Topic Index
the casual gamer demographic is ruining the indutrie

Username:Password:
Log In
 (Pages: 1, 2)
Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

i recently accuired a copy of spore and it was without a doubt the first time i have ever raged at a developer they took something that could have been great but no they just had to go after the casual gamers leading them to build a game for the "pants on head retarded" i feel that the chase for this demographic is leadign to another video game industrie crash and i want to prevent it from happining what devs need to lear is never under any circumstances stupify thier games subtle complexite is what keeps em interesting as with spore u just drop down onto a hostile planet find the settlement strafe circle whilst bombing the crap outta it tilkl it dies or surrenders then u leave the system move on rinse repeat and ... sadly i fear i can never take will wright and maxis seriously again.

Discuss

Omega-z
Paperboy
Posts: 11
Joined: 28 Sep 2008

Well if you look at the sims it is a game for casual gamers I gues.

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

yes but the sims was complex requireing concentration to obtain balacne with your sims which kept it interesting

tobyornottoby
Muckraker
Posts: 346
Joined: 2 Jan 2008

NOT TRUE

the casual game segment is a seperate market. If this market didn't exist, Spore would have never been made like it is now. And I'm not talking about complexity, I'm talking about scale.

Games are too expensive to make these days. Developers need the money from casual games if they want to continue making hardcore games.

Oh and too bad this is an intersting subject. Else I would only have said that a little punctuation wouldn't hurt

Space Spoons
Press Junketeer
Posts: 369
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

I've never understood the argument that going for the casual gamer's buck is somehow ruining the industry. More money = more/better games. It's as easy as that.

Maybe Spore didn't turn out to be as hardcore as you might have liked. Well, look at it this way: With all the money being pumped into the industry from it's popularity, there's bound to be a more hardcore game of a similar style produced at some point. A Spore 2.0: Dash Super Hyper Fighting Championship Edition, if you will.

Side note, that was possibly the longest sentence I have ever read. Punctuate, dear boy, you'll run out of breath.

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

Space Spoons:
I've never understood the argument that going for the casual gamer's buck is somehow ruining the industry. More money = more/better games. It's as easy as that.

Maybe Spore didn't turn out to be as hardcore as you might have liked. Well, look at it this way: With all the money being pumped into the industry from it's popularity, there's bound to be a more hardcore game of a similar style produced at some point. A Spore 2.0: Dash Super Hyper Fighting Championship Edition, if you will.

Side note, that was possibly the longest sentence I have ever read. Punctuate, dear boy, you'll run out of breath.

my point is if ur gonna make a game for casual gamers say so dont say one thing and do another i remember watching spre when it was in development seeing an underwater creature stage additional systems in the editors deeper more complex space stage... so on and so forth

Space Spoons
Press Junketeer
Posts: 369
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

Praelanthor:

Space Spoons:
I've never understood the argument that going for the casual gamer's buck is somehow ruining the industry. More money = more/better games. It's as easy as that.

Maybe Spore didn't turn out to be as hardcore as you might have liked. Well, look at it this way: With all the money being pumped into the industry from it's popularity, there's bound to be a more hardcore game of a similar style produced at some point. A Spore 2.0: Dash Super Hyper Fighting Championship Edition, if you will.

Side note, that was possibly the longest sentence I have ever read. Punctuate, dear boy, you'll run out of breath.

my point is if ur gonna make a game for casual gamers say so dont say one thing and do another i remember watching spre when it was in development seeing an underwater creature stage additional systems in the editors deeper more complex space stage... so on and so forth

On that point, I agree with you. From everything I heard about Spore, I was expecting it to be some huge, epic masterpiece that changed the way we looked at gaming forever.

Clearly, this wasn't the case... But I think this could be said of any game that sees a development period of a few very highly publicized years. Just look at Too Human/Star Wars: The Force Unleashed/Assassin's Creed; We read about them for years, about all the changes and innovations they were going to bring to the industry, and about how we were going to have to wait just a little longer to actually play them. By the time they came out, our expectations had been built up to a point that no game could actually measure up.

