Birdmen and the Casual Fallacy
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Bookmark History
Saved by 3 people (0 private), first by anonymouse user on 2008-07-23
- Jamused on 2009-02-11 - Tags no_tag
- I4tunecookiei on 2008-07-23 - Tags ALP , Social Gaming , Research
- W3stfa11 on 2008-05-31 - Tags vgsales
Public Sticky notes
The game industry was, and still is,
distinctively hardcore. They generate their profits from
sequels and big blockbuster games. The developers are all
hardcore. The publishers are generally hardcore as well.
When a hardcore gamer looks at a hardcore game, he sees sophistication, magnificence, and, most important, art as if it were a mirror image facing him. When a hardcore gamer looks as a casual game, he sees simplicity, non-art, easiness, and, in sum, a retardation of gaming. Hardcore view casual games not as progress in gaming but as games tailor made for gaming retards.
When a hardcore gamer looks at a hardcore game, he sees sophistication, magnificence, and, most important, art as if it were a mirror image facing him. When a hardcore gamer looks as a casual game, he sees simplicity, non-art, easiness, and, in sum, a retardation of gaming. Hardcore view casual games not as progress in gaming but as games tailor made for gaming retards.
Highlighted by jamused
which is
why Blizzard puts on any business contract that its
developers will be free to make the games they want
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
”People buy Nintendo and Blizzard games because of their
franchise worlds.” But other third party games have as rich
of a franchise world. “Nintendo and Blizzard have the money
to delay their games and perfect them. Most third parties do
not have that luxury.” While this is true, it raises the
question as to how Nintendo and Blizzard got to where they
are. They started small like everyone else and, at a time,
also didn’t have the money.
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
Nintendo and companies like Blizzard use the Spiral where
customer satisfaction is King. This leads to delays in
production, projects pulled entirely, and constant testing.
The result is a product that creates passionate users.
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
The third one, the question mark, is where the User is King.
Many companies know their current ‘waterfall’ production
based method has a future of rising costs and declining
passion so they are turning to the Internet to make the User
as King. These include episodic gaming as well as
downloadable content. Will Wright is moving in this
direction. The idea is that development cycles begin moving
extremely fast as now the user is directly or indirectly
involved. Companies are confusing the User as King to mean
Customer Satisfaction is King.
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
The difference between Customer Satisfaction and letting the
User in control is the matter of surprise which is critical
in entertainment. It is ridiculous to ask your customers
what surprises them.
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
High definition games are just pushing development more in
the ‘waterfall’ model more due to the rising cost of art
assets. With more emphasis on the production model, this
will create less interesting games (and explains why the
Industry got into a rut as development costs went up over
the generations).
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
It should be noted that Nintendo
focused their market research on non-active gamers including
non-gamers and former gamers. Nintendo never aimed at
capturing ‘casual gamers’ in the same context that birdmen
speak today.
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
And these new gamers then swam
upmarket
Highlighted by i4tunecookiei
Public Comment
on 2008-07-23 by i4tunecookiei