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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Nintendo: Switch Buyers Are Primarily Men In Their 20s/30s

Soundwave said:
MisterManGuy said:

Some people don't read many books, but they can at least read proficiently. Saying that people don't need to learn how to play games is exactly like saying people don't need to learn how to read. This video explains what I'm talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNV2xtiBk5U&t=47s

I'm not saying you'll get everyone to become more involved gamers, nor am I saying that you necesarily need to get every Candy Crush player into Dark Souls. But if we have no window of opprotunity, no way for people to at least take an interest in more traditional style games, then we have a huge problem. This isn't even about women anymore, it's about people who are new to games and or don't really play a lot of games at all, which include both men and women. You do realize there are plenty of male casual gamers too do you? It's not like every guy on the planet is a hardcore gaming junkie. This is why I say it's important to at least make an effort to get casual gamers to take an interest in non-mobile games. And don't tell me that's not possible because mobile games are free. If people can spend $15+ on Movie Tickets or buy expensive Starbucks coffee, they can spend $40-60 on a game as long as it's good. Like I said, if your product is desirable, people will buy it. The Switch is selling well because it's a desirable product.

Casual gamers aren't just women who play smartphone games exclusively. They're simply people who play games, but don't play a lot of games, and aren't as enriched in gaming culture as hardcore gamers. For example, a casual gamer may not be a fan of most console games, but can probably pour hundereds of hours into Breath of the Wild. There are casual fans of every medium. Movies for example, have people who don't really go to summer blockbusters, but will always be willing to go see say, a period piece. It's the same with games. 

Saying Consoles must be for this demographic only is oversimplication and doesn't really help games grow as a medium. True, not every game is for everyone, but we shouldn't shut off demographics from an entire ecosystem, just because they play phone games. 

I don't really buy that it's a "huge problem" though. 

First of all, there are new gamers coming into the industry constantly. That's because there are kids being born constantly, so like lol, there's never really a danger of gaming not having new customers. Sony's game division just had their highest profit since 1998, this shouldn't be possible if the market for more complex games has declined. 

$15 for a movie ticket and $60 for a game is still huge whopping difference. I would never pay $60 for a concert I only kinda/sorta was interested in. I would need really strong motivation to spend $60 on anything. That's not a trivial throw away amount of money for most people. $15 ... ok, yeah that's more reasonable. 

What's wrong with people playing on smartphones? It's not that consoles have to be just for one demographic, it's that smartphones simply are better than consoles at delivering games to the casual/non-gamer type. You're not giving them smartphone enough credit. They've kicked the console's ass at that, and that's fine. 

Once upon a time everyone had to have a stereo player in their living room because it was basically the only way to listen to music. Then technology changed and you had the WalkMan, which became the DiscMan, which became the iPod, which is now the smartphone. Not very many people have a dedicated music stereo system in their house anymore, and that's fine. If someone just wants to listen on their phone, that's fine. Technology advances and it gives people more personalized options. Same with a PC ... plenty of homes these days don't have a big fat tower PC anymore, but 15 years ago you basically had no choice but to own one. Well tech changed, and the same thing has happened with gaming, and quite frankly maybe that's a good thing. 

We are so quick to label it a bad thing, but why should someone pay $300 + $60/game if they just want to have 30-90 minutes of fun a week? Why shouldn't there be a better option for people like that? 

Look, there's nothing wrong with people playing games on phones, and people getting into games through phones is not a bad thing. The problem arises when the industry tries to cock-block those mobile gamers from getting interested into other types of games. It's the equivelant of never taking the training wheels off your bike. Mobile is a great jumping off point for people new to games, but we shouldn't just confine casual gamers to mobile games only. Like I said, Pokemon Go introduced Pokemon to a whole new generation, and it both boosted 3DS sales, and made Pokemon Sun and Moon the best selling entries in the series. 

While not every game is worth $60, people will spend that much if you make it worth the asking price to people. Plus, you don't need to spend $60 on a game. There's plenty of games on all platforms that only cost around $4 or $5, or at least under $50. People are willing to pay for something if its worth the price, so this narrative that mobile gamers will never pay for games doesn't really hold any weight. New gamers are always comming into the industry, but if we don't encourage them to broaden their tastes, then we won't be able to create long term customers. This is something that even Sony understands. 

Point is, there's no sense in perpetuating the narrative that only core gamers play consoles and only casuals play mobile games, when there's plenty of room for both a middle ground, and overlap. The Switch is the middle ground that the industry needs, because it simplifies the console experience by merging it with something people are already familiar with, that being tablets. If people can own both a tablet and a phone. They can own both a Switch and a phone as well. 



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MisterManGuy said:
Soundwave said:

I don't really buy that it's a "huge problem" though. 

