Why Have The Game Gods Forsaken Me By Chris Moxon

In recent years a new type of gamer has emerged, the casual gamer. Casual gaming itself has been around since the begining of video games, but it has never been more predominate than this console cycle, leaving the hardcore audience feeling left behind resulting in some consoles becoming nothing more than a dust collector or a living room ornament. This extreme group has now adopted a self fabricated outcome that video game companies do not care about those who have been loyal to their products. This E3 has not helped this situation either. Microsoft's conference was solely dedicated to "Kinect" (their new motion controller) which is targeted to the casual gamer. Sony's conference dedicated most of there time as well to their motion controller "Move" which showcased their casual titles. In many ways it seems that the hardcore have a legitimate gripe, but before this group can begin to think that the game gods have forsaken them, this casual gaming should be viewed in a different direction.

The pros of this new genre might not seem visually beneficial, but what the casual market creates is an opportunity for those who were confused, frightened, or unsure about the idea of utilizing more than two buttons and a directional pad . The payoff is the world of a gamer was no longer unfamiliar. It can be understood by appling a simplier control scheme and creating games that are accessible. Companies like Nintendo were able to experiment on products like Wii Fit, which became a absolute success spawning a sequel (Wii Fit Plus) and Wii Music which failed miserably. Without this genre, experiments like these would never happen. Regardless if these games are casual these casual gamers are buying both hardware and software and in turn they are supporting the indusrty that the hardcore embrace.


On the other hand this market has been handeld carelessly. For ever success like Wii Fit that is produced, there are hundreds of substandard titles like We Cheer, Wii Music, Kung Fu Funk, Ping Pong Pro: Frat Party Games and Hannah Montana: The Movie The Game . This genre is still young and can be promising, but the light at the end of the tunnel is hard to see when this market is being saturated with software that is less than satisfactory. The lack of quality has resulted in this type of entertainment being seen as nothing more than a joke from gamers and the media.

The key to solving this problem is rather simple. The first step is for Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to focus their efforts on the hardcore crowd at every E3 conference. The odds of a casual gamer putting forth the effort and money to go to an E3 conference to see what casual games they will be looking foward too are dim. If a casual gamer were to attend this event he or she has already proven that they are not a casual gamer from the money they had to spend to get to the event thus, they themselves have become a hardcore gamer, so the idea that casual games should be shown at the major conferences is completely reduntant. The next and final step is quality control. Nintendo has created a grey area in their first party titles. With their attention to details and their expectations on projects they are able to keep a high standard for their major franchises. Mario in all aspects has been re-tooled to become more friendly to the casual crowd while still retaining the challenge of what die-hard Mario fans crave. What has emerged are games that compliment both demographics, so in order for this type of gaming to survive and not become a fad; quailty must be enforced.

Every gamer at one time was a casual player who eventually become a loyal consumer. By this market being created; support for this entertainment is growing in rapid numbers and in times like these were this type of entertainment is being misunderstood and scrutinized gamers need all the support they can get. When it all comes down to it gaming is for everyone no matter what age, gender, or type of gamer.