Expanding the Demographic

Personally, I think the more gamers there are, the better the industry will be. A lot of "hardcore" gamers seem to hold the opposite view for some reason I cannot comprehend.

Video games will never be truly accepted as art and entertainment until they become something that everyone experiences, like movies and music.

What do you think needs to be done to expand the market to other groups in society, i.e. females, older people, and young males who don't play video games?

I have watched in amazement, seeing females take to Dance games, The Sims, and Tetris.

It also astounds me that non-gamer types will play games on their cell phones or play Minesweeper or Solitaire on their PCs.

Clearly, this proves that there must be untapped potential here.

Discuss.

The truth, whether you like it or not, is that game companies have always catered towards the mainstream public rather than the self-proclaimed "hardcore" crowd. Why do think we got Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions instead of Policenauts in English? While occasionally a game company will take their chances and release a "cult hit" like Rez or even Panic, but the truth is that game companies are out to make money. That's why there are crappy licensed games based on the Powerpuff Girls or Scooby Doo.

Yes, it's very true that companies have always appealed to the "mainstream" crowd. But my point is that the "mainstream" is still a narrow demographic as it is.

They could price new releases at 20$ for a start. I'm constantly hearing people complain about the cost of new releases.

Cost is one thing, it is a very expensive hobby to just jump right into. A game I noticed that really attracted non-gamers was Tony Hawks Pro Skater. At my high school, there were alot of skater kids who told me they play the game all time, and they very rarely play videogames at all. If you want to target a particular group, then you'll need to make a game for them, but nothing condensending like Britney Dance or Barbey for girls. The game should be fun to play (like Pro Skater), without it being gimmicky.

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Personally, I think the more gamers there are, the better the industry will be. A lot of "hardcore" gamers seem to hold the opposite view for some reason I cannot comprehend.

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Here's why: Companies are in this for profit (some are because they love to make games, but if they earn no profit, they can't keep doing it), and so many will create more games that cater to the mainstream audience (simple, without much depth), then they will to the "hardcore" gamers. Because of this, the industry grows, more games are made, more are brought from overseas to us, but there's also much less to play (follow what I mean?).

A while ago, when far too many games were controller-throwing hard and needlessly difficult, they were mainly that way because of odd patterns and cheapness designed by the developers (which could both be overcome with practice). However, when today's games are controller-throwing hard, it's usually because of bad controls, horrid hit detection, overall rushed products, and camera angles that seem to exist solely to make you die. Not to say that these situations aren't reversable, but these seem to be the main overriding themes in classifying older games versus newer ones.

I like the industry expanding, and I like new people to be brought in. Many are initially drawn to crap, but for those that decide to perservere, they will (hopefully) gain taste and move "upwards". My problem is that when I want a good action game, I frequently look to yesterday's games, because todays games by and large suck at delivering a good action experience where I only fight bad guys, not my controls and camera.

I never got that argument. Just how are 'hardcore' games suffering when the industry grows? Wouldn't there be more 'hardcore' gamers out there to please?

MechDeus hit the nail on the head. I am squarely on the "fuck the mainstream" side of the fence. I frankly don't care if games are ever widely accepted or thought of as "art". The people that truly appreciate something are the only ones that matter. I can understand companies trying to make a buck, and that is fine, as without the companies, no new games can be released. However, those same companies need to sink some of that cash back into projects like translating Policenauts to show some gratitude to the people that got the industry far enough so that there could be a mainstream for them to whore their buggy, underdeveloped, polygon-filled piles of shit to.

ok... I'm finished... Much better...

Those who know what Policenauts is surely didn't bring us to this point. The NES was big shit when I was a kid, then followed by the Genesis and SNES. Games weren't restricted to a small scene like the Neo Geo, they sold in the millions. I think the 32bit gen captured more of the adult market, and that continues now, but there's always been a large group of casual gamers supporting the industry.

I shouldn't have said the word "hardcore" in my first post. I was hoping the thread wouldn't become a "hardcore" vs "mainstream" thread. Both of those sides are dominated by young males so it doesn't matter. The question I was asking is how can we turn typical non-gamers into gamers?