Comments on: Eight news stories 10.4 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/04/10/eight-news-stories-104/ A veteran's view on marketing games Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:56:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rincewind http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/04/10/eight-news-stories-104/comment-page-1/#comment-1481 Rincewind Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:45:49 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/04/10/eight-news-stories-104/#comment-1481 I agree with most of what Lloyd said. I also have something to add. We have to choose our side between quality and quantity, here. Nintendo helped develop the "casual" mass market, that's for sure. But if there hadn't been people like Peter Molyneux (or Shigeru Miyamoto, or Hideo Kojima, or Eric Chailly, ...), this medium would not have grown into something that we today can call "art". So IMO, and if talking from a "quality" point of view, people like Peter Molyneux do not hold the industry back. On the opposite, they precisely move it forward. I think we should sometimes forget about facts and figures and ask ourselves what we want this industry to become... I agree with most of what Lloyd said. I also have something to add.

We have to choose our side between quality and quantity, here. Nintendo helped develop the “casual” mass market, that’s for sure. But if there hadn’t been people like Peter Molyneux (or Shigeru Miyamoto, or Hideo Kojima, or Eric Chailly, …), this medium would not have grown into something that we today can call “art”. So IMO, and if talking from a “quality” point of view, people like Peter Molyneux do not hold the industry back. On the opposite, they precisely move it forward.

I think we should sometimes forget about facts and figures and ask ourselves what we want this industry to become…

]]> By: Lloyd http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/04/10/eight-news-stories-104/comment-page-1/#comment-1479 Lloyd Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:49:53 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2008/04/10/eight-news-stories-104/#comment-1479 Bruce you are AGAIN interpreting figures how you want. The article you link to referring to claims that "72% of Americans have played a videogame". That basically equates to people who have tried games a minimum of 1 times. This could possibly include years ago down the pizza parlour on a pac man arcade cabinet. It DOES NOT mean 72% of America are gamers. I remember reading an article on the escapist a while back by a female gamer who lives in the states, and is still ostracized by family members, work colleagues and parental types because she is a gamer. Now, if 72% of Americans are gamers , as your exaggerated estimation claims, I don't think such social stigma and media stereotyping of games would still exist, do you? This echoes the time where you widely exaggerated the figures in regards to Habbo Hotel's userbase and I called you out on it. I'm not a massive fan of Molyneux's tendancy to hype his own works, and I havn't had any experience of his games except for ThemePark (Bullfrog produced this, not sure of his extent of involvement with it to be fair), but I know a few of ex-gamers and casual types who have spoke to me about their fondness of Theme Park, Populus and Theme Hospital, so to say he caters to the 'hardcore niche' is a little misguided, especially with regards to his ambitions with Fable 2. To give him his dues he speaketh truth in that article. I have to agree that Gaming hasn't grown as exponentially as it could have. Bruce, do you happen to have any anecdotal evidence to back up your claims of him 'speaking rubbish' without falling back on your old trick of over-optimistic appraisals of statistics, possibly the least exact science in the world ? Or perhaps, it might be yourself, as the kids like to say, "chatting breeze,blood"? Bruce you are AGAIN interpreting figures how you want. The article you link to referring to claims that “72% of Americans have played a videogame”. That basically equates to people who have tried games a minimum of 1 times. This could possibly include years ago down the pizza parlour on a pac man arcade cabinet.

It DOES NOT mean 72% of America are gamers. I remember reading an article on the escapist a while back by a female gamer who lives in the states, and is still ostracized by family members, work colleagues and parental types because she is a gamer.
Now, if 72% of Americans are gamers , as your exaggerated estimation claims, I don’t think such social stigma and media stereotyping of games would still exist, do you?

This echoes the time where you widely exaggerated the figures in regards to Habbo Hotel’s userbase and I called you out on it.

I’m not a massive fan of Molyneux’s tendancy to hype his own works, and I havn’t had any experience of his games except for ThemePark (Bullfrog produced this, not sure of his extent of involvement with it to be fair), but I know a few of ex-gamers and casual types who have spoke to me about their fondness of Theme Park, Populus and Theme Hospital, so to say he caters to the ‘hardcore niche’ is a little misguided, especially with regards to his ambitions with Fable 2.
To give him his dues he speaketh truth in that article. I have to agree that Gaming hasn’t grown as exponentially as it could have. Bruce, do you happen to have any anecdotal evidence to back up your claims of him ’speaking rubbish’ without falling back on your old trick of over-optimistic appraisals of statistics, possibly the least exact science in the world ?
Or perhaps, it might be yourself, as the kids like to say, “chatting breeze,blood”?

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