Speculator's Domain - Can you shake a stereotype?

[Bodhesatva]

ampillion said:

Bodhesatva said:

ampillion said:

Well, the first one didn't do as well as I'd hoped (read: flopped)

Hoping this one pulls a little more chatter.

Can the game systems out there now shake they or their companies' stereotypes?

Sony's 'stereotype' is pretty fresh this generation, their attitude of 'Screw 'em, they'll pay whatever price for a PS3' attitude that came with their PR pre-launch. I think it's partially caused some of their early sales woes, asides the pricing. I think it's a pretty easy stereotype to shake though, as it's only really sprouted with this gnereation, and the way things have gone has probably sobered up. If the PS3 comes back and at least takes on the 360, it will wash. If it comes in third though, I'm sure it'll be brought up in the 'Why the PS3 failed!!11' threads to spawn in future generations.

Nintendo's Kiddie stereotype has held onto them for generations, and sadly, I don't see that changing anytime soon. While I honestly don't believe the system itself has ever been 'for kids', the amount of sentiment towards that thought has influenced a lot of releases on Nintendo systems. Even with Red Steel at launch, and soon to be Manhunt 2, Resident Evil offerings, No More Heroes, the 'kiddie' stereotype is used more as an insult, and chances are better that the world falls into global peace than a truce between fanboys, and this stereotype will continue.

Microsoft seems to have two, one surrounding more the company of Microsoft, and the other being that the Xbox is the FPS console. I really don't see much of this changing either. As far as the 'Only shooters' console, most know there's more games than that, but some of the most popular are shooters. Heck, the big system mover is a FPS. Not changing there. The other stereotype is the 'evil bully' Microsoft stereotype that (perhaps with good reason), has developed more from its software divisions business practices and the like. And sadly, as long as Microsoft itself is a massive corporation, I don't think this will ever clear up either.

I think a much more powerful stereotype is shaping as we speak.

Nintendo: For everyone. Like Ipod.

Microsoft and Sony: for 15-30 year old males.

I actually wouldn't be shocked if, by the end of this generation, it was Sony and Microsoft who appeared to be targeting a niche market, not Nintendo. I hereby christen this niche as the "e-thug" market (as this demographic tends to prefer violent games such as GTA and God of War).

Well the age bracket was already there, that's pretty much been the heart of the core of gaming for awhile. Though I do see the 'e-thug' stereotype brewing to be a big thing. Heck, online gaming has always been a bit of a hit or miss sometimes, even back in PC days. You would always find some horrible players that did nothing bot cuss, throw out slurs, did things in the game just to grief others... and you hear a lot of horror stories (at least about XBL) of that sort of stupidity.

Though I'm guessing that 'e-thugs' are really more of a byproduct of our rather violent, egotistical culture rather than directly a cause of video gaming companies. I mean, it's not as if video games really started entertainment-driven graphic violence and language. Of course, I don't think they'd be as successful if they didn't cultivate and feed that sort of culture either.

Oh, I know that age bracket was already there, Amp. I'm not questioning that. Instead, what I'm suggesting is that Nintendo is changing it. Before this generaiton, the 15-30 year old age bracket was the whole ocean these products had to swim in, with Nintendo taking only a small portion of the younger portion of it; now, the ocean includes Grandmas and hospitals and fitness clubs, and that 15-30 year old age bracket doesn't look so big any more. In other words, Nintendo may have completely flipped the tables on Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo isn't going to shake its kiddy image by making Manhunt 2s or Mortal Kombats. They'll break it with Brain Ages and Geometry Wars and Wii Sports.