The transformation of video games has definitely been revolutionary. With the releases of platforms like the Wii, Kinect for Xbox 360 and Playstation Move, this world of gaming never could have been dreamed of in the NES days. With all these innovations to gaming, it makes me wonder if motion gaming, specifically, has lost its original touch.
Back in 1998, Dance Dance Revolution was pretty successful and gets kudos for originality. When the Wii was released in 2006, it was immediately viewed as gaming console to encourage the young and old alike to get off the couch and start moving. (Wii Fit was introduced the following year, in case that initial message wasn't entirely clear). A video console that requires more movement than usual, like swinging a golf club in Wii Sports, or snowboarding on the Wii Fit, or even using the handheld to spike a volleyball over the on-screen net, often goes beyond the limits of many serious gamers.
Standard controllers are enough for first and third person shooter games. Sometimes the gamer just wants to relax and...chill. If the next "Call of Duty" required a player to constantly stand up to aim or whatever the motive, then it might take away the essence of the game for sure. Of course, that just might be a bad example, but how about some statistics?
In a recent survey conducted by IGN, 62,000 gamers were asked a series of questions regarding feelings towards next-generation consoles. Just 40% are very or somewhat in Wii U, an upcoming platform by Nintendo. 60% favored the Xbox 720, while 63% anticipated the PlayStation 4. These are all future gaming systems, but nonetheless, it reveals the interests of gamers and possibly the future of the consoles that we thought would supersede the rest.
In a Washington Post article, Senior Vice President of Content and Publisher at IGN Peer Schneider, said that gamers have hit some motion-controller fatigue.
"There's been no evolution of those games," Schneider said. "Software hasn't sold [serious gamers] on being anything more than a one-generation fad."
