Alright. So up front I'll say I don't hate Wii Music, having not played it obviously, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it. Two main reasons.
One, I don't like acting like im doing something without at least some involvement in skill. DDR, Rockband, Guitar Hero, all these rythem games Wii Music lovers like to deride at least involve a level of skill, whereas Wii Music will not.
Two, I like video games, not digital play. There is one major flaw in the article, and that is the author seems to miss the point of video games besides their pure entertainment value. And that is how that entertainment is derived. For us hard core gamers, it is skill. For him and perhaps most casual gamers it is something else.
I can be either passive or i'm active (durr) playing a game. When i'm active I want to effect the game, I want it to be a challenge, I want to compete, and I want to triumph. There is none of that in Wii Music. When i'm passive I want to be told a good story, I want to be compelled, I want the game to effect me. There is none of that in Wii Music.
Also before I go any further, I'll say that the Wii is not a casual console per se. It has alot of casual games, but it also has games geared towards hard core gamers (or what essentually used to be typical gamers). Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Metroid, Zelda games are not casual games.
There are two main areas regarding the flaw I eluded to earler in his article.
I'll start with the most obvious, and it may be what has hard core gamers clash against casual gamers these days. Hard core gamers want to play video games, mostely because they are video games, and they require a polished skill (puzzle solving, hand eye coordination, strategy), tell a great story, are competative, or etc. Most casual gamers that I know do not give a shit about that stuff. They just want to play (using whatever medium). A game can't be too hard that they need to spend time to polish skills, it should be easily picked up and played in short bursts.
"The sooner people accept there is no such thing as ‘video game’, the sooner they will realize the game industry is really about digital play."
So, unfortunately he's making a leap and completely disregarding a segement of the community. There are such things as video games.
The area the flaw shows up is his comparison of music played to perfection vs. music played with feeling. Not withstanding this comparison in itself begs the question, why can't a rythem game also be played with feeling? It is the same when he compares playing cops and robbers or 'kill the terrorist' as a kid vs playing CoD4. He is again confusing playing a game that requires some skill/challenge with something the only requires you to exist. Both can be fun, but one is a typical video game, the other is not. Even the music played with feeling required a level of skill at least to play the song, the musician was not just letting his feelings take him away and start bashing on the piano.
Thus, Wii Music is not a toy, or a game, it is a compilation CD. I'm sure families accross the world may find it fun, and it may sell several million copies even, but it is not a work of genius.
tl;dr The author doesn't play video games. He plays cops and robbers.
A warrior keeps death on the mind from the moment of their first breath to the moment of their last.
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