A friend and I recently had a discussion about video games. He claimed that the new motion-controlled gaming systems are simply not his style, that they make the game playing experience awkward. Since I haven’t attempted to play on a motion-controlled system, I didn’t think it my place to comment at the time. But his commentary started me thinking on the differences between classic gaming and the new motion-controlled gaming. It made me realize that the development of motion-controlled gaming was nothing short of brilliant innovation.
I grew up with video games. Of course, I went to arcades as a kid and played the likes of Pac-Man and Space Invaders. But I also had some of the first gaming systems.
It was at my grandparents’ house that I first played Pong with those long thin controllers and turny knobs.
My first computer game was on some machine the name of which I don’t even remember. I do, however, recall attempting to destroy purple space ships. And I obsessed about those things at the time.
Atari stole a good deal of my youth during elementary school. I swung back and forth on ropes, trying to avoid snakes in Pitfall. I piloted a plane in River Raid. And I fought with tanks in some kind of war game.
Nintendo kept me busy during middle school. Of course, there was Super Mario Brothers. And no, I never beat it. I loved Tecmo Bowl, especially with the Giants being so good. There was Contra. Ninja Gaiden. Dragon Warrior. Punch Out. The Legend of Zelda. So many memories.
My high school years saw video games wane, at least in my consciousness. I played, at times, on others’ Super Nintendo and Sega gaming consoles but never owned one myself. I always enjoyed playing – though I must admit that I hated losing to others in those fighting games. Still do.
In college, I played more computer based games. My fingers flew over the keyboard like a pianist’s over a piano making a car take turns at 80 mph or an X-wing fighter dive to take out a shield generator.
And most recently, I engaged in the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game experience by creating at least a dozen characters for World of Warcraft.
What do all of these have in common? It’s all about hand-eye coordination. Either with controllers or with computer keyboards, I have navigated through all of the elements, defeating everyone from the Dallas Cowboys to Diablo himself. And I enjoy gaming like that. It’s what I know and understand. So, I have to admit that these new motion-controlled gaming systems really aren’t of interest to me as a classic quasi-gamer.
My friend, having played the games, agrees. Video games, he suggests, are not for jumping up and down or for flailing one’s arms wildly. Not to mention, the motion-controlled gaming consoles just can’t imitate life well enough. Throwing a football is more like throwing a shot put. While swinging at make believe balls puts anyone and anything in the immediate vicinity of the swinger in potentially mortal danger. All in all, he claims, motion-controlled gaming just isn’t up his – or any other gamer’s – alley.
Which is why motion-controlled gaming is so brilliant. I’ll draw a parallel to a commercial I saw recently. In it, women throw NFL jerseys at their husbands / boyfriends. On their face, looks of disgust. I chuckled to myself, thinking that the commercial had something to do with men neglecting their women because of football. But no. The commercial was an NFL ad aimed at women, trying to get their business. How? By tailoring clothing for women specifically. They were giving back the jerseys because these women now had appropriate clothing to enjoy the NFL.
The parallel? The motion-controlled gaming systems aren’t for classic gamers. Oh sure, there will be those who cross over from the old world into the new. But for the most part, motion-controlled gaming is for those who have never before been interested in gaming. Just watch the commercials, and you’ll see women beating their more masculine counterparts at sports like golf and football. Or you’ll see grandpa beating up on his grandson in a boxing match. A brilliant move. And one that has opened gaming to an entirely different audience.
What’s next? Oh, they’ll make gaming systems better for each audience. For classic gaming, it means better graphics and sound. For motion-controlled gaming, it means better tracking of movement as well as more games for each of the consoles. But I think there’s still an opportunity for crossover. Personally, I think they’ll capture some of the classic gamers in one of two ways. A MCMMORPG (Motion Controlled Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) or the adaptation of fighting games like Tekken and Soul Caliber. Although I’d have some concern about the latter given how my reaction when I lose with merely an Xbox controller in my sweating hands...
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