tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post5639227514847019581..comments2024-03-17T18:32:30.926-07:00Comments on The GAME OVERTHINKER: EPISODE ELEVEN: "Can It Happen To Us?"MovieBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00226832228090053258noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-17811261162092063242012-09-19T14:52:52.904-07:002012-09-19T14:52:52.904-07:00I think Sony's biggest "kids mascot"...I think Sony's biggest "kids mascot" would be Ratchet and Clank. I know Little Big Planet is touted a lot but there is no real plot to the game. Ratchet and Clank on the other hand have that and can have gun loving kiddies want to play the game.<br /><br />I never thought of the gaming industry like you have. But your right, there is no mascot for kids to really like on Playstation and Xbox. At the same time it's hard as shit for me to get my newphew to play any "kids" games. He loves playing with real Legos so he's slightly interested in those games. But on the whole it's all about games with guns. And no kid his age should be playing CoD, Halo, and the like.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06379521673840643051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-62701299262178576832011-07-25T15:18:39.863-07:002011-07-25T15:18:39.863-07:00Yes the next generation of consoles will be so exp...Yes the next generation of consoles will be so expensive that the pc game will return as the once and future king as it was foretold. <br /><br />Seriously you make a interesting argument about the potential downfall of the console market if they ignore the young and if the market consisted of only sony and microsoft then you might be right but there is still nintendo and still the greatest marketing company of all time when it comes to getting parents to fork over money every christmas. The plan seems to be for nintendo to raise the next generation of gamers until they are old enough to graduate to the hardcore adult gaming platforms of sony and microsoft.Khaip Urhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04631632756404243329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-72680485241866174162011-01-16T08:03:03.685-08:002011-01-16T08:03:03.685-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02336332404664610211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-68217039799765614542011-01-16T08:02:37.658-08:002011-01-16T08:02:37.658-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02336332404664610211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-59118754475199351122011-01-16T08:02:20.330-08:002011-01-16T08:02:20.330-08:00Having only seen 17 of your videos (the ones of 20...Having only seen 17 of your videos (the ones of 2008), and although not being able to fully support what I'm going to say next with sources, adding that I base this mostly on my reasoning and things I have heard. Furthermore, looking at it from this period (2011). I still wish to reply to your video.<br /><br />First, I do agree with the point you made in your video, that without a new generation of fans we could be heading the same way the comic book world has gone (having been born in 91, taking your word for what happened). <br /><br />However, I wish to add, only to soften the point made in your video, that the Xbox 360 and, more so, the PS3 can be seen as 'complementary goods'. Not that THEY are linked, but that they are linked with other consumer products the company's sell. <br /><br />In the case of the Xbox 360, looking at it now (with regards to Windows Phone 7/ Windows 7) it can be appealing to buy the console due to the extended possibility's with an already owned phone running Windows Phone 7 or a PC with Windows 7 for that matter, as a multi-media system. The same case being the other way around. In some way all their products raise the appeal for other products the company makes as a consequence having a positive effect on sales (my reasoning).<br /><br />Even more so for Sony's PS3. Being a fully fledged multi-media system, especially marketing the HD content and having a Bluray player. A supplement to owning a PS3 could be owning a nice Sony HD TV, in order to get the most enjoyment out of its 'powerfull' PS3 hardware. Or maybe a nice Hi-Fi system from the same company. The PS3 being a 'complete' package, is thus complementary to other consumer products Sony sells. <br /><br />If either of these company's would drop their gaming segment, I wouldn't be surprised if it would effect sales of other products, they make. I think that this partly explains their course of action. <br /><br />This was not to refute the point you made, only as an add on or a 'maybe' explanation to the course taken by Sony and Microsoft. <br /><br /><br />This might also partly explain the need for Sony and Microsoft of a mascot, they might feel as if they do not need it this way. As for Nintendo, they do not have this, being a company only active in the gaming business. I suppose having a mascot to appeal to new gamers and to have them take a look/buy their products makes having a mascot more important to them then to Sony and Microsoft, having other products to creat an appeal.<br /><br />I hope even though I have not added any sources, that this train of thought is understandable.