Why I don’t write about video games

Ahh – I think you just did a fair job of writing about games actually I must agree, Microsoft’s strategy this generation is sound. The Arcade games are ushering in (and ushering back) gamers that wouldn’t have otherwise looked at the console because of how technical games have become.

BTW – if anyone is interested, take a look at the video of our recent tour of the Xbox Studios.

Hi Robert. My site just launched a new feature. You can subscribe to calendars of video game release dates. We have several options (http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/calendarsubscribe.php), but I’m sure you’d be most interested in the Xbox 360 release calendar. Paste this URL into your favorite (icalendar supporting) calendar application to subscribe: http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/comingsoon.ics?platform=61

P.S. It’s new and I can’t test it in everything, so if it errors please let me know what application it happened in. Thanks

I wrote a few month ago that of every video game console I ever bought – starting with Intellivision, and everything in between, the XBOX 360 i the ONLY device that found a home in my living room. Every other console moved to a bedroom or den quickly. They INTERFERED with my TV experience – the XBOX ADDS to it. I read blogs on my 42″ plasma through the XBOX. I play my buddies Tiger Wood’s Golf 2006, and they love it. I show YouTube videos through it. I play music during gatherings wit it.

Basically, I USE it. And I am a 45 year old male – and that is ANOTHER group that is changing the video game market. It’s not about the kids anymore…

Rob

Richard (comment #2) – looks cool. But give me an RSS feed. It’s much more useful to me if you just generate a feed on a date a game is released (or the day before, whatever).

I live in RSS. I rarely use calendars, especially not online ones. Just a thought.

Rob

Actually, again to Richard – write a WordPress plugin and let me post your release info right on the sidebar of my blog – no ads, but link back to you would be fine. I can tolerate a link, but not direct ads.

My wife wants an Xbox 360 more than I do. She plays casual computer games all the time. When I told her that Frogger was available for the 360 that was it. I really do have to get one. She’s not alone of course – a lot of adult women play casual computer games.
And just wait until a lot of kids start writing their own casual games (and perhaps some not so casual) for the 360 and their friends (and mothers) all want to play them.

This is pretty much old news in the gaming industry. It’s well known that women make a huge part of the demographic. Not sure it applies specifically to XBOX360.

Does everyone in the Scoble family have a thin skin?

LayZ: thin skin? Yes!

Is everyone in the LayZ family an anonymous curmudgeon?

Since Frogger has been releases I can’t get my wife off the 360. Might have to put down for a second one for Christmas.

Uh well I really have to wonder about those who are surprised that fanbois will descend upon their console opinions. Especially when it’s a fairly pro-Microsoft post along the lines of the “teh PS3 is expensive and Microsoft have a new way to make games” that are, erm, a touch hard to share out right now. I mean it’s just as trite and easy to say that posting opinions on the current and slightly pending generation of console will always invite a varied but enthusiastic response. To be surprised about it hints at… a lack of knowledge about consoles and their marketing or quite simply aged-ness. There’s ton of online grousing about how the Xbox360 controller sucks for the classic Arcade games and the release schedule has been a source of further complaints. A look at the past generation of console shows that Sony knew how to attract a broader demographic of gamers to the PS2 while the original Xbox was seen as the guys or perhaps lads console. It’d be mistake to count them out given the number of A-list titles associated with the PlayStation platform.

Well said. In line with what you said, check Major Nelson’s latest podcast. He interviews one of the girls on the Xbox team that started the xbox gamer chix site. I think Nelson specifically mentioned a girl who is awesome a Zuma.

Also they mentioned things along those lines at the conference where they discussed XNA recently. That you can only get so much money from the same audience and the goal is to expand your user base. I think Nintendo does a fabulous job with this on the DS by appealing to a broad range of markets.

I’m REALLY curious to see how well Viva Pinata does on the 360 given it’ll be backed up by a kids cartoon and at on of marketing. Heck, *I* want to play the game and I’m 33.

I will not buy the 360. I will not buy the PS3.

Why would I want the exact same games available on the previous generation with crisper graphics?

Screw that, I am waiting for the Wii. Eagerly.
What the Wii offers gives me the same feeling of excitement as when I first heard I was going to get a commodore 64. Yes, I am that old.

If it’s about the games, the Wii will win, I think. Nintendo has a great record on fun-to-play titles, and the Wii is cheap compared to the PS3 and XB360. I may be wrong, but I have a suspicion Nintendo will be the sleeper among the new consoles. People at E3 seemed of the same opinion in the coverage I saw.

