When I published my rant about the dangers Microsoft and Sony face in ensuring their motion technology is adopted by new and old consumers alike, I wasn't thinking about the impact the controls themselves are having on the industry and its users. As an industry, we tend to think about the short term. But what is the long standing impact of motion controls? What about the kids whose first console is a Wii?
I've never thought of it that way, but a 28-year-old father of three contacted me via e-mail this morning and threw me for a loop when he talked about his kids' perspectives on games. These are kids growing up in a Wii world and it's going to change things. Their nostalgia isn't Mario Bros., it's Wii Sports.
"I am sure I am not the first grown person to go buy a Wii to save their real game system from the little ones or just get the kids a video game system that will not bankrupt the family budget," he told me. "I would be willing to bet that accounts for a large portion of the Wii install base right there. All of our kids [are] learning to play video games standing up and twisting and waving around like crazed (well) kids. Which is a lot better than being a couch potato like their parents."
We already know that, right? But here's where he blew my mind.
"In the near future my sons are going to get tired of Mario and be ready for Call of Duty and SOCOM," he said. "They are very smart and will know the difference between that little box with its poor graphics and the PS3/360. But they will have no idea how to play a video game sitting on the couch and mashing buttons. They are going to want a gun that recoils and moves with them. They are going to want to dodge and duck and strafe with their bodies, because that’s the way [they] are learning to play today."
He could be on to something here.
While the vast majority of games are still built upon our classic conception of the game controller, the Wii introduced a new direction. Microsoft and Sony are following Nintendo's lead, albeit in different ways. While it's unlikely the idea of a physical controller will completely disappear, when you think about the rabid consumers who will be supporting the industry in 10 years, it's these kids playing Wii.
"In ten years I'm going to be telling my kids about the old days when all video games were played by sitting on the couch and pressing buttons," he joked. "They are going to make fun of me and call me an old man."
You know what, though? That's not a joke. That could very well happen. Does it scare you?
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Comments
Displaying 1–20 of 69
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optimum5
Reminds me of Back To The Future, where McFly was playing an "old" arcade shooting game, and the kids of that future were all "you mean, you actually have to use your hands?!"
bigmonstefan
Well DUH. Nah, never thought of that. The days of the gamer hunch may actually be coming to a close. Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Get it? Hunch? Hunch back of Videogame? Yeah? Ahhh you darn kids and your Electronifunk (music of the future).
swindasz
WOW .... this is deep stuff. Much deeper than the relativity theory
joughy
I personally think you are always going to have to at least have something in your hands...and think about it...all of those games where you "stand up", you play for like 30 minutes to an hour at most. In the future, there will still be the desire for games that draw you in and require you to sit on your fat behind for hours on end. I am not worried about the future of gaming at all. A few good points, but gamers who are interested in a deep and rich gameplay experience will always be around.
azn_bl1tzkr13g
i grew up with the SNES. this article makes me feel old...
x_nation
@ kidinredhat
I'm right there with you, I grew up with the Atari 2600 and Coleco Vision... I'm a dinosaur...:(
megamanxzxz
woot old school ftw
ral1121
The Wii has ruined gaming.
x_nation
@ mornelithe
"(if human's don't kill themselves off before we get to that kind of tech)." I'm waiting for the Zombie Apocalypse...
Aerindel_Prime
Intellivison, anybody remeber that? with the little wheel thingy and the plastic cards that you slid into the controller to show you what the buttons did?
vinny87
Thw Wii has essentially proved to me and to most that motion controls are a limitation and not an addition. Tell me how would it work in Prototype or in GTA. Maybe you can add a touch to to craft an entire experience around it it has still not been proven to be possible. There is a reason that the PS2 and x-box 360 controller has the exact same number of inputs.
brsterkens
commodore 64 rocks
livesintubes49
I feel old just reading this, lol.
Bellamorte
Evolve or die.
It really is that simple.
Dinky_Dynamite
when i was a kid my controller had a joystick and a single button and we liked it that way. kid's these days are spoiled with their "motion" control and "online" compatibility. it's witchcraft and devilsauce i say!
tobz1000
Not until motion control is as good. I remember they were talking about (roughly) this on epic battle cry - the controller has an advantage as it's much easier to make it 'just work' - it's done just that ever since it was first conceived. The Wii begun with inaccuracy problems that prevented its motion control from being used seriously in games - the PS motion controller and Wii motion plus are steps in the right direction, but it'll be at least a gen until they're as reliable as a simple controller. Natal, being even more advanced, has even further to go before reaching that level. I'm sure by the time it's perfected mind control will be all the rage anyhow.
ErrorCodeOfDeath
LOL....
Nothing..NOTHING!!...will beat sitting on a comfy a_s couch playing video games and watching movies.
You probably haven't seen what 95% of gamers look like.....I don't see people who are Olympic hopefuls loitering inside of Gamestops...do you?
R11NickyR11
I'm still waiting to play video games sitting in a chain that attaches to the back of my head like in the matrix. But what he said about kids not knowing how to play with just a controller is completely true but I'm not so sure its a bad thing. If gaming doesn't evolve it will die.
noonan1223
@Bellamorte
No, not really. For the most part, consoles have used the same type of input (controllers) for nearly half a century. There have been minor changes, but this motion controller craze probably won't take off for years. And even then, sit-on-your-butt-and-use-a-con troller games will still be around.
Killua_Zoldyck
As Nintendo laid the groundwork for the 80's generation of gamers, they are now laying the foundation for the upcoming generation, although it's a scary thought, I agree with everything that this guy mentioned, and I'm already starting to feel older after reading it....:P
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