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02336332404664610211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-20117619811899157682011-01-08T17:07:39.708-08:002011-01-08T17:07:39.708-08:00Wasn't it Daniel Floyde of Extra Credit that s...Wasn't it Daniel Floyde of Extra Credit that said "[Game Developers] are not toy makers?" True that if there was no television for kids people would within a generation stop watching television, or if no movies were being made for kids the same thing would happen to movies, and we saw this happen to comic books.<br /><br />Art, in whatever its format is, is to be for everyone or it is for no one, and as an aspiring game programmer I do take offense to my dream occupation being refered to as "toymaker" because that is not what I think I'm doing.<br /><br />Not to mention that if you want the politician to stop trying to censor the medium and want video games as an art form to take off we need to shake the stigma that their toys. Shaking this stigma would be better in the long hall as once we are not precieved as toys game developers will make whatever kind of game they want, with whatever story that they want to tell, which includes both stuff for the kids and stuff for the adults.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12497431709239721902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-33128654811915451822010-12-30T12:53:56.389-08:002010-12-30T12:53:56.389-08:00Sorry to necro an old post, but I'm fan of you...Sorry to necro an old post, but I'm fan of your escapist stuff and just discovered this.<br /><br />I agree with a lot of your points, and it seems that your idea of "reaching out to kids" has reached Sony and Microsoft.<br /><br />I take a little bit of an issue with your focus on price as making it prohibitive to children.<br /><br />When adjusted for inflation, the NES was more expensive than any current-gen console but the PS3. Making the same adjustments, every console Sega ever released was more expensive than the PS3. Children seemed to enjoy those.<br /><br />Looking at it this way, video game consoles aren't becoming more expensive: the dollar is becoming cheaper. The NES had one function: put in a cartridge, and it would play it. The new ones have more functions, and thus can replace other pieces of equipment. The fact that they're still comparable to the NES in price makes them <b>more</b> accessible to children, not less.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642370634128153852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-73399911582743064152010-05-05T17:39:05.789-07:002010-05-05T17:39:05.789-07:00I do have to disagree with one thing, the games pl...I do have to disagree with one thing, the games played on the systems are toys, but since the PS3 and X-Box 360 can do several things, the systems themselves aren't, unless you consider a DVD player a toy.Bobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04512978221017441060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-17517449677277884942010-04-02T19:58:47.298-07:002010-04-02T19:58:47.298-07:00I say booooo to you Bob, but that's because I ...I say booooo to you Bob, but that's because I thought Carnage was one of the best super-villains ever made outside of the Joker because all he did was kill people, that's it, none of this "let's do something that could destroy the Earth if people don't pay, but what about Spider-Man? Oh we'll come up with some convoluted plan that he can thwart like every other time" NO, Carnage just killed people for shits and giggles and that is more terrifying than anything Doc Ock ever did, in my humble opinion of course.<br /><br /><br />Also since I'm posting in the 2010 and all this shit is very old, I just want to say that the Wii is still doing fine, probably because games like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories came out and every Silent Hill fan, or non-child gamer who owned a Wii went "holy shit this game is good, oh my god I... I am speechless, this game has left me without words to describe it" and yes Konami would be considered 3rd party to Nintendo, especially since this is the first time a Silent Hill title has graced the presence of a Nintendo console.Camhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18388252234713990053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-69456394314425206702009-12-27T20:24:10.620-08:002009-12-27T20:24:10.620-08:00That's a good ending. At least there's one...That's a good ending. At least there's one coin in the guitar case (a little saying I just made up. It resembles that of the independent traveling musician that plays and does good which is rewarded with a coin. The coin, in this situation, is Ratchet and Clank.)Sony has two coins in the case at the moment (Ratchet and Clank and Little Big Planet). Microsoft, I don't think has any coins. I really don't know if they have family games without plastic instruments. The Wii's case is filled with coins (coins also represent good family games). Most of their mascots are pulling their weight and pumping out decent games worth a family game night. I don't think a family of four with young kids will gather 'round the TV to play Halo 3 or Gears of War together. The key to long life in the gaming industry is games that entire families will remember in a good way (not like shooing your kid to bed because he stays up all night playing Halo 3 on Xbox Live). <br /><br />All the tech stuff really doesn't matter. If the games good, graphics only matter if they actually are needed for the game to operate. For example, you can't pull of something