I am posting my diagnostic essay which I got an A from my professor. Feel free to scrutinize / comment / praise my work. This essay was written last August 2006 just before the Wii and PS3 went on sale. Whatever people say about my essay, I am proud of my work and I graduated with an Associate Degree last Tuesday with a 4.0 GPA. Congrats to myself! I hope people here will feel the same. NOTE:Some things written here were based on my own assumptions.
Diagnostic Essay
My X-Box 360, My PS3, and My Wii
“Playing is believing”, is a popular tagline from one of the video game industries’ big three. But for me, it was more than just believing, I was impersonating game characters to my real world playground. I grew up playing classics like Pinball, Super Mario Brothers, and Galaga. I remember those days when I will dress up like Link, one of the most-loved and recognized game characters. With the upcoming console war about to unfold in a few months, consumers face the difficult task to decide which product to patronize. However, this intense industry competition has brought exciting things to look forward too to the whole gaming experience. So let’s sail this console war and like what a pirate would say, ‘Ahoy, Mate!’
Microsoft Corp. is considered as the newcomer of the gaming industry. The company started their X-box game console when their competitors were both already more than a decade old. In order to win the next console war, the X-Box division has focused on using Microsoft’s vast resources to their advantage. The keyword is synergy. Synergy or synergism means a combined action or operation; a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct business participants or elements. A good example of this strategy put into work is the use of Microsoft’s programs and services like Windows Live to provide online gaming to X-Box users. You have to buy their console to play the games they make, the services it provides, the products it interoperates with, and vice versa. This synergy strategy encourages exclusivity to their products; and such brings more profits to the company.
Will this synergism strategy work for me as a gamer and the consumers as a whole? I think so! For me, products and services linked and interconnected to each other will push me to experience gaming anytime I want and anywhere I can. Whether it be on a PC, a console or a handheld device; the company that gets it right first will be rewarded with increasing market share and huge revenues. The consumers, especially beginners, will also benefit from this approach because interrelated products are very simple to learn and operate. It avoids all the complexity you have to go through if product A is not compatible with product B; making the gaming experience easily accessible to everyone.
Sony’s Playstation is the current market leader cornering over 70% of the market. It revolutionized the industry when it first offered computer-like consoles. And Sony continues to capitalize to this approach to keep its position as the market leader. The formula is to be technically superior on all ends over its competitor’s consoles. The PS3, Sony’s next console, is believed to be more powerful than an entry-level personal computer. The console will include a high-end DVD player and a hard drive, its own operating system and microprocessor, and blue-tooth and Wi-Fi technologies. Sony’s approach gives it an advantage to hardcore and professional gamers.
Professional Gamers? Yes, gaming is now a line of work. The gaming industry started organizing gaming competitions and contests as an advertising outlet to create a new sport and draw attention from the public. Video gaming has been predicted to become the next youth sport in the United States. The biggest gaming event will be held on Monza, Italy for the upcoming World Cyber Games. And the prizes are decent, on the recently held Championship Gaming in San Francisco, California; the champion of one game division went home with $10,500.00. One time, I almost made it to the final round of one event but was booted out on the semi-finals. The prize was a stunning $40,000.00 and a new computer. Though the prizes are really enticing, I do not have any plans of becoming a professional gamer or even making it a professional hobby. To me, it is more like a sport to enjoy and try to excel at.
In the recently held E3 event, the annual video game industries’ electronics entertainment expo, Nintendo’s Wii console stood out amongst its competitors. It stunned the gaming world by revealing a bold new controller design. The remote-style controllers turned out to be part of an intuitive new console interface designed for gamers and non-gamers looking for something new, or people who find game pads too complex or intimidating. The Wii can track the physical position of the controller in the room, as well as whether and how it is tilted or where it may be pointing on the screen. This means different motions can be performed with the controller and recognized by the system. For instance, wave the controller around like a sword and you can see a sword mirror these movements on screen.
With the innovative path Nintendo is following, exciting new possibilities are endless. Many game experts predicted the emergence of never-before-seen interactivity with the games. The spatial tracking of the Wii controller lets you interact with the game world in completely new ways, making exploration more exciting than it's ever been. I can’t wait to see my parents, who are traditional non-gamers, enjoy playing Duck Hunting with me. I can’t imagine my two sisters get hook into sports video games, like a simple game of tennis, using the controller as an imaginary racket. Currently on the pipeline are more games similar to Brain Age, games geared toward brain training or to increase mental activity. Nintendo's challenge was to convince people in their 40s and 50s to try the game. Now, wouldn’t it be fun to see grandparents do their puzzles and crosswords on a console instead on the morning paper.
Now that Nintendo has dropped out of the console arms race, the Wii is less advanced than Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, the spotlight has lately been on game style over technical advancement. The focus is not anymore on how real-life the graphics is; but how the player interacts with a game. Nintendo is trying to change the perception of non-gamers that video games are mostly for teenage boys and kids who get stuck inside their rooms all day playing. Nintendo is marketing itself both to gamers and non-gamers alike. The company is trying to create a friendly gaming environment deserving to be acknowledged as a family and social activity.
Soon enough, there will be winners and losers. It all depends on which company clients will patronize most. Competition is good. Competition pushes product innovation and advancement. And we, the consumers, are the true winners. We reap the benefits of quality products. Synergy and convergence will allow the gaming experience to be more accessible. Gaming will soon be available on every platform possible. Technical advancement will push the limits of current gaming technology. What was impossible before will now be a reality in future powerful machines. And innovation will be the path towards a more interactive family and social friendly gaming experience. Idiosyncratic perception to gaming will be a thing of the past. This industry has never been so vibrant and exciting. All gamers and non-gamers will surely sail out and find that treasure chest. Believe it!
Wii Code: 4819-7684-2396-4558
