ugachaka :: Jacob was here

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I just finished reading Game Over: Press Start to Continue: The Maturing of Mario by David Sheff and Andy Eddy awhile back. Since it had such a nice business slant, I posted my review over at my business blog at wannabeMogul.com–even though I really read the book because of my incredible urge as a childhood Nintendo fanboy.

If you haven’t read this book and want to learn more about the gaming industry, read it. I suggest checking Half.com or Amazon to try and pick up a used copy.

The book is a great read even if you aren’t a Nintendo fan.

The really interesting part of the book is how it sheds a light on what Microsoft might have been thinking when they launched the Xbox and how much Nintendo’s plan for the NES might have influenced that.

The question has been posed all year with the breakout success of casual gaming and perceived casual console, the Wii.

How will casual gaming really affect the industry? Kill the hardcore market? Flood Xbox Live with a ton of soccer moms?

No.

I believe that the casual gaming market will help the entire industry in general.

For one, by bringing in a flood of new gamers playing a variety of non-violent, friendly fun games like Scene It! and Guitar Hero on the consoles, we might finally be able to raise off the stereotype of violent loner gamers that seems to hang so predominantly in the minds of every politician in the world.

Second, more gamers means more good games that may be more niche. With a larger market, game developers can devote the resources necessary to produce a game that may only be fun for fans of the Dr. Who TV series or Battlestar Gallactica. Don’t call me out if those aren’t niche enough audiences for you, but I am only suggesting that game developers can now focus on hitting up topics that may not have appealed to the hardcore gamer.

Regardless of the success of the consoles, hardcore gaming will not be abandoned. Even on the Wii, you are looking and a slew of new titles this year and next including Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a new version of Mario Kart. You have already had Metroid Prime 3. Altogether, these games will make the console a smash success for diehards and casual gamers alike–if any of them can find one in stores.

Overall, the market stands to get better because of this big push. If you are a true hardcore gamer, just ignore the casual ads. They are not for you, but guaranteed, once every three years or so, a studio will put out a masterpiece for you to enjoy just like you always have. No worries.

If you love videogames enough to make one, this article over at the Game Career Guide shares the thoughts of DigiPen students who have spent semesters and years creating games and learning it the hard way. They explain what it takes to get a game from start to finish.

But building a game is like any other formidable task, like building a cathedral or writing a novel or painting a picture. Building a video game takes passion. It takes dedication. Some might even say it takes obsession. It takes a great deal of your time, energy, and thought. It’s never finished. Even when it’s technically finished, you find things, new things, little things, that you could correct or change or fix.

Just like every creative industry, part of the building process involves “killing your darlings” as my English professor used to say. In other words, you have to let go of the elements and devices that you thought were unique and amazing if they aren’t working for the testers and the focus groups.

Focus testing is a series of really harsh blows to your ego. You’ve spent so much of your time and effort and energy working to make this project a reality, and now, when a bunch of strangers who have never even heard of you play your game, they don’t understand it. They have trouble navigating the menus. They don’t understand where they’re supposed to go, what their objective is, who they’re supposed to talk to, or where they’re supposed to jump.