like the Legend of Zelda series on an Atari without it sucking from the inability to figure out what's going on.NavesReggehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16221036464660757545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-46333309018245125932009-10-07T22:24:07.729-07:002009-10-07T22:24:07.729-07:00All I have to say to your comment about how all th...All I have to say to your comment about how all the 3'rd party developers will fail when the second crash happens is, Personal Computer.Iceykitsunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17423413219341713963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-84955356112961412772009-09-02T14:08:28.047-07:002009-09-02T14:08:28.047-07:00I think some people on here don't get a few ke...I think some people on here don't get a few key points.<br /><br />Like for instance, you can deny it all you want, but Sony and Microsoft aren't making much of an effort to appeal to younger gamers. Yes, they do have some kid friendly franchises, but in comparison to Nintendo, it's not enough.<br /><br />I actually have my finger on the pulse of the gaming community in my town, having friends who work in Gamestops and department stores across the county. <br /><br />And the kid franchises for these two companies aren't hitting their mark; Viva Pinata was mainly played by simulation lovers and fans of Rare, not many kids. Some but not a lot. Kameo, virtually no appeal to kids. Ratchet and Clank, that did have some appeal but it was greater with teenagers and older gamers since they could understand the control scheme and comprehend the humor and dialouge better. LBP, that did have a minor impact, I say minor because the only people who really bought it were die-hard Playstation fans, and only some kids.<br /><br />So yeah, statistically speaking from this 6-city county, these attempts to appeal to kids aren't really having much of an effect as opposed to Nintendo.<br /><br />Another thing, a lot of you complain that Wii's are being sold back to Gamestop. Newsflash, that has no effect on any sort of sales figures. It's not as if the company phones Nintendo and tells them they're $250 poorer. Once they're sold, their inventory placement is checked off and that's marked as a sold unit. So even if every Wii in the US was sold back, Nintendo would still be considered to be turning a profit.<br /><br />There's one thing I also wonder about you guys, you complain about it, but have any of you actually played these supposed shovelware titles on the Wii? Like Carnival Games, Game Party, and the Active Life series. Yes, I admit, they're not as varied as they should be, and unless you're playing in a party they're not as fun. But you'd be amazed at how intuitive these games actually are, and in the sense that they're fun in a party, that's the whole fucking point behind them!<br /><br />You're supposed to play these games with family, and friends, not mashing buttons like you got parkinsons disease and cursing out some 12-year-old fuckwit into a headset. <br /><br />And how can anybody chastise Nintendo for being casual appealers only when we got games/sequels coming out like Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, a Hideo Kojima game, Call of Duty sequels, a Valve game, among other stuff. And don't you think casuals enjoying the Wii might be more inclined to check out these other games since it's on a system they trust, has promising aspects to them? It's a stretch, but this is the kind of long term investment Bob was talking about.<br /><br />As a closing thought, I'm not a Nintendo sympathizer, I grew up in a predominantly Sega household but all this hatred and allegiance is really out of hand. It's way worse then the Nintendo vs. Sega wars in the 90s. And I wonder, how are Sony and Microsoft exempt from this evil that is shovelware games? <br /><br />There are more 1-dimensional first person shooters on those systems with faceless, personality lacking nitwits inside armor the size of mack trucks. That or they're bald, bearded, grumbling army men toting the same scheme of guns (pistol, shotgun, rifle, sniper, melee weapon, alien pistol, alien rifle B.F.G.), with either vague anti/pro-war messages behind them, and environments that strain your eyes but look like they've been doused in cocoa powder.<br /><br />Everybodies guilty of foul play on some level, and the only ones to blame are us, the audience.squall leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17517446951344323691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-20971677133623038772009-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:002009-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:00I don't think I agree with the video games are toy...I don't think I agree with the video games are toys. But let me relabel that medium. The "interactive medium" could be toys but it could also serve as a means of NOT entertaining the audience to serve a powerful symbollic point much like MANY internet games out there. Of course one could say that a person could potentially still be entertained by it, but saying that would be like saying anyone could be potentially entertained by any book written and thus books are also toys...