly why are gamers trying so hard to separate themselves from people just getting into gaming instead of trying to get them in deeper?
So some money may get dropped into web-based freebie games. So some more money might get dropped into Wii-based wiggle games that have zero depth but are easy to learn and you can teach your mom to play. The market is there now, so it'd be foolish *not* to put some investment into trying to keep it alive. But none of that will erase the market that already exists. It just means two different markets. Sort of like there's a market in hollywood for big, dumb, action films, just as there is for the small, quiet, quirky, indie-flicks.
Mind you, this might be a bad comparison depending on if you see casual gaming as the action film or the indie-flick.
From the advertising standpoint, lets all face facts, this is going to be a given in our games from this point forward. No escaping it. But, if you were an advertising, would you rather your message broadcast to the casual gamer who plays a PopCap game for fifteen or twenty minutes online, or the guy who's spending three hours trucking through an online match of Rainbow Six: Vegas?
Also, I agree with Leigh in her hopes that LordRegulus is right.
I only have an account because everyone I work with has one, I don't go on there much but I'll certainly add you.
1.) The gaming model. We shouldn't forget that "gaming for the masses" effect has occurred already in history: I can imagine there was similar sentiment in the early 80's amongst old-school PC users (who were actually building and programming their own machines) when personal game consoles emerged. The elite world of computer programming being invaded by the likes of Intellivision and Atari was sure to have brought out the heralds of doom for the future of personal computing.
2.) The Television Model. Hey, do you remember when old-man Broadcast was cock-of-the-walk down Television Street? He was the best at everything he did... and suddenly those hoodlums in the Cable gang start pushing in on his territory. The audacity of these low-budget low-lives, sullying the art of televised vision! Who's even heard of a "niche audience?" Television will forever suffer from the insidious influence of Cable (except for HBO, or course... we'll always pay a subscription free for better television!).
The Internet Model: The internet was so much cooler when it wasn't the internet. I remember, in 1986, I went onto a BBC and wrote a message to someone in Sweden. IN SWEDEN! That was like A THOUSAND miles away! And I was so much cooler than all the other six-year-olds who hadn't spoken to someone in Sweden. But not as cool as I would be in 1989 when I was the only 9-year-old to download EGA illustrations from Prodigy. Definitely still cooler in 1991; f**k those AOL punks and their chat rooms, *I* had my Winsock connection to the REAL internet. You know, the one with PORN. What? AOL has a browser? Still... they have NO IDEA whats going on. They'll be stuck with AOL's web filters FOREVER, while I'm cool enough to roam the digital jungle at my whim. They'll never use the internet like I do. Its mine forever. You'll see.
ummm... I love how my "discourse" slowly collapsed into some pathetically weighted first-person stream-of-consciousness. I gots me a case of the Mondees, what can I say... but you get the idea. This happens to every mass-media. Lets just step back for a moment, go watch <a href=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120907/>eXistenZ</a>, and hope for the best.
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120907/">eXistenZ!!!.</a>
as if you haven't seen it anyway...
What I think may happen though, is that casual gaming may allow newer companies to start up easier by making low cost games that can sell well. Honestly, that is what I hope happens because it would allow new tallent into the industry easier.