Post by leunas on Aug 6, 2006 18:46:57 GMT -5
As far as I'm concerned, the more people we get into gaming, the better. Former Dreamcast exec Peter Moore agrees with me. At the recent Ziff Davis Electronic Games Conference, he outlined what he thinks are the "Elite 8", the barriers and obstacles that keep gaming out of millions of households.
The highlights of the elitist lowlights:
- Beyond The Boys In Their Bedrooms. Appeal to a much wider audience.
- Don't Pass The Buck On Rising Development Costs. We need to find ways to reduce costs and restructure our revenue models.
- Rebel Without A Platform: Bring Aspiring Developers Into The Fold. For too long we've expected the developers of the future to claw their way up to us ... we have to start coming to them and proactively develop a farm team of future stars.
- It's A YouTube World: Embrace Community Created Content. We're control freaks when it comes to how games are delivered to consumers. We need more spaces where garage designers can get noticed.
- Set Us Free. We should look at delivering new IP in new ways that recognize how powerful a concept shaping your own gaming experience is.
- We're Too Cool For School: Make Ourselves More Approachable. Games are more powerful, but less approachable. We need to make more games for more people. Expand demographics, online gameplay, strong family settings.
- Lower The Total Cost Of Ownership With Choice. Consumer should have choices, starting at entry level, purchases should be upgradable, don't lock consumers in.
- Treat Windows Like A Gaming Platform. Windows as a platform reaches more people than any console ever will.
In other words, be Nintendo—and don't forget PC gamers. Oh, I kid. Microsoft is making good on a number of these points, with #5 being an area they clearly need help with (sorry, guys, but Viva Pinata makes me sleepy). XBLA is a great start, but too many steps removed from Mr. and Mrs. Casual.
All great points, but, Pete, can I suggest a bonus source of elitism? The retail channel. Walking into a video game retailer or major electronics store is not only intimidating for some, it can be downright perplexing. Retail outlets that look less like a pawn shop with staff that operate less like used car lot salesmen might make this seem like less of an elitist hobby and something to be taken more seriously.
www.kotaku.com/gaming/peter-moore/microsofts-peter-moore-confronts-gaming-elitism-192315.php