| MontanaHatchet said:
Okay then, that begs the question of who was buying videogames before the NES came out. The Atari 2600 sold about 30 million units. Since casuals didn't exist (at least not in very large numbers) and hardcore gamers were all using PCs, then where did these sales come from? How did the 2600 sell on par with the Genesis two generations earlier if there were only a couple casual gamers sprinkled here and there and hardcore gamers were playing on computers? E.T. was hyped up a lot on the 2600 before it came out (even though it ended up being disappointing). Certainly it wouldn't have been hyped that much on a console of hardcore gamers. The simple truth is that casuals have always existed and have always dominated most consoles, and that defining casual and hardcore is an exercise in stupidity. So, in effect, my argument is self-defeating. But I don't mind. The NES was incredibly popular in its day, demolishing any competition and selling huge amounts in the American market. It didn't have much competition from home consoles, and the computer was always around (and still is). Change definitely scares a couple fanboys, but most are just angry that the console is in first place and selling games they don't like. The NES moved shovelware, so did the PS1 and PS2, and now the Wii is following suit. The Wii didn't change anything outside of control scheme, and even then, third parties aren't taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Wii-mote. |
Yeah I can't really respond to that first paragraph for obvious reasons. The casuals were always there, it's jsut that after the gaming crash, the NES showed up and completely dominated the industry by itself, becoming a staple of popular culture for more than a decade and marginalizing PC gamers in a way that the Atari never did.
I refuse to believe that people are stupid enough that it's just fanboyism talking. I refuse. People are not that stupid. It's the idea that there won't be as much money for a game like Gears of War or Metal Gear that really frightens people, and it would take the Apocalypse of all Asinine Morons to convince me that it's about something as puerile as console allegiance.
As to what the Wii changed? Well, that's another argument altogether.
