Sony: We “Legitimized [Gaming] As A Form Of Entertainment!

[Scoobes]

mai said:

Scoobes said:

The PS1 was the console that expanded the market by targetting older audiences with more mature themes. Parents weren't just buying consoles for their children but also for themselves. PS2 continued the trend especially with its early use as a DVD player and then expanding its audience later with more casual based games. When I think back, everyone I knew had a PS2 including many 30 something parents who entered gaming with PS1 & PS2. It was almost as if it became a part of everyones entertainment system.

I'm eager to know what are those? =)

Games like MGS, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo, Syphon Filter etc. By mature theme I'm not talking gameplay-wise but the actual theme and atmosphere of the game. Some people don't want to play with cartoony graphics or a simple story and back then, mature settings were somewhat new and innovative. I still struggle to get some of my friends to play LBP and my girlfriend refuses to play Mario, yet she'll watch me play MGS4 and Uncharted 2 quite happily. In contrast, the only top N64 games that I can think that would cover these themes was Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Before the gen, most big console games were still quite cartoony and didn't deal with mature themes although I think this was due to technology limitations.

Before Resident Evil and Silent Hill there was really only Alone in the Dark in the survival horror genre.

Tomb Raider popularised 3D platforming for adults with its theme and character to the point of spawning two high budget film starring Angelina Jolie (I know it was on the Saturn but it's pretty much been synonymous with Playstation since it was released on PS1).

MGS introduced stealth gaming to a relatively new audience and pushed storytelling in games as did Syphon Filter.

Gran Turismo (as far as I can remember) was the first game to attempt full racing simulation on consoles. No other driving games really pushed it as far as Gran Turismo in terms of features and simulation.

 

To add to the OT: To a lesser extent, Sony's sponsership with the UEFA Champions League also helped to push the Playstation to a wider audience as it became the football games console for FIFA and Pro Evo/ISS.