Digital Diversified

It seems the less technologically savvy are storming yet another inner sanctum of the technogeek: gaming. In spite of the PS3’s superior processing power and more sophisticated graphic rendering capabilities, “the Wii has taken the lead in buzz and sales”.

Sony has it’s own explanations for the upset:

Dave Karraker, a spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said the Wii did not belong in the same category as the more powerful PlayStation 3. “Wii could be considered an impulse buy more than anything else,” he said. …

Besides, Karraker added, Sony thinks the Wii is attracting newcomers, while the PlayStation will be the console of choice for committed gamers.

Now, now, Sony. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the early warning signs. Because the fact of the matter is, you’re marketing to a dying breed. If you’re doing any marketing at all, as you seem to have forgotten the First Law of Marketing: All buying is impulse buying. I repeat: All buying is impulse buying. People buy what they want to buy, and not necessarily what they need. And these days, with the wide variety of options available in the “need” category of purchases, even when people buy what they need, they buy what they want. (Did you get all that?)

The serious gamer is dying out. Or, should I say, being domesticated. No longer is gaming the domain of the avant garde geek. Nowadays, when people play a game, they’d actually (wait for it) like to have a little fun. *gasp* Imagine that!

I think what Sony has forgotten is the real reason gaming developed the reputation that it did. The hardware/software available was accessible only to the hardcore gamer. It took time and effort, not to mention considerable brain power, just to understand the concepts involved. This automatically qualified it to a niche market of geeks, who found considerable satisfaction in demonstrating brain size by mastering games and gaming systems. Not to mention the bragging rights that could thus be accrued.

Enter the internet, and now, Web 2.0. It’s much easier to occupy yourself these days. There is no reason to induce a brain hernia in the name of entertainment. Even if your brain does prefer a more rigorous workout occasionally, who wants to work harder at home than they do at work?

I, for one, am glad to see Nintendo returning to its roots. I remember the highly addictive, just plain fun of Mario Brothers. (I also remember the Atari home system, but we can stop with the carbon dating now, lest I embarrass myself any further.)

Gaming has come to be a pastime marked by progressively more expensive systems, peripherals and games. As the hardware and software got more sophisticated, gamers were willing to pay the escalating prices to maintain their techno-highs. Yes, this meant that the market was now self-selecting, and growing smaller with each passing year, but the prices were also growing, and somewhat better than proportionately.

This traditional gaming market probably won’t be going anywhere. It serves a purpose, and I personally find the emergent technologies nothing short of drool worthy.

What I do see happening, however, is convergence. The good news being that hardcore gamers will lose their traditionally unhealthy images, because eventually, the only plateau left will be full immersion in the gaming environment. Think holodeck, from Star Trek: The Next Generation. (If that doesn’t ring any bells, then what kind of geek are you, and why are you reading this article?)

Which I’m labeling ‘convergence’ because I see this happening all over. I see gaming, entertainment, and “computing” (the traditional domain of the PC), all being run by the same system. A full immersion system. One where, when you go to your bank’s “website” to transact a little bank business, you’re talking to a “teller”. You’ll actually walk into the bank (not type in the bank url), walk up to a teller (not click on a link), and tell her what you’d like to do (not navigate the bank’s online banking system). She’ll handle it from there. The same way a bank employee would now. Only she won’t actually be a bank employee. Employees have social security numbers, not IP addresses.

I see entertainment taking the same winding road. Eventually, when you want to play NBA Live 07, you’ll go to the (virtual) EA Sports Complex. You’ll pick your lineup, same as usual (think almost-real-fantasy-basketball), and you’ll actually play basketball, with all your favorite players, no less. Or with some other folks at the complex. No more manipulating your fingers for a couple of hours to trick your brain into thinking that you played basketball.

The main problem I see with this is a brand new crop of schizophrenics. Because if you actually are an NBA sports star in demand, and you go to the EA Sports Complex, you could, theoretically, play against yourself. Or several of yourself. Ow! Brain cramp…

So what happens to the real basketball games? I mean, why leave your house, if you can simulate pretty much anything you’d like? Because it’s just not the same. You can get dayumed close, but it’s just not the same.There’s no substitute for sitting in a crowded arena, surrounded by living breathing fans, watching living breathing humans perform feats that should be impossible - and until very recently, feats that were impossible. Think Jordan.

There’s nothing like being present when you see one of the players do something for the very first time - something that you can bet the programmers over at EA are going to be working overtime to be able to duplicate. Which is the main reason real basketball games won’t be going anyplace. Because someone has to give the programmers something to duplicate. There have to be players that people want the chance to “play” with, performing physically impressive feats of mastery that leave us all inspired, and wanting more.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing inspiring about going to the bank. Nobody likes going to the bank. So you can bet that before long, there just won’t be any. Not any physical ones, anyway. Why?

People buy what they want to buy, and not what they need.

Nintendos Wii is eclipsing Sonys PlayStation 3