Wii Would Like to Play PS2

View blog entry: Wii Would Like to Play PS2 – Twilight Lynk

Although it is obvious that more casual gamers are now given attention by game companies, were there no casual gamers pre-2000? Sounds like a stupid question but I'm sure that they existed way back in the PSX and Nintendo 64 era too and maybe even further back during the Space Invaders craze.

Maybe it's like you said that they're now being considered as a major audience target by Nintendo but I'm sure games like Point Blank and Puzzle Bobble served as something for them to get into video games in those days.

I can see what you're saying, and it is true that "casual gamers" have always existed in some form through the history of videogames. I can't consider people who played Space Invaders "casually" as "casual gamers" because it's a term to describe a type of person who has certain tastes in videogames in today's age of gaming.

A key factor which separates this generation and the last from the generations before it is that developers are openly making games which are targeting groups of gamers who aren't your average rpg fans, racer fans or action/adventure fans. They've begun to design games that are presented and play a certain way as well as developing certain types of games and software that would never have been considered in the past.

You also have to remember that this is more than just about casual gamers now. The industry has opened up to a group called "non-gamers" who are starting to enjoy games and software such as Guitar Hero, SingStar, Brain Training and Wii Fit.

I don't think I know a 'casual' gamer who owns a PS2. Most of them are people who are into games. To me, I think that hand held consoles are what really attracted the casual gamer. I think the Nintendo DS is attracting alot of the casual gamers, because of its interactivity.

I'm not sure if casual gamers go for the whole Guitar Hero thing, but, a lot of girls really love Sing Star. I, myself, am not really fond of it. But, again, its that whole interactivity thing.

And also, I think that arcades are responsible for drawing in casual gamers, as well, because it really where they start out.

Funny that because one of my other friends owns a PS2 yet he hardly plays it. He hasn't got that many games as well. While we're also on casual games I've just remembered my family use to have the original fat Nintendo Entertainment System below including the orange gun.

I remember there was a pretty plain shooting game on the system where one was shooting discs while the other was a duck hunting game, now you didn't need super smart brains to work out how to play the game but it did get more challenging as you progressed through each level yet it remained fun. The fun thing about it was that it was a game the family could play together as there was also a two player mode if I remember correctly.

I know plenty of causal gamers who own ps2's but also own wii's now. Ps2 did start the trend alright =)

'Casual' gamers, 'Hardcore' gamers... What actually does that mean?

Casual gamers - People who play limited titles? People who play simplistic games such as say; tetris? People who do not spend more than 1 hour at their consoles?

Hardcore gamers - People who are completionists? Gamers who spend 10 hours or more at one game sitting? Or people who just play complicated games like MGS, Final Fantasy, God of War?

Seriously this cannot be the definition of gamers. Gamers are gamers period. You cannot judge a gamer to be a casual player or hardcore player. Heck I'd say, my 47 year old uncle is a 'Hardcore' Wii sports player; he can spend 5 hours straight in boxing. And I think its every bit complicated, as say MGS if he needs to coordinate the punches.

But I digress.

The only reason the PSOne and PS2 did sell through the roof is simply piracy. I'm from Singapore and I can bet anyone here a hundred dollars a modded PS1/2 would outnumber a straight unmodded system 10:1. Most games which did come out for the earlier gen PS were literally, how do I put it...crap. Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid are most probably the key titles anyone would remember for the 2 systems, and yes of late, God of War. I'm not too sure about Americans but in asia Winning 11 pwns like crazy. Yet non of these games really were reflected in the figures.

Game charts show game sales figures in the 100Ks but the real deal lies with piracy. Wii would not like to play PS2, We would like to play high quality free games. And FYI, without piracy the PS1 and 2 would have been bumped off the map.

