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Has 2008 been the year of Casual Gaming?

December 08, 2008 in Blog comments 24

Casual gaming has become more and more popular in the last few years, with 2008 being one of the strongest years when it comes to casual game sales. While "hardcore" gamers might groan at that, Kotaku thinks it might be a good thing ...

(go to the source for the full article)

While some console manufacturers may have claimed that 2008 was going to be their year, the past twelve months may be remembered for the year the casual gamer won the market. And like it or not, it may have been the best thing to happen to the video game industry.

Admittedly, 2008 has seen some growing pains, especially tender for hardcore gamers who cringed at the E3 debuts of Nintendo's Wii Music and Microsoft's You're In The Movies. We've shifted from a glut of brain training games, but at what cost? Fortunately, the release of Wii Fit outside of Japan may have helped spawn a new generation of gamer.
Miss Razz via kotaku.com »
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  • 1
    Best Player Ever Dec 9, 08
    I don't really like all these casual games.
    They are blinding people from what a great game really is.
    Sure, Wii fit may have been fun at the least, but it's not really FF7 or OoT fun.
    • 0
      BANDITO ATTACK Dec 9, 08
      what a game really is? please. a game doesn't need a boring, melodramatic, poorly written storyline to be fun. in fact, it makes it suck. i mean ff7.
      • 2
        iLLmatic Dec 9, 08
        Those are two of the most highly regarded games in the history of life. What games do you think don't suck?
      • 0
        Zero and X Dec 11, 08
        Bandito, if a game makes millions of people play it for hours on end, it must have done something right. Granted it IS overrated as shit, but it doesn't suck.
    • 0
      Arikardo Dec 10, 08
      FF7 is over rated. Seriously its not that good. Get over it.

      This year has been a year of casual games, give or take a few, namely MGS4:GotP. But we are lacking good 'hardcore' games that will keep us wanting to play more and more.
      • 2
        iLLmatic Dec 10, 08
        Get over what? Your opinion? It's not a fact that Final Fantasy VII is 'not that good,' because millions of people say it's one of the best games ever.

        Who is this 'we' you are talking about with lack of good hardcore games? That's all I play, again and again. Are you suggesting that these casual games have 'us' wanting to play more and more?
        • 0
          Arikardo Dec 10, 08
          Get over Final Fantasy in general.

          This 'we' i am speaking about is the gaming community, and for those who are illiterate i will state my point again in simple terms:

          There are no hardcore games out at the moment that make us want to play them again and again.

          Jeez.
        • 1
          Final Blade Dec 10, 08
          Arikardo how about you stop making inane comments. Who the hell are you to tell us to get over Final Fantasy? Who are you to speak for everyone and their gaming tastes?

          There is plenty of Hardcore games right now on both PS3 and 360 to keep us occupied, I can't say the same for the Wii with it's massive list of Shovelware and low Attachment rate. Do everyone favor and stop posting stupid comments which makes you look worse then what you already have shown us.
        • 0
          ali3n Dec 10, 08
          iLLmatic, millions of people run around screaming that the Jonas Brothers are the greatest band on earth, I guess that makes it a fact.

          Final Blade how about you stop that as well then?
        • 0
          Final Blade Dec 10, 08
          Stop what ali3n? I'm not posting anything ridiculous as Arikardo is, and most of my post's are my views and opinions. I don't give a shit if you like it or not. But at least mine isn't speaking for everyone and telling others what to play and not.
        • 1
          ali3n Dec 11, 08
          I meant posting comments which are idiotic and generally annoying. Posting in pretty much every Wii article out there about how it's not catering to your wishes is in truth no better than what Arikardo did.

          Actually, truth be told he was simply expressing his opinions as well, the Final Fantasy part anyway.
        • 0
          Arikardo Dec 11, 08
          See the problem here is the article is actually about the year 2008. And last time i checked FF7 wasn't released in 2008. SO it shouldn't relly be mentioned.

          I will express my opinions as i see fit, i have not in anyway told anyone to stop playing Final Fantasy, i simply said its overrated.

          So Final Blade you need to stop posting your rubbish.
        • 0
          Final Blade Dec 11, 08
          quote Arikardo
          I will express my opinions as i see fit, i have not in anyway told anyone to stop playing Final Fantasy, i simply said its overrated.
          Orly?
          quote
          Get over Final Fantasy in general.
          This is = to stop playing games. Unless you'll admit it was poorly worded, and wasn't intending that, but that's exactly how it came across.
          quote
          I meant posting comments which are idiotic and generally annoying. Posting in pretty much every Wii article out there about how it's not catering to your wishes is in truth no better than what Arikardo did.
          The thing is though, I'm allowed to post in any articles that appeal to me. No articles on this site is off limits just because some Fanboys get pissed that I have an opinion about a particular system. Get the hell over it. The only thing between my statements and Arikardo is my complaints usually is the same as others. FF7 being over-rated isn't universally accepted, at least not as much as how people buy Wii's and the reason why Gamers play games. Is to ultimately relax and have fun, and not flailing their arms around like Big Bird. If I wanted to learn how to fly, i would have taken lessons already.
          And truth be told, I've played a Wii before and some of it's games, so I have a valued opinion on them since I have experience. Whether you agree with it or not, I don't give a shit.
          I have never stated anything within Wii related articles that was ridiculous or idiotic/annoying.
        • 0
          ali3n Dec 11, 08
          Simply telling someone to get over something does not equal to telling them to stop playing etc it. It simply means they need to stop making such a big fuss over it.