We have two DSs in the house, and I have to resist getting more, since my kids monopolize them and I’d like one of my own — and with the free Wi-Fi we can play each other.

X-box has Oblivion. Thats worth buying an xbox for. Its amazing. If you dont have it, buy it, but accept the fact you wont have a life afterwards. You can do anything you like nearly, and do it in any order.

A bunch of my geek friends spent about an hour yesterday talking about where we were, our favorite towns to hang out in, what race we were and what the other races thought of that (if you pay a dark elf no one else likes you), what clothes, what skills, what quests we had done and the fun of hunting mudcrabs (anyone seen the “crab battle MGS video”?.

You should really really get it. I know I’m raving but it really is that good. It is the reason to get the new generation consule. Forget everything else, you wont need anything for months.

I’m going to get the new Ps3 but Im not bothering with the Wii. We have the game cube and it just doesnt really have many games. Most people I know have the same handful of games. Most are rehashs of old games and I’m just not that interested. The PS3 is the machine for the games, but Xbox has the great online community and a couple of real gems.

I play a lot of rpgs and sony (too many to name really but dark cronicle (ps2) is very addictive) and microsoft (knight of the old republic (xb), fable (xb), oblivion (xb360), jade empire(xb)) have all the best ones.

Appolgies for any fangirl tendencies.

Nail on the head Robert! Fanboys are the bane of my existance right now. It’s the old thing of the small but vocal minority.

What amazeses me is the fact that Sony have managed to aquire so many fan boys by doing very little. You expect it of Nintendo as they serve a niche with dedicated fans but Sony has really done nothing to deserve these people. Sony should be grateful for them infact because with the great offerings from Microsoft and Nintendo this year there won’t be many people left to defend them.

Now, if that kid could focus his passion on his punctuation too, he’d be killer dude.

kr8tr: Thanks. An RSS feed was requested by a couple of our regular users as well. We will be making one soon. You’re the first to request a wordpress plug-in. Is there a page that details that somewhere?

Richard, here’s a quick tutorial: http://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2006/03/04/wp-tutorial-your-first-wp-plugin/.

Actually, you should do a generic plugin that works on MySpace, etc.

Rob

One thing about the quote you included from a PS fan:
His/her grammar & spelling is a LOT better than most adults. Maybe there is hope.

After reading your post about the LinuxWorld expo, etc., I was surprised to see you associate those comments with “14 year olds.” That’s probably the kind of thinking that came up with that sign at LinuxWorld. I had to deal with it myself when I was younger, trying to do business. Already a strike against you.

It’s not 14 year olds, it’s immature people. I manage 7 online communities and I’ve managed communities for around 6 years now. Some of my greatest staff members have been teenagers. And some of my greatest staff members have been people in their 30s and 40s. I’ve dealt with big time idiots that have been teenagers and that have been in their 30s and 40s. I think that older people are more inclined to tell me what rights I have when it comes to managing my own property. I had a partner at a law firm (he used his law firm e-mail to contact me and respond) leave a nasty comment on one of my blogs and then after it was deleted in accordance with our guidelines, he called me a “Nazi pig,” and that was the nicer of two names.

But, my point is that it’s not an age thing, just a maturity thing.

Once I can get the most-excellent XMBC on a 360, I am snapping one up so fast…

Fanboys and “Evangelists” the world will always have, and suffer via — pointlessly circular arguments, that sucks, no this does…no that, no this, that, this, that, this, this, that, that…

Arrgh.

While Oblivion is attractive, the Xbox360 is still priced by crackheads.

The online thing is of no interest to me at all, so Xbox live is a nonstarter.

But here’s the thing…I want a Wii. Not just because of Nintendo, but because it’s the first really new thing I’ve seen in game consoles in a while. The idea that my playing experience will be somehting besides pushing buttons and thumbing a joystick is so unbelievably cool. That when I’m in a swordfight in a game, I might be able to actually, well, *fight with a sword*, or at least come MUCH closer to it than any PS*/Xbox -style controller.

My problem with consoles is that they all have the same damned inputs, and when you limit your input so harshly, game playability is similarly limited. I’ll tell you this, while I ain’t so good with a standard console controller, you let me play legend of Zelda with actual weapons motions, I’ll do a LOT more damage, and have a LOT more fun.

The consoles have been all about tech up until now, not fun. The Wii looks like someone decided to make fun a priortiy. I live tech all day long, I don’t need more tech. I need more fun.

How erudite of you, to have used the word, and then linked to it’s definition. As we say here in the Northeast, you’re wickid smaht.

Re my comment above: I’m a scaliwag! (Extra points if you know why.)