First of all, there are new gamers coming into the industry constantly. That's because there are kids being born constantly, so like lol, there's never really a danger of gaming not having new customers. Sony's game division just had their highest profit since 1998, this shouldn't be possible if the market for more complex games has declined. 

$15 for a movie ticket and $60 for a game is still huge whopping difference. I would never pay $60 for a concert I only kinda/sorta was interested in. I would need really strong motivation to spend $60 on anything. That's not a trivial throw away amount of money for most people. $15 ... ok, yeah that's more reasonable. 

What's wrong with people playing on smartphones? It's not that consoles have to be just for one demographic, it's that smartphones simply are better than consoles at delivering games to the casual/non-gamer type. You're not giving them smartphone enough credit. They've kicked the console's ass at that, and that's fine. 

Once upon a time everyone had to have a stereo player in their living room because it was basically the only way to listen to music. Then technology changed and you had the WalkMan, which became the DiscMan, which became the iPod, which is now the smartphone. Not very many people have a dedicated music stereo system in their house anymore, and that's fine. If someone just wants to listen on their phone, that's fine. Technology advances and it gives people more personalized options. Same with a PC ... plenty of homes these days don't have a big fat tower PC anymore, but 15 years ago you basically had no choice but to own one. Well tech changed, and the same thing has happened with gaming, and quite frankly maybe that's a good thing. 

We are so quick to label it a bad thing, but why should someone pay $300 + $60/game if they just want to have 30-90 minutes of fun a week? Why shouldn't there be a better option for people like that? 

Look, there's nothing wrong with people playing games on phones, and people getting into games through phones is not a bad thing. The problem arises when the industry tries to cock-block those mobile gamers from getting interested into other types of games. It's the equivelant of never taking the training wheels off your bike. Mobile is a great jumping off point for people new to games, but we shouldn't just confine casual gamers to mobile games only. Like I said, Pokemon Go introduced Pokemon to a whole new generation, and it both boosted 3DS sales, and made Pokemon Sun and Moon the best selling entries in the series. 

While not every game is worth $60, people will spend that much if you make it worth the asking price to people. Plus, you don't need to spend $60 on a game. There's plenty of games on all platforms that only cost around $4 or $5, or at least under $50. People are willing to pay for something if its worth the price, so this narrative that mobile gamers will never pay for games doesn't really hold any weight. New gamers are always comming into the industry, but if we don't encourage them to broaden their tastes, then we won't be able to create long term customers. This is something that even Sony understands. 

Point is, there's no sense in perpetuating the narrative that only core gamers play consoles and only casuals play mobile games, when there's plenty of room for both a middle ground, and overlap. The Switch is the middle ground that the industry needs, because it simplifies the console experience by merging it with something people are already familiar with, that being tablets. If people can own both a tablet and a phone. They can own both a Switch and a phone as well. 

No one is being cock blocked though, lol. 

All those casuals who play games on phones are welcome to buy consoles, I'm sure none of Sony, MS, or Nintendo would stop them. 

They are choosing not to buy consoles. Simply because what's the point? If you have as much fun playing Candy Crush for free why would you pay even $10 for a console game and have to pay $300 for the hardware? 

It's not a "narrative" if it's reality. It's like saying "Soccer is more popular in Europe than it is in North America" ... well I mean it kind of is, lol. What do you say if it's simply the truth? It isn't women who are driving any significant sales of PS4, Switch, or XBox One. And that's fine. Yeah maybe even woman some day might carry a Nintendo Switch in their purse right next to their smartphone. 

And one day every NFL football fan might become a fan of NHL ice hockey. Hey it could happen. Not bloody likely, but there's like a very small possibility of a miracle. 

If you're going to mad at anyone, be mad at Apple/Google. They're the ones who completely changed the landscape for that type of gaming and introducing the sales of model of free games. And they're too damn good at selling phones with incredibly user-friendly interfaces that even a 3 year old can use and they totally took a shit on console makers by offering thousands of games for free, many of which are quite addictive and simple to pick up and play. 

I like music, but my friend is a music junkie, can't live without it he has like several thousand CDs and many vinyl albums. I'm just good with some MP3s on my phone that I can listen to when I go work out. I'm fine with a shitty pair of $20 earphones, he can't live without like a $300 set. You're never going to get me to turn into him as far as music goes. Never going to happen. And there's nothing wrong with me or him. 

Game fans need to stop seeking validation for their hobby from others. Enjoy what you enjoy, so what if your parents or that one teacher in junior high told you gaming was a waste of time or wouldn't last or whatever. People said the same shit about comic books and how silly they were and look at what dominates popular culture today. And did comic books get there by trying to appeal to radically different audiences and completely changing/retconning their core principals? Are soccer moms and grandmas reading Iron Man? 

Video games haven't "failed" if everyone isn't playing Xenoblade or something on a $300 game system, 20 hours a week. As much as I enjoy video games it's probably good for society that isn't the case actually. 



