Stop the press: Gaming grows up with demographic

The "everyone I know" comments are silly, as are most of these polls. Everyone I know likes anime, owns predominately Nintendo systems, and are all CS or Engineering majors in college. What does that all prove? It proves that I mostly known/hang around people that have similar interest to my own, just like everyone else does.

It's all about perspective. You can argue that the Gamecube failed last generation. I could argue that it didn't, that despite selling less it was profitable -- unlike the original XBox. Heck, I hated the 64 -- I loved the GC. It's all perspective. I imagine I'm one of the few that spent around 9 months exclusively playing Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life with my wife 2-5 hours a day, every day. I suppose I'm also one of the few that used my GC to play GBA games on the big screen. Those facts alone make it my favorite last gen system, and I haven't touched on the 10-20 other games that really rocked on the system. And honestly, with games that have good replay value, 20 games for 4 years if enough for me.

The 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP all have their places and their fanbase. And to be honest, I'll probably own all but the PSP by Winter 2008. The only people that should be ashamed to call themselves gamers are those that can honestly say "There's not a single exclusive game on console X that I want to play". There's no shame in admitting you really like one game and think it's awesome, but decide for other factors that owning the console in question isn't worth the one game. If you can honestly say you wouldn't play that game given a free console + game package though, then you really should re-evaluate your priorities and decide if it's about "rooting for the team" or "being a gamer".

Sorry - last comment was for Summercamp

(it's just a bit of troll-food)

Several comments have described memories of people's first game console from when they were kids. Well guess what: kids still play video games!

Just because there are more adult gamers doesn't mean kids should be ignored, as Microsoft and Sony are clearly doing. Nintendo sold 60 million NESs mostly for kids, and there are just as many kids now as then!

The problem is, the major publishers are producing fewer and fewer quality E-rated games (outside of sports titles). For example, Sony used to publish groundbreaking kid-friendly games like Spyro and the original Jak&Daxter. However Insomniac dropped E-rated Spyro for T-rated Ratchet&Clank, and Naughtly Dog has been trying to make Jak more mature and bumped its rating up to T. That's just one example.

All that's left for kids on Sony platforms are multi-platform licensed titles, and crap from second-rate developers. So, what are the parents of the estimated 40 million kids aged 5 to 14 living in the United States going to do? Buy a Nintendo! Because, they sure aren't going to buy a PS3 or 360 for "Cars" and "Madagascar"!

Don't you hate it when an intellegent comment kills a thread...

Yeah, someone typed out a pretty long and intelligent post... and no one gives feedback :(

@summercamp

you're such a wanker.

@ Evan

I think so, too

Especially this generation, there simply isn't GOOD content that parents would find "acceptable" for an 8 year old on a system other than the Wii

I too found Naughty Dog's attempt to "mature" Jak and Daxter in JakII and JakX racing to be as vomit-inducing as SEGA's attempts at creating story-driven Sonic games (Shadow and Sonic 06)

Jak&Daxter was excellent, Daxter was good, JakII and JakX were horrid

"According to Reuters, analysts predicted the Wii did well because adult gamers wanted to introduce their children to gaming. These "Nintendads" helped sell a lot of units. Oh please, "Nintendads" wanted the Wii for themselves. The kid was just the add-on peripheral excuse that allowed the wife to let them purchase the console."

I won't defend it but logically a life-long Nintendo fan could have well over 20 years into his fandom whilst PS at most has 11 years and Xbox on its 7th.

Time flies doesn't it? :D

As for "kids = excuse for peripherals", Xbox360 has MS touting that they have the higher peripheral attachment rate than either of the two other competitors. :P

57. Jak II pwned TPL in every possible way. Gamespot gave Jak II a 9.1. All the Jak games were awesome.