Easier games...!?!

This article...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4561771.stm

is about radical re-thinking about games, in order for them to appeal to a broader audience...and as a result, games had to become easier to play!!!

Surely that's the problem?? games are far easier now than they ever were (there are exceptions but, for the most part, I find games have been become very easy).

Think back to the first Mario game (an example, or sonic) and think of how you had to negotiate increasingly difficult jumps and perfect the timing...all that came into play.

With recent games, nothing like that exists, no careful contemplation of the problem, no quick witted motion...just repetitive, uninspired gameplay, with admittedly class graphics. And they have to get easier??

the point of the article is how games will apply to females as much as males...surely women will be able to "male" games? of course they would...maybe it's the subject matter that wouldn't appeal, but certainly they shouldn't tone down difficulty!

My thoughts on the matter anyhoo

Illuvatar

There's plenty of games the women can play. What people need to focus on is the hard core gamer. Their the ones who will make you the most money. If you lose them you have the nothing. That's what xbox is trying to do is get other people into the picture while just shoving aside the ones that make them their money in the first place.

Illuvatar

Illuvatar wrote:

... while just shoving aside the ones that make them their money in the first place.

Ignoring them?

Women can play ALL games, difficulty doesn't come into it, just the subject matter, whether or not they are interested in it or not...this craic about making games easier and appeal to more people is bull.
As you say, hardcore gamers are needed, if they can fit the rest in, grand, but they shouldn't spend their resources into making big games that are simple to play and complete.

koneko

I hate articles like that. I want them to go to hell and die.

Hugh Hefner

Oh yes, that special circle of hell for pedophiles, people who talk in the theatre and articles being condescending to female gamers. Lol.

ObeyGiant

I don't know about making games easier, but I agree with the sentiments expressed by the interviewee - something has to be done to appeal to a broader market.

Personally speaking, I have a whole lot less time on my hands now because of various work and social commitments. And I rarely get to finish games. Not because of the difficulty but because I can only really get to pick them up and play them in short bursts - say, half an hour/hour at a time. Games like Donkey Konga and the like are useful for this.. I can just pick them up and put them down without any real problems. But these are only fun for so long (and that gets even shorter when you're just playing the one-player game).

I've started playing Metroid Prime: Echoes, and this seems to be a pretty good balance. It has conveniently-placed save points throughout the levels, so I'm usually able to play in short bursts. However, whenever I start it up, it tells me how much of the game I've completed - 4% after 3 hours of gaming? Personally, I don't think I'll last much longer. There are a lot of fantastic games out there, and I don't want all of my already-scarce free time being eaten up by just one.

I think this is at least part of the reason for GTA's success (besides the violence). When I want to just pick it up and drive around for a few minutes, crashing into things, I can. But when I do get an evening or a weekend to myself, I've got the missions to play through.

And I don't think my situation is all that unusual.

Retr0gamer

Easier games do appeal to the casual gamer which is where the majority of the market is. It annoys me when my brother or my friends completely dismiss a brilliant game such as Devil May Cry 3 because they died within 5 minutes of playing it. Call it ignorance or whatever but it's just the way things are at the moment. Games have definitely gotten far easier. A play of the games on the mega man anniversary collection compared to the mega man X games or an old Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy will confirm this. I remember the outcry about no quicksaving in MDK (which was perfectly easy to finish it without QS) but nothing about it when dark forces was released. There are some bastions of tough gaming, mostly from Konami, treasure and capcom. The last FF game was also very tough.

ObeyGiant

My girlfriend is a non-gamer. I bought Midway Arcade Classics to try and give her some introduction to video games, thinking "old games" == "easy". Ooops. Couldn't have been more wrong.

Ah well, more Smash TV for me, I suppose.

Retr0gamer

Easier games mightn't be all that bad. I do like a challenge but I also like to play games that relax me like Katamari Damacry and Ico. One of the most enjoyable games I've ever played was Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn. The game was an absolute push over. I died once during the whole game. However this didn't affect my enjoyment of the game and probably complemented it. I was able to take in the wonderful Panzer Dragoon world's art, design and music with very little to trouble me or stress about. I think a review on RPGamer sums it up, 'Challenges None, Yet Challenged By None'.