A couple of us can't wait to see some solid JRPG action heading to the PS3, and Sega's Valkyria Chronicles appears to be the answer we're looking for. This tactical RPG looks pretty and producer Akira Nishino certainly thinks we should all be playing it, but one thing he's less enthusiastic about is the success of certain so-called "casual" games on another so-called "casual" system. In an interview with a Japanese site, Nishino had this to say about the future of the games industry:
"There is a problem with the platforms ... Its a shame that games like Wii Fit sell ... They aren't games ... I did make some casual titles too ... But really ... Wii Fit and Wii Sports should be the gateway for the non-gamers ... But ultimately they should play proper games like Valkyria Chronicles."
Aside from the fact that it's amusing to see a producer telling us that we should all ultimately be playing his "proper" game, it's also interesting to note yet another Japanese developer criticizing the Wii's mainstream edge. No More Heroes creator Suda 51 has already noted how Nintendo doesn't take care of third parties, and here's the producer of a PS3-exclusive, traditional Japanese game disconcerted with Nintendo's current direction.
Are these stalwarts feeling threatened by the myth of casual gaming? He does somewhat have a point in remarking that Wii Fit isn't a proper game (it really isn't), but does that necessarily mean it shouldn't sell?
Regardless, it's not so much Wii Fit that's the problem -- it's this insistence everybody has on drawing a thick dividing line between hardcore and casual gamers, something Nishino himself has just been guilty of. Until companies stop marketing certain games to a certain crowd and other games to another, how are we expected to see growth in this industry? If Nintendo and companies like it stopped trying to split its audience into idealistic, black-and-white pigeonholes and actually marketed games to gamers, regardless of their playing preferences, perhaps we'd actually see "proper" games selling as well as others.
Or maybe not, since people are stupid and never bought Gitaroo Man. Never know until you try though.
Contest:
7:31 AM on 03.06.2008
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I dunno about not targeting gaming preferences for the industry as it has grown into. It feels like saying: target consumers instead of teens with money or working class males in their 30's. Ohhh wait, now I see! ;)
You know, in 20 years we're gonna get a documentary called The King of Wii. About two grannies who got the highest score on Wii Sports bowling when they were still milfs.
Nor do I necessarily think that Wii Sports or Wii Fit should be the gateway to Final Fantasy or Call of Duty. Some people--and there is a market like this--are perfectly content to buy a Wii and only play Wii Sports on it. There was no chance they'd play Valkyria to begin with; it's not like they're choosing between Wii Fit and his game.
There are still plenty of "proper" games that do sell, and in those cases, it's a function of franchise power, hype, and ultimately the quality of the game.
As for the "thick dividing line between hardcore and casual gamers" it's a shame that everyone is so insistent on segregating people's tastes but it's unavoidable really since games are still not as highly regarded as music and film are and are hence more looked down upon by the public. So for casual games to sell they are marketed as "games for non-geeks" which is bullshit
He really should be more erudite about the key elements and ideologies of videogames in the future.
I think you got that backwards, Jim. If the games industry ever wants to grow up, their marketing strategies should be diversified rather than generalised. The fact that not all gamers are alike needs to be firmly planted into the designers', producers' and publishers' heads. The casual/hardcore division is of course utter nonsense, but so is what you appear to be suggesting here - that every game is suitable for every gamer. That's about as sensible as claiming that every song is suitable for every listener.
To put it another way, if you made a horror movie, would you mrket it to "all moviegoers", "casual moviegoers" or "hardcore moviegoers"? The answer is of course none of the above. You would market it towards those moviegoers who enjoy the horror genre.
So, is marketing certain games to a certain crowd and other games to another a good idea? You bet it is! The problem is, the crowds are currently just horribly misidentified...
Why not Galaxy? Or Zak and Wiki? Too 'kiddie'? Anyway, I'm pretty sure Wii Fit will sell as well if not much better in health-regiment obsessed America. Its not like Wiis w/ Wii Sports aren't flying off the shelves here too.
"I feel that casual games and more intensive, complex, or artistic games can co-exist."
Of course I agree, but when ever I see people lament the 'divide' as casual vs. 'mature' or 'artistic' I wonder what the hell they are talking about. Whats so 'mature' or 'artistic' about the vast majority of so-called 'hardcore' titles? T and A? Bigger Guns? Are these the measure of maturity and artistic quality? If gamers/games critics want people to start taking games seriously as an artistic medium (and to have more grounds for the claim themselves beyond the Duchamp 'its art cause i say it is' argument) they need to start thinking long and hard about what the criteria for artistry in games is; what the ultimate essence or essences of the medium are that drives it in a uniquely different direction from other media. What is its cannon and why? (and then the post-cannon critique of what is excluded , principles of exclusion, etc.) As it stands now, what stands in for 'maturity' in gaming is adolescent male fantasy and what stands in for artistry is seldom even addressed, its just assumed. Are there games that have come out recently that are big guns-mature but also legitimately artistic? Sure, bioshock and possibly mass-effect come quickly to mind. But if I think about a certain interactivity and experience being the basis of the medium of games and a subsequent different understanding of personal perspective and narrative engagement, then I could easily argue that Portal or Super Mario Galaxy are of greater artistic content than either of those two games.
These "casuals" aren't going to invest in a new system to play "proper games".
I agree, especially at how misidentified target markets are. The games industry is definately in an awkward place right now, with mass media thinking gamers are all teen boys, and developers and gamers alike pushing people into one of two categories. It will take some time, but things will get sorted out. Gamers shouldn't care if it's "casual" or "hardcore", just if it's good. Developers should do the same, but usually it's all about the benjamins.
How wrong I was.
If we all had to play with this bastard's sense of fun, we'd all be performing in the maths olympics.
SRPGs are a very niche genre outside of Japan. I bet there are plenty of western gamers who would say that they're not even "proper" games because you don't actually control a character, only a menu.
Sure, the Wii's lineup can be considered annoying as all hell to a lot of hardcore gamers and I think it's wrong for Nintendo to only focus on causal games with cute lil waggle gimmicks, but.... wait.... I don't really know what I was trying to justify.
But anyways, hardcore gaming isn't going to just up and disappear, and I think companies realize that if they were going to do that, they wouldn't get away with it without a fight, so lets all just STFUAJPG and play nice with the other not so cool kids.
Granted its not a true "game" but this guy is off his rocker if he thinks people shouldn't be buying what they want to and only what he thinks. Granted hes biased because of his position but come the fuck on dude. I own a PS3 and am biased towards it but I don't bash the 360 because its a great system to, just not for me.
Bottom line: Play the games you want to, not what some biased a-hole tells you to.
"I want to cash-in by releasing a series of derivitative and boring JRPGs that fanboys will all buy no matter how bad they get, BUT my boss is seeing data that games with broader appeal and original ideas are selling great and is suggesting I try that -- Whatev!"
Hardcore games have dominated the market and even mediocre FPS/JRPG/Sandbox or Action games have been selling well. I smell fear on these people that this dominance is slipping and they might have to come up with an original idea.
I don't get upset when I see products like WiiFit on the market. I get upset when investors see that stuff like this sells, so they pull their cash out of traditional development.
That's certainly how he comes off, doesn't he? What an ass.
Hopefully his game isn't the stereotypical "hey, I'm pointlessly hard!" JRPG I've come to loathe. His comments don't instill a lot of confidence in me.