Spore was just as guilty of this as any other. Still, though, I don't see the harm in going after the casual demographic. After all, they tend to have fat wallets, the better to purchase multiple copies of Wii Fit.

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

Space Spoons:

Praelanthor:

Space Spoons:
I've never understood the argument that going for the casual gamer's buck is somehow ruining the industry. More money = more/better games. It's as easy as that.

Maybe Spore didn't turn out to be as hardcore as you might have liked. Well, look at it this way: With all the money being pumped into the industry from it's popularity, there's bound to be a more hardcore game of a similar style produced at some point. A Spore 2.0: Dash Super Hyper Fighting Championship Edition, if you will.

Side note, that was possibly the longest sentence I have ever read. Punctuate, dear boy, you'll run out of breath.

my point is if ur gonna make a game for casual gamers say so dont say one thing and do another i remember watching spre when it was in development seeing an underwater creature stage additional systems in the editors deeper more complex space stage... so on and so forth

On that point, I agree with you. From everything I heard about Spore, I was expecting it to be some huge, epic masterpiece that changed the way we looked at gaming forever.

Clearly, this wasn't the case... But I think this could be said of any game that sees a development period of a few very highly publicized years. Just look at Too Human/Star Wars: The Force Unleashed/Assassin's Creed; We read about them for years, about all the changes and innovations they were going to bring to the industry, and about how we were going to have to wait just a little longer to actually play them. By the time they came out, our expectations had been built up to a point that no game could actually measure up.

Spore was just as guilty of this as any other. Still, though, I don't see the harm in going after the casual demographic. After all, they tend to have fat wallets, the better to purchase multiple copies of Wii Fit.

yes i would appreciate during those development times if the devs would say were making this for casual gamers just so i can tune out before wasting my money

Reaperman Wompa
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1954
Joined: 6 Aug 2008

I can understand your point but I disagree. casual gaming helps make more games as developers have the capabilities (money) to make better games.

Yes some Games which weren't supposed to be casual were but they make games for a mass market. You can't make a game for 5 people, no matter how good it is.

And work on your spelling, if you can. It's absolutely terrible.

HuCast
BANNED
Posts: 80
Joined: 18 Aug 2006

@Space spoons: Easy as that? Sorry but I think its waaay to optimistic! Once the big companies have learned that you can make MORE money with a casual game there is no need for them to produce better/more complex games for hardcore gamers. They will spend the money for bigger adverts or to buy the next studio but not for better games :(

User was banned for: Poll: Prostitution. (3 days)
Space Spoons
Press Junketeer
Posts: 369
Joined: 21 Aug 2008

HuCast:
@Space spoons: Easy as that? Sorry but I think its waaay to optimistic! Once the big companies have learned that you can make MORE money with a casual game there is no need for them to produce better/more complex games for hardcore gamers. They will spend the money for bigger adverts or to buy the next studio but not for better games :(

It's true that some companies might do that. Indeed, it seems as though some developers are already moving in that direction. *glares in Nintendo's general direction*

Still, I think it's excessively negative to assume that every company would follow that path. It might be gaining more of a casual audience, but the gaming industry is still run by gamers, and I don't think they'd let the idea of a well-made, complex and overall entertaining game die because they realize they can make a quick buck with a Wii waggle-fest.

Marcosco
Beat Writer
Posts: 184
Joined: 20 Sep 2008

Great subject. I love the Sims 2, and I am about to go play it again.

On that note, man, capitalization, spelling, grammar, punctuation, stuff like that. It's a gift, and you don't have it. At least friggin' read it before you post.

theCardinal
Anonymous Source
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Jul 2006

The casual movie goer is ruining the movie industry. X recent comedy was so low brow where as Y older movie had much more complex humour.