My stand is that PS2 didn't start a 'casual' gamers trend. Piracy did. If there were as many developers for the Sega Saturn and Sega wasn't such bitch to make enemies with all their 3rd parties we might have seen some sort of competition. Yet they made a mistake with launchin Dreamcast early and using proprietry GD-Roms. It still got hacked but too long...

Well in any case... nintendo still has time till some genius hacks the PS3... Its already done by a brazilian guy just its too complicated and 25-50 gigs of BD-Rom...lol, but one thing is for sure. Piracy made and broke the gaming industry, for Sony.

@ omar316: Firstly, I don't use the term "hardcore"... to me, it sounds pretty lame. Secondly, I actually don't consider casual gamers to be gamers who play "limited" or "simplistic" games. My interpretation of what a core, casual and non-gamer are as follows.

Core - Those like myself who spend quite a lot of their time with videogames who plays them for hours trying to finish 100%, or try to get the fastest times or highest scores possible and unlocking all of the secrets hidden within a specific game. Anyone who is a dedicated gamer is in my mind, a core gamer.

Casual - People who are into videogames but play them purely because they're fun. They also don't spend anywhere near the amount of time playing as much as core gamers do. They're also people who can put down a videogame and move onto something else.

Non-gamer - This group is the most interesting because the kind of games they play are games like SingStar, Brain Age and Wii Fit. These kinds of games aren't anywhere close to what core gamers would call a traditional game and in a lot of cases these are pieces of software more than they are videogames.

It's not a way to judge someone negatively, but rather a way to determine what kind of games they would be interested in. I can guarantee you that the majority of people who enjoy Wii Fit would NOT be interested in the bloody frag-fest action of an FPS or would take the time to delve into a long and tedious dungeon crawler.

You say you're from Singapore? I can understand why you think that piracy is the main driving force for the distribution of videogames in your region since it's common place. We have a member here from Argentina who feels the same way since piracy is extremely common for him in his country too. But what you have to realise is that things do tend to work differently depending on where you are in the world.

I can agree that piracy is a factor to consider with videogames, but I disagree that it's what drove the success of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2... The games you mentioned do sell extremely well in other countries and there are more people willing to buy them than to trade in pirate copies of those games. The sales figures in our specific regions reflect that.

As for Wii. It is already possible to pirate games for Wii and has been for a long time. You can download Wii games from the net and burn them onto a disc and play them on your modded Wii already. I'm surprised you don't know that already. But then is the Wii selling like crazy because you can pirate games for it? Not a chance. It's selling well because the majority of the audience it's appealing to doesn't even know how to pirate games in the first place.

I definitely would disagree about piracy being what made the ps2 so successful. Looking at the number of units sold, I don't think anywhere near the majority of those people were pirating games. Not that I don't think it exists, I know it does, but I think the ps2 would still be very successful if it wasn't a factor.

Wow. First off, Lynk I'm impressed someone would have such a knowledge of gamer...habits (?) on so many facets. Bordering on statistical research and yet consise.

From a broad economic perspective: smart business on behalf of the console company. Getting brands, labels, and major names 'in your hat' early on in the game (no pun) with a discerning, discriminant eye as to which companies they rake in (or don't). Getting them committed as full and as early on as possible. Sony IMO has had success similarly in electronics and computers for umpteen years. Comes as little surprise they know how to do it over the long term here in gaming.

A console company researches the trends, as well as factors relative to gamer audience and their response, about the prospective game company they are looking at bringing on board. If it is a company that is already well established they factor in its track record too; If it's a new, fresh company I'm sure the console company's marketing research dept. (or whatever) has its criteria in that case as well.

And perhaps having competing brands on your platform is also a way to ensure that better brands, and more of them, are delivered to your customers. Competition is good for everyone, right?

I think the sort of direct attention game labels and companies give to their audiences tells their own creativity/writing dept. what to do and where to go with their products. They do tend to experiment.

The console company's marketing research department would keep a careful eye on this in the mean time.

Just my opinion.

Indeed! That would be our Lynk!