William BagleyModern Games are Unadulterated Trash?
October 25th 2007 10:52
So according to Nolan Bushnell [founder of Atari and an experienced veteran of the gaming world], today's top selling, expensive titles are nothing more then 'pure, unadulterated trash.' Harsh words?
The interview on Electronic Design goes on to explain Nolan's vision of the current industry, and the future he wishes to push, quote: "A lot of video games today are very isolated. You don't see mom and dad, sister and brother, sitting down like they used to play, say, Monopoly,"
And his words are spot on, to a degree. Today's advertising driven titles like your Halo's or Grand Theft Auto's are all about violent, action packed and graphic heavy experiences, either under a single player design or an online heavy multiplayer focus. Bushnell's vision harks back to the family days of board games and simple visions, a family friendly atmosphere ... wait a minute.
Unfortunately, it seems Mr Bushnell has skipped over the gaming industry's current star performer ... the Nintendo Wii. Party games, interactive multiplayer in the lounge room, simple visuals, and a focus on family oriented designs ... sounds like Bushnell's vision to me. Now if Nintendo could get him on board ...
The thing is, dating back to Bushnell's creation of Pong, not all video games have been family or multiplayer related affairs. The Dungeon and Dragons, text based role playing games, or even single player adventures like Pitfall, don't really follow that vision.
It's a double edged sword, in all reality. Clearly there is a market for family gaming, if the Wii and DS are anything to go by (hell, even Singstar and Buzz for that matter), but there will always be your big budget spectacles. Which further proves how much the gaming industry has become the new Hollywood ... even in profits ...
What are your thoughts?
The interview on Electronic Design goes on to explain Nolan's vision of the current industry, and the future he wishes to push, quote: "A lot of video games today are very isolated. You don't see mom and dad, sister and brother, sitting down like they used to play, say, Monopoly,"
And his words are spot on, to a degree. Today's advertising driven titles like your Halo's or Grand Theft Auto's are all about violent, action packed and graphic heavy experiences, either under a single player design or an online heavy multiplayer focus. Bushnell's vision harks back to the family days of board games and simple visions, a family friendly atmosphere ... wait a minute.
Unfortunately, it seems Mr Bushnell has skipped over the gaming industry's current star performer ... the Nintendo Wii. Party games, interactive multiplayer in the lounge room, simple visuals, and a focus on family oriented designs ... sounds like Bushnell's vision to me. Now if Nintendo could get him on board ...
The thing is, dating back to Bushnell's creation of Pong, not all video games have been family or multiplayer related affairs. The Dungeon and Dragons, text based role playing games, or even single player adventures like Pitfall, don't really follow that vision.
It's a double edged sword, in all reality. Clearly there is a market for family gaming, if the Wii and DS are anything to go by (hell, even Singstar and Buzz for that matter), but there will always be your big budget spectacles. Which further proves how much the gaming industry has become the new Hollywood ... even in profits ...
What are your thoughts?
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