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

HuCast:
@Space spoons: Easy as that? Sorry but I think its waaay to optimistic! Once the big companies have learned that you can make MORE money with a casual game there is no need for them to produce better/more complex games for hardcore gamers. They will spend the money for bigger adverts or to buy the next studio but not for better games :(

i agree completly and unless i have my facts wrong (which is extremly likely) the last time the industrie was mass producing games that werent fun it lead to the industrie crash which took 10 years to recover.

also im in australia its like 12:30 at night asnd i havent slept in 23 hours i just CBF backspacing to correct mistakes.

Reaperman Wompa
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1954
Joined: 6 Aug 2008

theCardinal:
The casual movie goer is ruining the movie industry. X recent comedy was so low brow where as Y older movie had much more complex humour.

Good point. Todays humor is rarely funny, some of it admittedly being funny but Yo' Momma jokes in a multi-million dollar movie is just sad.

Is it me or does it seem like everything is slowly going down hill?

Phoenix Arrow
Infamous Scribbler
Posts: 525
Joined: 3 Sep 2008

Praelanthor:
yes but the sims was complex requireing concentration to obtain balacne with your sims which kept it interesting

I really wouldn't call the Sims complex. Sleep, eat, toilet, work, call a friend over, eat, play, wash, sleep.
The only way you could think casual gamers are killing the industry is if you're a Nintendo fanboy in my opinion. As for your Spore comment, I think everyone agrees that the game didn't go into enough detail when it came down to the evolution stages, not really anything to do with the demographic as many casual gamers I know haven't heard of it. It was very much aimed at gamers, it was just too brief.

galletea
Infamous Scribbler
Posts: 611
Joined: 27 Sep 2008

the casual gamer demographic is probably the only thing keeping smaller companies alive. the sheer cost of producing a game for this generation of consoles means that companies dare not take risks, thus the mass of fps in the wake of the halo/gears success. people are so keen to find something different that anything new gets hyped to godlike status, only to emerge as a malformed freak.

theCardinal
Anonymous Source
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Jul 2006

Reaperman Wompa:

theCardinal:
The casual movie goer is ruining the movie industry. X recent comedy was so low brow where as Y older movie had much more complex humour.

Good point. Todays humor is rarely funny, some of it admittedly being funny but Yo' Momma jokes in a multi-million dollar movie is just sad.

Is it me or does it seem like everything is slowly going down hill?

I was being kind of sarcastic in saying that. While there is a lot of crap produced by the film industry there are still a lot of good films being produced. Even more so this applies to the game industry in my opinion. The volume of games being produced is far larger than it's ever been. Even if 90% of that is crap the 10 good percent probably represent more actual games than ever before.

Reaperman Wompa
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1954
Joined: 6 Aug 2008

Praelanthor:
[
also im in australia its like 12:30 at night asnd i havent slept in 23 hours i just CBF backspacing to correct mistakes.

I'm in Australia too. Doesn't stop me spelling correctly. Believe me I'm still typing coherently at 6:am on my second day straight so a little effort would be appreciated.

A lot of people here won't even bother reading your posts if they can't read it without getting migraines, so If you want to make a point that people will pay attention to spelling and grammar helps.

Just a bit of advice.

tobyornottoby
Muckraker
Posts: 346
Joined: 2 Jan 2008

Praelanthor:

HuCast:
@Space spoons: Easy as that? Sorry but I think its waaay to optimistic! Once the big companies have learned that you can make MORE money with a casual game there is no need for them to produce better/more complex games for hardcore gamers. They will spend the money for bigger adverts or to buy the next studio but not for better games :(

i agree completly and unless i have my facts wrong (which is extremly likely) the last time the industrie was mass producing games that werent fun it lead to the industrie crash which took 10 years to recover.

also im in australia its like 12:30 at night asnd i havent slept in 23 hours i just CBF backspacing to correct mistakes.

sweet dreams then, ttyl :p

and who is saying the games these days aren't FUN? Spore, Wii fit, the Sims... now YOU might not find them fun, but A LOT of people do.