Soundwave said:

Sony's game division just had their highest profit since 1998, this shouldn't be possible if the market for more complex games has declined. 

Not necessarily.

Things like subscription services & DLC/season passes are good ways to increase revenue per customer. Also the huge increase in digital sales which are sold at a higher profit margin helps alot. Its also possible that they are selling hardware at a higher profit margin as well.

For example, PS1 had reduced its price from $299 to $129 within 3 years, PS2 had reduced its price from $299 to $149 in about 3.5 years. In the same time frame PS4 has had its price reduced from $399 to $299. Thats a 25% price reduction for PS4 while PS1/PS2 prices were slashed by roughly 50% in the same time frame.

Higher profits doesnt necessarily mean the number of consumers isnt declining.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

Soundwave said:
MisterManGuy said:

Look, there's nothing wrong with people playing games on phones, and people getting into games through phones is not a bad thing. The problem arises when the industry tries to cock-block those mobile gamers from getting interested into other types of games. It's the equivelant of never taking the training wheels off your bike. Mobile is a great jumping off point for people new to games, but we shouldn't just confine casual gamers to mobile games only. Like I said, Pokemon Go introduced Pokemon to a whole new generation, and it both boosted 3DS sales, and made Pokemon Sun and Moon the best selling entries in the series. 

While not every game is worth $60, people will spend that much if you make it worth the asking price to people. Plus, you don't need to spend $60 on a game. There's plenty of games on all platforms that only cost around $4 or $5, or at least under $50. People are willing to pay for something if its worth the price, so this narrative that mobile gamers will never pay for games doesn't really hold any weight. New gamers are always comming into the industry, but if we don't encourage them to broaden their tastes, then we won't be able to create long term customers. This is something that even Sony understands. 

Point is, there's no sense in perpetuating the narrative that only core gamers play consoles and only casuals play mobile games, when there's plenty of room for both a middle ground, and overlap. The Switch is the middle ground that the industry needs, because it simplifies the console experience by merging it with something people are already familiar with, that being tablets. If people can own both a tablet and a phone. They can own both a Switch and a phone as well. 

No one is being cock blocked though, lol. 

All those casuals who play games on phones are welcome to buy consoles, I'm sure none of Sony, MS, or Nintendo would stop them. 

They are choosing not to buy consoles. Simply because what's the point? If you have as much fun playing Candy Crush for free why would you pay even $10 for a console game and have to pay $300 for the hardware? 

It's not a "narrative" if it's reality. It's like saying "Soccer is more popular in Europe than it is in North America" ... well I mean it kind of is, lol. What do you say if it's simply the truth? It isn't women who are driving any significant sales of PS4, Switch, or XBox One. And that's fine. Yeah maybe even woman some day might carry a Nintendo Switch in their purse right next to their smartphone. 

And one day every NFL football fan might become a fan of NHL ice hockey. Hey it could happen. Not bloody likely, but there's like a very small possibility of a miracle. 

If you're going to mad at anyone, be mad at Apple/Google. They're the ones who completely changed the landscape for that type of gaming and introducing the sales of model of free games. And they're too damn good at selling phones with incredibly user-friendly interfaces that even a 3 year old can use and they totally took a shit on console makers by offering thousands of games for free, many of which are quite addictive and simple to pick up and play. 

I like music, but my friend is a music junkie, can't live without it he has like several thousand CDs and many vinyl albums. I'm just good with some MP3s on my phone that I can listen to when I go work out. I'm fine with a shitty pair of $20 earphones, he can't live without like a $300 set. You're never going to get me to turn into him as far as music goes. Never going to happen. And there's nothing wrong with me or him. 

Game fans need to stop seeking validation for their hobby from others. Enjoy what you enjoy, so what if your parents or that one teacher in junior high told you gaming was a waste of time or wouldn't last or whatever. People said the same shit about comic books and how silly they were and look at what dominates popular culture today. And did comic books get there by trying to appeal to radically different audiences and completely changing/retconning their core principals? Are soccer moms and grandmas reading Iron Man? 

Video games haven't "failed" if everyone isn't playing Xenoblade or something on a $300 game system, 20 hours a week. As much as I enjoy video games it's probably good for society that isn't the case actually. 

Once again, you're mis-interpreting what I'm saying. You can't force a Candy Crush player to like Xenoblade, but the opprotunity for them to take an interest should be there. It's the same thing for you're other examples, nothing is stopping a Football fan from taking an interest in Hockey, and there are probably plenty who are fans of both, because the opprotunity to do so was there. People should have the same opprotunity with games. There should be nothing stopping a mobile gamer from playing a console game, and they should be able to enjoy both. 

