What is a gimmick?

[Killiana1a]

MaxwellGT2000 said:

Killiana1a said:

Digging deeper. Very interesting. Lets get the definitions out of the way:

1. an ingenious or novel mechanical device

2. an important feature that is not immediately apparent

3. an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle

4. a trick or device used to attract business or attention <a marketing gimmick>

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gimmick

As for whether a "gimmick" is software or hardware is easily answered. It can be both. Super Mario 64 was just as much a gimmick as the Nintendo Wii is. Both are "an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle" on how the play of a video game is done.

Of course, this is not the real question. From:

It's a question of the ORIGIN of the innovation. Is it software driven? Or is it hardware driven? Do the games dictate the innovative hardware? Or does innovative hardware dictate the games?

This is the heart of the matter. Does the hardware sell the software? Does the software sell the hardware?

You will not find the answer looking only at today or the PS2 generation. You need to look further back at the Sega Dreamcast, Sega CD, Jaguar, and Neo Geo.

All of the aforementioned were gimmicky hardware who were the most powerful of their time. Yet, they were outlasted by the technologically inferior SNES and Sega Genesis.

Looking at the history, the games and where the developers see the games going drives the innovation. Thus forth, the software drives the innovation. Hardware is simply a means to the end of running the software for the mass market consumer to play the game.

No one buys hardware for hardware's sake. Hardware is bought solely to run software. Hardware is a means, never an end.

If you think hardware is an end in of itself, then you are surely still playing the Sega Dreamcast because it was years ahead of it's time...Wait, what new games are coming out for the Dreamcast?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmwind

Not to mention there is at least ONE new game for the Dreamcast every year lol

OT: The problem has never been about the actual term gimmick rather than the negative context people obviously put it in, they use it for term number four in that websters definition.  Typcial statements being "motion controls are a gimmick to trick stupid casuals into buying Wii" but it's funny when these same individuals go "true motion gaming is here!" when another company talks about motion controls.

It's rather silly this is even an issue, someone shitting on a system calling it a "gimmick" in the negative context is obviously trying to belittle the system without much substance to back it up cause you'll never see them explain themselves, ala classic trolling, now if more people used it in the term that the gimmick is new, fresh, pulls people in, etc there really wouldn't be an issue, technically if someone could prove that a big feature is a gimmick in the sense it's just for marketing, that would be fine too, but things such as those don't really happen with hardware rather software, like movie games, it's obvious it's not trying to sell you on being a good game but rather its a marketing gimmick to get fans of the movie to buy the game.

Entire threads have derailed once the word "gimmick" has been thrown about. I myself have derailed threads by using the term gimmick. Likewise, I have correctly ascribed the word "gimmick" to the Kinect and Move.

You are spot-on in those of us who have used "gimmick" in a negative light in order to try and put a blacker than black lamp shade over the positive light of the definition.

This being said, the OP presents a solid question worthy of lengthy discussion. Does innovation in video games originate from the hardware or the software?

The Wii presents a classic "chicken or egg" conundrum. Were the motion controls designed first and the software designed around them? Or were these motion controls like 3D is for the 3DS something that Miyamoto and other Nintendo developers wanted to create to capture the type of gameplay they always envisioned?

Personally, I believe innovation in video games comes from the games and how developers see consumers playing the game. In contrast, others would believe the hardware is designed first in secret for years, then after a series of secret meetings, the developers develop the software to coalesce with the hardware.