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Is the average person's perception of gaming changing?

 
KK1387
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In the late 1970s and the early 1980s interactive entertainment systems became available for the public to buy for their houses – and introduced an entirely new concept to the world. Later to be known as gaming, this concept brought millions of people in control of virtual beings in virtual worlds.

At the time of the introduction of arcade games and of home-gaming systems, the idea was new, so whatever there was never went unappreciated. A game could involve nothing more than a few simple shapes onscreen, some beeping sounds and a few simple movements of a joystick, and yet… Everyone could agree that it was perhaps the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The core factor in the enjoyment portrayed by millions worldwide were the fact that there was a task to work towards to, and that working towards this task was not only challenging, but fun, too!

As time went on, advancements in technology were made. Home systems could suddenly support more powerful hardware, which in turn allowed the utilization of 8-Bit graphics. We were now able to get a true grasp of what was going on on-screen, and could connect with growling-realistic characters. Visuals rapidly improved, along with technology, and so came the introduction of 3D gaming.
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KK1387
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Thanks to the introduction of new gaming consoles, we as gamers were suddenly given something we hadn’t seen before – we had a whole 3D adventure. We knew the whole story, and it was up to us to manipulate different characters to make the endings happy. We could connect with the characters while experiencing looking at high-quality visuals and listening to movie-like sound.

Since the early days of 3D, developers have always been looking for ways to make their games more lifelike; more real. Soundtracks rapidly improved, plots and storylines became more whole (or interconnected in a series of games) and visuals became stunningly realistic… We as gamers got sucked in.

Suddenly we care more about the realism of a game than we did the fun-factor of it. More and more time is spent criticizing a game than is spent enjoying the game. And now, we have started to become part of these virtual worlds thanks to the introduction of motion controls; it’s all about what WE do in a given environment. The funny 8-bit hedgehog and plumber from over twenty years ago have been forgotten because they’re not real like today’s gaming characters.

Where it was once all about fun, gaming has become all about realism; a realistic world to interact with. Virtual worlds have become less virtual.
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KK1387
Kudos: 15,698
Mates: 78
So, some questions for you guys:
 •  What is gaming to you?
 •  Do you think that the idea of gaming is changing?
 •  Has the point of gaming been overlooked with the development of some titles? Which titles, and how so?
 •  If developers’ perceptions of gaming are changing, what direction is gaming headed in?


PS: Yes, this is because I'm sick of everything having to be about realism.
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dermy
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- What is gaming to you? Gaming to me is a hobby, in the same way that movie enthusiasts love film, or people love books. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a passion, but it certainly has kept me entertained for the past 15, or so, years.
- Do you think that the idea of gaming is changing? It's always changing. It's now developed into a socially acceptable event, and that just evolved in the past 2-3 years. People are now getting into WiiFit, or Brain Training. The average age of gamers have increased dramatically, and there's still a HUGE variety for us "old school" gamers, as well.
- Has the point of gaming been overlooked with the development of some titles? Look at Nintendo. I hate what they have done, i.e appeal to a wider audience. Twilight Princess was far too easy to be even considered a Zelda game. However, I enjoy Mario Kart Wii, Galaxy and Sports, despite the change. Besides, Microsoft is still around. Sony is still around. Valve, Capcom, EA, etc... are still around. There are still gaming companies that will appeal to anyone and everyone.
- If developers’ perceptions of gaming are changing, what direction is gaming headed in? Who knows? Nintendo has taken a great step towards virtual gaming. Microsoft is also developing their version of virtual gaming. But on the other hand, games are still being made that utilise older-generation controllers, see Brawl and NSMBW.
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dermy
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Everyone involved in the gaming world, whether it be developers, promoters, or gamers themselves, are working towards one goal. This goal is to make gaming a thing for everyone at any age. There are so many genres, series and ways of playing, and it's only expanding. It has now started to get increasing media coverage. See Good Game, and T.V show dedicated to video games. Newspaper reviews in games. Advertisements for game expos. It's a small step, but eventually gaming will be considered a form of art on the same level as television and radio.
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TheDarkBJ
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dermy said: - What is gaming to you? Gaming to me is a hobby, in the same way that movie enthusiasts love film, or people love books. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a passion, but it certainly has kept me entertained for the past 15, or so, years.
- Do you think that the idea of gaming is changing? It's always changing. It's now developed into a socially acceptable event, and that just evolved in the past 2-3 years. People are now getting into WiiFit, or Brain Training. The average age of gamers have increased dramatically, and there's still a HUGE variety for us "old school" gamers, as well.
- Has the point of gaming been overlooked with the development of some titles? Look at Nintendo. I hate what they have done, i.e appeal to a wider audience. Twilight Princess was far too easy to be even considered a Zelda game. However, I enjoy Mario Kart Wii, Galaxy and Sports, despite the change. Besides, Microsoft is still around. Sony is still around. Valve, Capcom, EA, etc... are still around. There are still gaming companies that will appeal to anyone and everyone.
- If developers’ perceptions of gaming are changing, what direction is gaming headed in? Who knows? Nintendo has taken a great step towards virtual gaming. Microsoft is also developing their version of virtual gaming. But on the other hand, games are still being made that utilise older-generation controllers, see Brawl and NSMBW.



Wall of text/10
Punch-Out
SyRiAn2Nv
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Here's my opinion on this matter: shut up.
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KK1387
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SyRiAn2Nv said: Here's my opinion on this matter: shut up.


i crai nao
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CheeryDog
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The answer is yes, since the Wii introduced, there are a lot more people that play games, so therefore it has changed by a relative degree.
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renagadez
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• What is gaming to you?
Games play a big part for me. Something that gets me away from this world and into another without moving from my room. Fantastic. I buy at least one game every week. Sometimes two for the sake of having it.
• Do you think that the idea of gaming is changing?
Everything changes. It's inevitable. Haha. Good ol' Matrix.
• Has the point of gaming been overlooked with the development of some titles? Which titles, and how so?
Dermy said Zelda. I wouldn't say it was easy, but too similar to Ocarina of Time. But with franchises like that, people are going to buy it regardless so just give the people what they want.
• If developers’ perceptions of gaming are changing, what direction is gaming headed in?
Mass audience. Poor people in Africa will soon be gaming. The gaming business love to eat money.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The
Dimitri_L
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It's all about having fun and entertainment.

Yes there are a lot of realistic games but they are still fun.

I still like the occassional cartoonshish games like Mario and Sonic and in a lot of ways it's good to have games that have both fantasy and realism.

3D gaming at the time striked me as a new way to play video games not a way to have realism, so I do agree on that concept you just said.




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dossaer
Kudos: 15,465
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What is gaming to you?

Simply put; entertainment. It's akin to reading a book, watching a film or playing a game/sport.

Do you think that the idea of gaming is changing?

Games have become more complex but the idea and end results are still the same. I still play to be entertained.

Has the point of gaming been overlooked with the development of some titles? Which titles, and how so?

Not that I'm aware of, even the bad games are built around the concept of entertaining or evoking reactions. There is a broader market than ever before and developers are aiming at more demographics than ever, some attempts to entertain are just better executed than others.

If developers’ perceptions of gaming are changing, what direction is gaming headed in?

Developers are aiming to make as much money as possible. Marketing towards a broad cross section is the best way to get the most money. We'll see more games that are designed for 'everyone' to play and niche content will be the first to become download only.
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