@HuCast: don't shoot the messenger. as theCardinal has said, casual movie goers are ruining the film industry. Casual music listeners are ruining the music industry. Casual eaters are ruining the cuisine industry. Casual wearers are ruining the clothes industry. It's just how it works

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

Reaperman Wompa:

Praelanthor:
[
also im in australia its like 12:30 at night asnd i havent slept in 23 hours i just CBF backspacing to correct mistakes.

I'm in Australia too. Doesn't stop me spelling correctly. Believe me I'm still typing coherently at 6:am on my second day straight so a little effort would be appreciated.

A lot of people here won't even bother reading your posts if they can't read it without getting migraines, so If you want to make a point that people will pay attention to spelling and grammar helps.

Just a bit of advice.

right oh im a lazy ass i jst dont care whether you agree with me or not im just making my point you cantake it or leave it i just believe the pursuite of the casual market is leading to another industrie crash

Danny Ocean
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1404
Joined: 28 Jun 2008

Well this is productive...

I never really understood why people were inspired to think that spore would be this deeply complex life simulator. Just look at the graphics style. I'm not saying it's poor graphics, it's just kiddie- like Team Fortress 2.

Spore was over-hyped, and you fell for it. Try not to follow the Yahtzee bandwagon.

I know, look at it this way: You don't like the game because it is too simple, for every one of you there are five others who do like it because it is simple. So the company sells more, so they make more games, and hopefully learn from their mistakes. It can't get worse when they have so much more money, and so many more raging gamers' opinions to make it better.

42manZ
Beat Writer
Posts: 174
Joined: 7 Jun 2008

Oh my fucking god! We have to save the indutrie! Or else terrorist casual gamers will blow it up and doom us all!

Fraser.J.A
Muckraker
Posts: 283
Joined: 17 May 2007

Basketball doesn't become a worse game when soccer gets more popular.

Danny Ocean:
I never really understood why people were inspired to think that spore would be this deeply complex life simulator.

Because Will Wright said it would be.

Praelanthor
Copy Clerk
Posts: 68
Joined: 2 Jun 2008

Danny Ocean:
Well this is productive...

I never really understood why people were inspired to think that spore would be this deeply complex life simulator. Just look at the graphics style. I'm not saying it's poor graphics, it's just kiddie- like Team Fortress 2.

Spore was over-hyped, and you fell for it. Try not to follow the Yahtzee bandwagon.

I know, look at it this way: You don't like the game because it is too simple, for every one of you there are five others who do like it because it is simple. So the company sells more, so they make more games, and hopefully learn from their mistakes. It can't get worse when they have so much more money, and so many more raging gamers' opinions to make it better.

well youve made a good point but it doesnt change the fact that in my entire life spore is the only game i have seriously considerd taking back to the shop and demanding my money back on i did not go off hype tho everything i saw and expected i saw will wright show off on stage demo's now i could deal with it but when theve shown a feature and then removed it they had better put out a retraction like an official news article on thier website or a email out a revised list of features to the people who had signed up for it dont just let people continue on thining that thats what it's going to be.
i think all developers should take a page from peter molyneux's book and obnly show features that are 100% confirmed so people dont form unrealistic expectations.

Danny Ocean
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1404
Joined: 28 Jun 2008

Fraser.J.A:

Danny Ocean:
I never really understood why people were inspired to think that spore would be this deeply complex life simulator.

Because Will Wright said it would be.

Once they had seen the gameplay videos, the concept art, the renders... Game developers often say a lot of things. Like all other manufactures, they bend the truth with their advertising.
Spore probably is very complex under the hood.

Reaperman Wompa
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1954
Joined: 6 Aug 2008

Danny Ocean:
[quote=Fraser.J.A post=9.72673.768821

Danny Ocean:
I never really understood why people were inspired to think that spore would be this deeply complex life simulator.

Because Will Wright said it would be.[/quote]

Once they had seen the gameplay videos, the concept art, the renders... Game developers often say a lot of things. Like all other manufactures, they bend the truth with their advertising.
Spore probably is very complex under the hood.