          FF7 being overrated isn't accepted by you, you still believe that's it's the holy grail most people I've talked to agree that FF7 is overrated. Flailing arms around like a bird? Are you simply *bleep* or did you not realise that it would work just as well with next to no movement on your part? Your claim that you've played a Wii before is looking doubtful at best. Who are YOU to say what people find relaxing? How dare you tell someone else that they're not allowed to find the Wii relaxing?

          Of course not Final Blade, you're the pinnacle of good sense and truly a shining example to the rest of us.
  • 0
    Stefan Dec 9, 08
    the article makes a good point but i think the mot important line in it is
    ' may have helped spawn a new generation of gamer. '
    as little as the wii may be pushing technology forward, its making sure gaming continues as strongly into the future.
  • 0
    Lucssj Dec 9, 08
    As long as fighting games, RPG's and FPS do not dramatically change there game-play into something there not, or disappear, i do not care at all for how much the casual games will affect the market in the future. One said that "Casual games=cheap, shallow game aimed at laypeople who don't know the difference between a good game and a mediocre one" I say that i don't care as long that the above remains what made them good and solid. And i cant wait for the new Street fighter4 on the PC.
  • 0
    Kinetic Dec 9, 08
    Year of the casual games on the Wii maybe, but the 360 and PS3 have had more hardcore content to come out this year than any year in recent memory (even going back to last generation).
    • 0
      Capn Droid Dec 9, 08
      I personally don't think it matters what console it's on, but rather, if the game(s) had a larger impact on the industry. With Miyamoto scrapping good imagination and turning the Wii into its own console instead of a Nintendo console, i.e. WiiSports, WiiPlay, WiiFit, WiiMusic, WiiFail, the Wii is annihilating whatever good image casual gaming had to begin with.
      • 0
        Final Blade Dec 10, 08
        quote
        WiiSports, WiiPlay, WiiFit, WiiMusic, WiiFail
        Except that Wii Sports is probably the only thing useful besides Wii Fit. The rest, well Wii Fail is a joke so lets get rid of that, are horrible gimmicks and look how Wii Music is doing? Its bombing. Believe it or not, most people buy the Wii and these games and play it for 2 weeks and let it collect dust for another year. Barely anyone plays that much on the system due to the massive shovelware the system gets.

        @iLL - The Wii does have a low attachment rate. But it appears from this article it matters little.
        • 0
          Capn Droid Dec 11, 08
          I will admit, WiiSports was pretty fun to play. The rest, in my eyes, are pretty failure-tastic. Main reason why WiiFit blows is because it didn't conveniently show up in the early years. It showed up a few months ago, and proved that the Wii title could still be milked. Although I do suppose that's a poor basis for consideration...


          Gee, don't you think I should actually play the games before I criticize?
  • 2
    iLLmatic Dec 9, 08
    I'm so tired of these bullshit articles. I knew the Wii's success would be nothing more than a headache. I don't think GTA IV, MGS4, Bioshock, Resistance, Gears, Fallout, Fable, Call of Duty, and Prince of Persia are casual games. Are these not the best selling titles of the year? Doesn't the Wii have a low attachment rate?
  • 0
    EOM Bassist Dec 9, 08
    The Wii is to blame for the 'casual gaming' craze of late. But... Does it really matter? I mean, it isn't going to affect any of us unless we've got a Wii, or remotely care at all.
    • 1
      iLLmatic Dec 10, 08
      It's a business, a consumer driven business. Companies follow trends in consumer businesses. Without going into detail, that one previous statement alone should make you think twice about thinking none of the Wii's success could affect the rest of the industry.
  • 1
    The Omega Dec 10, 08
    I consider myself a casual gamer, despite playing games often and for my entire life. I've never gotten myself so enthralled with one game where I can basically take it online and beat most other people. I can play games like Warcraft III and Age of Empires II for a good while against the AI, and then I go online and constantly get killed at it. It's why I couldn't stay with WoW: that game takes many needless hours for endgame stuff that winds up taking time out of your real life, when I just want to jump in, do something, and get out and feel rewarded for it.

    The Wii was the only next-gen console I even wanted. I like the simpler games and the unique controls, so it tailors to me. I want to relax and have fun when gaming, not get enthralled with a huge gaming experience that some newer RPG and FPS games have.

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