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-16343517424283663192008-09-11T11:29:00.000-07:002008-09-11T11:29:00.000-07:00As this episode seems to only cover console gaming...As this episode seems to only cover console gaming (do I detect a Mac user?) I personally think the solution to this hypothetical gaming crash has to be PC gaming. Just sayin'Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12231612948854502267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-56557989616791017672008-09-11T05:56:00.000-07:002008-09-11T05:56:00.000-07:00Hi, love your videos, just wondering how you embed...Hi, love your videos, just wondering how you embed them in the page as opposed to having the link? Sorry it's a bit of daft question!lockonandfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17121023258189049268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-88062654716264718962008-09-03T19:06:00.000-07:002008-09-03T19:06:00.000-07:00LITTLE BIG PLANETThere's your toy. There's your in...LITTLE BIG PLANET<BR/><BR/>There's your toy. There's your industry savior.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-23422901946694549512008-09-02T00:50:00.000-07:002008-09-02T00:50:00.000-07:00Game Overthinker,How can you say the new consoles ...Game Overthinker,<BR/><BR/>How can you say the new consoles aren't attracting children when I know of a huge number of kids who love nothing more than playing GTA? As for the PS3, either Ratchet/Clank or Kratos are good mascots.Keithustushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02538070374451866742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-12438324598640279682008-09-01T12:13:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:13:00.000-07:00@ tanookiboy17I found your punctuation.@ tanookiboy17<BR/><BR/>I found your punctuation.LKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085298257774115586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-77118150766428165332008-08-31T18:32:00.000-07:002008-08-31T18:32:00.000-07:00well bob i believe you are forgetting one thing wh...well bob i believe you are forgetting one thing when this generation of adults grows up theres going to be another generation of adults right behind them to fallow and to pick up right where the other generation left off.tanookiboy17https://www.blogger.com/profile/04414631919625878847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-26368835479598418902008-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:002008-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00I just finished watching this again, and, man, doe...I just finished watching this again, and, man, does it ooze with controversy. This would probably be the first time I've seen this much debate over an Overthinker episode. I expected it with Ep 10 and that was on GTA IV. <BR/><BR/>Now, for my opinion:<BR/>It makes sense, and it also seems impossible, so both arguments have a soundness to them, with the "against" argument holding true for the most part. Yes, kids are playing games for teens and mature audiences. Yes, they might see it as silly to play games for everyone. However, that doesn't mean, that on a capitalist standpoint, the video game industry can't fold within itself. It's possible for every industry if a lack of interest or some bad business decisions are made, or other things come into play.<BR/><BR/>Right now, the gaming industry is one of the biggest industries around, lucratively. Can it hold out? Yes, I think it can b/c each of the big 3 have marketing schemes that will help or has helped them for the most part. For the industry to fold into itself and collapse, a lot has to happen than just kids not being catered to, b/c right now, those same kids are playing anything they see on a gaming system. <BR/><BR/>However, I'm not going to discount the possibility that it can't happen. It can. Now, I can't think of many industries that it has happened to, nor am I sure I can use the crash of 1983 as an example of what not to do in gaming(although it does stand out a lot as an idea), but to think that an industry can't collapse without preparing for the worst is foolish. Even though Rome wasn't built in a day, the Roman empire didn't last forever.<BR/><BR/>I hope that makes sense. Feel free to criticize.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-3975376208226871982008-08-29T23:41:00.000-07:002008-08-29T23:41:00.000-07:00Sony seems to have an answer, albeit limited, it's...Sony seems to have an answer, albeit limited, it's definately a great start. That answer: Little Big Planet. From what can be seen, Sony is banking and promoting LBP like crazy, and is already making seem as if "Sackboy," is the new adopted mascot. The game is definately geared towards the younger audience but has an appeal to even the older generation. If this game takes off like I think it will, then it's a whole new ballgame for Sony bringing in the younger audience while sustaining the hardcore money spenders.cruzaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14342640919677403785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-73566291455687163902008-08-27T15:14:00.000-07:002008-08-27T15:14:00.000-07:00i also have to disagree with marvel and dc going u...i also have to disagree with marvel and dc going up in flames. while marvel certainly filed chapter 13, dc is owned by aol-time-warner, so while the comics division may have taken a hit, it was only a hiccup, to borrow your turn of phrase, for the company, as a whole. aol-time-warner will continue to produce comics, if nothing else, because of franchising. let's face, dc owns three of the most recognizable characters in all of pop culture: superman, batman, and wonder woman. so, the analogy isn't entirely appropriate. or maybe that's part of your point - nintendo has sonic and mario, the other two really don't have big, franchise-able icons.