Like Peter May he burn in hell Molyneaux.

Everyone over-hypes their games, Will Wright just did over so long a period peoples hopes kept building up until they got the box of average lovingly known as Spore.

Jack Spencer Jr
Copy Clerk
Posts: 113
Joined: 15 Dec 2007

Speaking as a casual gamer, I would say that the problem is the same as making children's films or television shows. All of the really good ones appeal to both children and adults. When they try to specifically target a younger audience, they lose the adult audience and thus make an inferior product, a product that only has a very specific audience which it may not get. see: "Quest For Camelot

So it is with games. The best casual games appeal to the more hardcore players as well, at least as an in-between "real" game diversion. When developers try to specifically target the casual gaming audience, they tend to just dumb it down to the point that it appeals to nobody. Because, get this y'all, casual gamers are not stupid. They just don't devote long hours to playing games. So games with high learning curves, difficult controls, obtuse concepts, etc do not appeal. Neither does games that require a high-time commitment. We don't have that kind of time. That's why we're casual gamers.

But this does not mean we dislike a game with depth and complexity. In fact, if a game manages to appeal enough for us to sink extra time into it but it turns out to lack real depth, we feel just as cheated as the rabid hardcore gamer. It might take as a little longer to get there, but we probably feel even more cheated since our time is precious. A game without depth feels like a waste of time.

My point is, there are so many factors that goes into making a game and how a game appeals to an audience, that it's pure hubris on the developer's part to try to appeal to a specific audience, as if they really understand what will appeal to that audience. Spore, for instance, does not interest me. Neither does Sims. That either of these games has any popularity just proves that I'm not everybody. I'm just saying that regardless of the gameplay structure, neither one of those titles are what I wish to do with my time. So right there they don't get the entirety of the casual gaming market because I will not give them any money for those games. So, they have a smaller subset of the casual gaming market, because I can't be the only one who thinks Spore can go fuck itself. That Sims also appeals to the hardcore demographic is why it managed to be successful, and if Spore does not if the OP can be trusted, then it will most likely fail.

Bob_F_It
Beat Writer
Posts: 152
Joined: 7 May 2008

I wouldn't say that the casual market is wrecking the hardcore industry. The only valid argument is that casual ruined Spore. Hardcore remains a land where casual will stay away from.

As many people have said on this thread, what's really harming hardcore is the cost of producing games of the consumers' expectations. So, to maintain a profit on hardcore games, they'll only play safe and meet the expectations, and not press for anything fancy that would drive costs higher.

Echolocating
Press Junketeer
Posts: 414
Joined: 13 Jul 2006

Here's an idea. Instead of buying a game on launch day (or pre-ordering), why not wait a few weeks for the reviews to come in? The impulsive and impatient buying habits of the typical gamer is the biggest problem with the quality of games being produced. The solution to the problem is quite simple.

Reaperman Wompa
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1954
Joined: 6 Aug 2008

Echolocating:
Here's an idea. Instead of buying a game on launch day (or pre-ordering), why not wait a few weeks for the reviews to come in? The impulsive and impatient buying habits of the typical gamer is the biggest problem with the quality of games being produced. The solution to the problem is quite simple.

But then how do we get all the cool stuff?

Some of us are collectors editions junkies you know.

Zombie_King
Infamous Scribbler
Posts: 559
Joined: 26 May 2008

Marcosco:
Great subject. I love the Sims 2, and I am about to go play it again.

On that note, man, capitalization, spelling, grammar, punctuation, stuff like that. It's a gift, and you don't have it. At least friggin' read it before you post.

First to point it out!

theCardinal:
The casual movie goer is ruining the movie industry. X recent comedy was so low brow where as Y older movie had much more complex humour.

How is it possible to be a 'casual' movie-goer? All movies are movies, it just depends what type you like. I guess you could say comedies are "casual" and dramas are "hardcore," but you can't really compare people who watch movies to people who play vid