sega4life said:
One of the main reasons why Video games sell so well during hard times is the lasting appeal, or ones money's worth. Instead of buying Movie tickets for the family in excess of say $35.99: 4 people + Drinks + Popcorn etc etc.. or going out to other places that cost money for just a few hours. People would rather buy a video game that they can play with the family at home for hours on end.
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And yet, movie sales are way up. I know that might have been example, off the top of your head, but I don't think it's very accurate. I don't think most people look at it that way. Usually when some one goes to see a movie, their more interested in having a night out. Maybe they want some time to be with their spouse or maybe some time to hang out with their friends, but either way it's usually more about having some time away from the family, than it is about having family time. I know that's a little cold, but I think that's a lot closer to the truth.
Another thing worth noting is that, hardware is also up a lot. You can certainly see quite a few movies, for the cost of 1 game console. Since, going to a movie is lot more of a spur of the moment thing, then not, buying a console is probably not going to seem like a good alternative.
I'm not sure if that last line is there, to try and justify the Wii's strong lead, but either way if there's any truth to it, it spells serious trouble for HD gaming. Ninty already had a stranglehold on blue ocean gaming in general, with or without a recession, but if family gaming is specifically what's going to matter to most of the consumers, from here on out, then there's not really any competition, at all. Sony's failing hard at appealing to families and MS isn't doing a much better job. Even the way they advertise, almost completely isolates their products and puts an ostracising stigma on their userbases. For awhile now, they've been going after a niche market, not just aggressively, but almost exclusively. Any attempts they have made at capturing family audiences, has been mostly coming off as hollow, forced, unnatural, and maybe even a little desperate. Sometimes to the point of being patronizing.
If the recession is really having that effect, expect Ninty's weekly % to get significantly larger down the road. The economy is going to get a lot worse, before it starts to get better and that light, at the end of the tunnel is a long way away. I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm just trying to make realistic assessment. Something few people seem to do, on here. Ofcourse, it's just my perspective on the situation. So, if you completely disagree, don't get worked up. Just take it with a grain of salt.