And no, people aren't going to not buy a Switch because the games cost money. As I said, people will buy anything as long as the price is worth it. If a game is worth the $60 asking price, then people will buy it, casual or no. Like I said, not every one will become a hardcore gamer, if games want to be taken seriously as a commercial art form, they can't solely rely on a small, isolated niche. Sony, Microsoft, and especially Nintendo all understand this. 

Your music example doesn't really make much sense because you're thinking of collectors, which are totally different. For gaming, many people are fine with a console, a phone and just downloading a few games on both, inclunding so called "core gamers" meanwhile collectors will buy every physical release, and collect tons of retro games and systems. It's literally no different.

For a better example. Some people may not be into most genres of music, or really even make music themselves. But, they may really be into rap or hip-hop. Luckilly, those genres are easily accessible and there are a lot of opprotunities for those people to learn more about those genres as well, because the opprotunity for people to find at least one thing they can love about muisc is presented, and who knows, they may even branch out and take an interest in Rock or Jazz too. 

This is my point, it's about helping people take an interest in games, and ease them into a broader scope. You may not get everyone, but you should at least provide an opprotunity. The Switch provides that opprotunity because it gives people who play mobile games a chance to get into console experiences with a device that they're already familiar with, a tablet. The portable nature of the Switch allows people to take an interest in console games, even if they don't really have the time to do so. And many of its games are designed with mobility in mind.

Even Breath of the Wild, as impressive as it is, simplifies the console experience by allowing you to get a satisfying experience even if you only have 30 minnutes to spare. It combines the power and scope of console gaming, with the simplicity and ease of use of mobile gaming. And that's why it's selling so well. 



zorg1000 said:
Soundwave said:

Sony's game division just had their highest profit since 1998, this shouldn't be possible if the market for more complex games has declined. 

Not necessarily.

Things like subscription services & DLC/season passes are good ways to increase revenue per customer. Also the huge increase in digital sales which are sold at a higher profit margin helps alot. Its also possible that they are selling hardware at a higher profit margin as well.

For example, PS1 had reduced its price from $299 to $129 within 3 years, PS2 had reduced its price from $299 to $149 in about 3.5 years. In the same time frame PS4 has had its price reduced from $399 to $299. Thats a 25% price reduction for PS4 while PS1/PS2 prices were slashed by roughly 50% in the same time frame.

Higher profits doesnt necessarily mean the number of consumers isnt declining.

PS4 is matching the sales pace of the PS2 now almost four years in, which is the best selling game hardware of all time. Meanwhile XBox One is selling more than the XB or GameCube from that PS2 era and now you have Switch coming out with a record breaking launch. And these hardware systems are not getting the benefit of large price cuts, as you pointed out, making their sales even more impressive. 

What more do you want? The market for core-driven game consoles is not declining at all. And you have plenty of casuals having their fun on smartphones, which is basically another multi-billion dollar industry on top of that. 

We very well could be looking at a generation where it's 120-130 million PS4s (only because Sony will likely pull the PS4 before the PS2), 50-65 million XBox One/Scorpios, and who knows with Switch ... 75-90+ million? If that's not an incredibly healthy industry I don't know what is. 

The industry is not shrinking guys, anad women and grandmas are not the only way for it to go anywhere. It's patently false alarmism by this point. 



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I like everything about this thread.



Soundwave said:
zorg1000 said:

Not necessarily.

Things like subscription services & DLC/season passes are good ways to increase revenue per customer. Also the huge increase in digital sales which are sold at a higher profit margin helps alot. Its also possible that they are selling hardware at a higher profit margin as well.

For example, PS1 had reduced its price from $299 to $129 within 3 years, PS2 had reduced its price from $299 to $149 in about 3.5 years. In the same time frame PS4 has had its price reduced from $399 to $299. Thats a 25% price reduction for PS4 while PS1/PS2 prices were slashed by roughly 50% in the same time frame.

Higher profits doesnt necessarily mean the number of consumers isnt declining.

PS4 is matching the sales pace of the PS2 now almost four years in, which is the best selling game hardware of all time. Meanwhile XBox One is selling more than the XB or GameCube from that PS2 era and now you have Switch coming out with a record breaking launch. And these hardware systems are not getting the benefit of large price cuts, as you pointed out, making their sales even more impressive. 

What more do you want? The market for core-driven game consoles is not declining at all. And you have plenty of casuals having their fun on smartphones, which is basically another multi-billion dollar industry on top of that. 

We very well could be looking at a generation where it's 120-130 million PS4s (only because Sony will likely pull the PS4 before the PS2), 50-65 million XBox One/Scorpios, and who knows with Switch ... 75-90+ million? If that's not an incredibly healthy industry I don't know what is. 

The industry is not shrinking guys, anad women and grandmas are not the only way for it to go anywhere. It's patently false alarmism by this point. 

im not saying its declining, all i said was that its possible to have higher profits without necessarily growing your audience.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.