<BR/>image, however, split up. while some of the founders stayed on, many of them, like jim lee, sold their shares. ironically, jim lee sold them to dc, so that all the wildstorm properties became dc properties. but image is still around. now, many other companies did collapse, but they didn't have much of a readership, to begin with.<BR/>so, to come back to the analogy, if there were a crash, a third party developer like atari, would still be around, because of the loyalty it's developed. it would have to become smaller, obviously, but it wouldn't disappear.<BR/>besides, we've already seen a mini-crash, back in the 90's. remember some of the consoles that are now defunct? until playstation came about, we went from several consoles, to just two: nintendo and sega. then the dreamcast got overlooked because of lack of games, despite being a superior system.<BR/>so, while nintendo would continue to be around, if there were a crash, i'm sure at least one of the other consoles would scrape through, as well. especially since x-box and playstation are owned by big companies, respectively. of course, thats analogous to my comments about dc, earlier.<BR/>or am i flogging a dead horse?LKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085298257774115586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-4803260275337556272008-08-27T00:08:00.000-07:002008-08-27T00:08:00.000-07:00i just wanna know why that one comment was @ me, w...i just wanna know why that one comment was @ me, when it didn't address anything is wrote.LKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16085298257774115586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-57846077655189448412008-08-21T16:07:00.000-07:002008-08-21T16:07:00.000-07:00@BobThats one thing I think we agree on actually i...@Bob<BR/><BR/>Thats one thing I think we agree on actually is that Ms and Sony need to start focusing on diversity in there software package. Sony may have it's next big broad spectrum hit in the form of Little big planet, I think that will do really well across demographics.<BR/><BR/>Its ms that really needs to get on the ball with targeting the younger crowd.<BR/><BR/>Over all, Im not saying that nintendo is gonna disappear, Im saying there falling into the same trap they fell into during the N 64 and Game cube eras. Someone said the N64 was a success. Not true actually. THe delayed develpment and high cost of cartridge production barely allowed to break even. It was the handheld market that nintendo was profiting from.<BR/><BR/>That being said, right now nintendo is enjoying some great sale and popularity, and i'm glad cause it's brining in new blood to the industry, but it's also gonna be nintendos down fall in the long run.<BR/><BR/>Thats just how I see. <BR/><BR/>Give it a few years, then we'll know for sure eh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6031707140462457270.post-28350634860497169762008-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00@yukimurasanada: In response to "Ps2 sales, 140 pl...<B>@yukimurasanada:</B> In response to <BR/><BR/><I>"Ps2 sales, 140 plus million?<BR/><BR/>Dont bs me that third parties aren't important. The only thing that kept nintendo alive during it's N 64 and game cube era Bullshit was the following.<BR/><BR/>1. It's domination of the handheld market,as evidanced by the DS.<BR/><BR/>2. Pokemon."</I><BR/><BR/>PS2s, global sales are right at around 120 million. 140 is a bit high.<BR/><BR/>Also, you seem to miss the entire point. Nintendo MADE money on both the GameCube and N64. It had nothing to do with whether or not they "won the war" or lost market share. Both platforms were profitable. <BR/><BR/>They didn't just make money on handhelds, or on Pokemon products, the GameCube and N64 as platforms were financially successful.<BR/><BR/>To address your other main point, who says there can't be good games on the Wii? The N64 had good games, and they were almost entirely first party.<BR/><BR/>Nintendo's first party titles can sustain a console. It seems to me you seem entirely preoccupied with interest in third party titles. If Nintendo's first party offerings don't appeal to you personally that's cool. But Nintendo has shown in the past despite having the worst third party support, they can keep their platforms profitable.<BR/><BR/>The Wii is closing in on being 2 years old. Microsoft is supposedly already hurrying their next console (having widely reported to have started sent out dev kits to various developers earlier in the year) to be released as early as Holiday 2009. In three years Nintendo will more than likely introduce their next platform. <BR/><BR/>It's just the lifespan of consoles. The PS2 has stayed supported longer than most due to its exceptionally giant user base (and some have argued to the determent of the PS3 but that's another rant entirely), I don't think the expectation is that 8 years after the Wii is out there will still be anywhere near as much product being newly released for it.<BR/><BR/>Again, I think Nintendo is strictly concerned with making money. They are a business after all, and they've done a good job of this so far.FtheTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925339718969242171noreply@blogger.com