Why game? (From Swindon Advertiser)

Why game?

12:13pm Tuesday 20th January 2009 in Gaming By Sam Kearns

There was a time when owning a console was something related to one market: The digitised male spotty adolescent. Being one of those adolescents (though I protest, I am not that spotty) it has been interesting to see how my childhood hobby has grown to become a storming force in technology, media and international pastime. It seems that with the current generation of consoles (That's the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 if your not sure) there has been a rapid evolution of what it is to be a gamer.

Although the stereotype still remains that to be a gamer you have to have an appetite for ridiculous amounts of bloodshed, a lot of free time and a social network that spans no further then the keyboard, in nine hundred and ninety nine times out of a thousand, it is completely false. The audience of the gaming world now extends to men and women, boys and girls, young and old, seasoned veterans or curious newcomers. Let me tell you the reasons why gaming has become something of a household presence, as much as the television, radio or computer. Why should you game?

It’s only casual.....
The rise of the Nintendo Wii and DS has meant a rise in a market unknown to most developers beforehand; the casual market. No longer was completing Halo blindfolded the criteria to become a gamer, now gamers could walk dogs, play golf, enjoy mini games, manage their brains and organise their lives on their consoles. Since then the 360 has followed suit with games like Viva Piñata catering to those who wouldn't play consoles before: your sister, your grandad, and even your mum!

Hitting all the right notes
I'm not sure where it came from, but damn it’s elbowed its way into homes faster than a seven foot burglar, and that is the music genre. Games like Dance Dance Revolution and Singstar have become a hit; people break them out at parties and family get-togethers to show that being a pop star is just a state of mind. Fancy something a bit more heavy? Then there is the infamous Guitar Hero and it's rival in rocking, Rock Band. These two industry giants have captured the hearts of young wannabe rockers everywhere, and the games cater for casual and hardcore players alike!

Its a whole world out there!
The Xbox live service has bought millions of people together in healthy competition. Or sometimes not so healthy competition (a service that caters for everyone includes immature idiots) but nevertheless, playing games online is the “in” thing these days. To add to that, the Wii, PS3 and both the hand-held DS and PSP consoles also have online capabilities. It has never been easier to race, shoot or outwit your friends. Oh the wonders of technology!

Fitness!?
Probably the most shocking and sudden fashion in the gaming world today - games that are based on getting you physically fit. Chief in this league is Wii Fit, the innovative and elusive title from the minds of Nintendos greatest. Getting hold of a normal priced Wii Fit is like finding a gold mine in your garden, it isn't going to happen. However, to keep you busy, numerous Wii and DS fitness trainers are out from other developers, such as Ubisofts “Weight Loss Coach” and “Family Trainer”.

Setting the score
One of the key reasons why people played games in the first place was because of the sense of achievement that they had from overcoming tough challenges. In the world of hardcore gaming, there are challenges a plenty. Maybe hardcore isn't the word for it, “hardcore” suggests a rough time. Serious games are often serious fun, hard games, long games, deep games, there is such a variety in the “proper” game category, that there really is something for everyone. Playing games is like watching films, there is a lot of variety out there.

A blockbuster experience
It may not be widely known, but some games really do have storylines that outdo a lot of ollywoods own. And even when a game dosent have a twisting plot, multi-layered characters or a beautiful script, it can have real dramatic atmosphere. Sometimes, you need your battles to be of an epic scale, or the tears of a character to feel real to make a story above average, and if you look hard enough, such games are out there. Examples of these are the Metal Gear Solid series (/PS2/PS3) The alf ife 2 series (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) and Bioshock (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

New technology, New experience!
The new technology that is installed in consoles these days is quite remarkable. The Playstation consoles and the 360 are graphical and technical powerhouses, with enough operating power to run like a small PC. The PS3 especially contains enough tech to sink a tanker, the stand out piece of kit being the Blu Ray disk player. Blu Ray disks are similar to DVD's however they max out the visual and audio potential of the films, making a visible difference on a HDTV. The Wii and DS operate on a more interactive nature; the Wii controller acting as a sensor and the DS having a touch screen. What this means, is that with new technology comes new exciting idea's, therefore there has never been a better time to invest in a gaming machine.

But in the end, gaming is about entertainment. It may not be for you, but you never know until you try. The imagination in games these days, both artistically and technically, is astounding, and I promise that theres something for everyone in there.