Opinion: The Barrier of Entry

I think the only reason we're seeing more complexity in games is an effort to bring something new to jaded gamers. That market is growing of course. More and more people are getting older, and have played more games.

Pretty much every game I've played has progressed in complexity. I played FPSes growing up, and went from Doom->Quake->Counter-Strike->Battlefield->Battleld 2 Project Reality. Each time what entertained me about the next game was that there was something new to learn and experience. How would someone who'se never played an FPS before do in BF2 Project Reality? I imagine it would be pretty discouraging. I haven't played Arma, but that game is suppose to be even more-so. For MMOs I went from COH->WoW->EVE Online. EVE Online is an especially complex and overwhelming game for someone not familiar with MMOs. As you say Steve, the Barrier of Entry is much higher on most of todays games.

I think there is a market for games that try to bring in more gamers and keep things simple and easy enough for newcomers. But it won't be the norm. If anything, games are just going to continue to get more complex. Hopefully games will be developed that are elegant enough to be deep and complex while still being simple enough for the new gamer.

Shacknews is becoming more and more like a gaming newsmagazine and I love that :D

I think there's a lot to be said for this. Multiplayer gaming is also surprisingly low in penetration on consoles (from what I've heard Mike Capps say) so that's another piece of new functionality that seems rather underused considering the extent of console gaming in general.

Perhaps console gamers are just not interested in this sort of thing? Steve mentions simpler control schemes. Perhaps consumers see consoles as providing a very specific type of gaming, that is fun, (comparatively) casual, and for lack of a better word simple, while the multiplayer and the playing of music and DVDs simply adds variables to the purchasing decision that they don't want to think about. After all, the whole idea of a console is the pick up and play convenient gaming in ones own home without having to think about anything else except gaming.

When designing entertainment products (consoles, games), you walk a fine line between dictating an intended experience and broadening the experience to capture an audience.

With the success of the PS2's DVD-movie watching capability, many add on features followed in successive console releases.

Nintendo's success with specific Wii and DS titles demonstrates that a simple, vertical experience that drives a single type of play home is the antithesis of the creeping features seen in competing consoles.

I've often wondered how well received the sophisticated set of options presented by the 360's dashboard is in a mass market sense. Sure, people ilke us love it, but we're the sort of people who have memorized their logins on multiple forums on the Internet and we return to post.

Cool, a weekend update, :)

I can see why devs are making games with more complex controls. As the games industry grows older each year, the experience of gamers goes up and they look for games that allow them to do more and have richer experiences. I'm sure there's a way to get the best of both worlds, simplistic, streamlined, contextual controls and a deep gameplay experience. There will always be a need for games that have simple controls, so I'm not worried that one day we'll all be dealing with 52 button controllers.

Related to the issue of complexity is in game setup options. I recently started The Darkness and they have 5 different subtitle options. I was psyched and then a little confused because I didn't know what each one did specifically. Looking in the manual didn't help at all. Other menus in The Darkness are equally complex with lots of sliders to tune but no explanation to what purpose the feature has.

I believe complex menu options have just as much a negative impact on play experience as complex hardware and gameplay controls. Someone may not want to learn what the menu options do nor spend 30 minutes to set everything up and then their play experience is hindered because freelook doesn't respond well.

Games really do need to be easier to sit down and play. It doesn't take me 15 minutes to setup my options for a DVD movie.

How many of them know that their gaming system plays a game? All of them I bet. Gaming systems should play games. Who cares if it does anything else?

With dvd players getting down below $50, anyone that wants one probably has one. So why should people be aware of the fact that their ps2 or xbox plays dvds?

I know my xbox can play online, but I'm not going to pay for it. If I'm going to play online I'm going to get on my computer.

I can't access the facts without buying a report? I'm hardly interested in the findings if there is little data on how the survey was conducted. Especially since they surveyed HEAD OF HOUSEHOLDS, whom very well may NOT be playing or taking an interest in the console in the first place, and only 2,000 of them at that. That is to say there could be an inherent bias in the methodology.

Be weary of statistics. Even Wikipedia requires that articles cite sources to ensure the credibility of the information presented. The general public shouldn't have to buy the TDG's report to be able to judge the methods as sound (which anyone who is taking in information should do). I don't care if you make someone pay for the findings, but withholding the methodology is pretty weak...

When I went to a client's house, I saw a brand new 1337 360 on the floor. His TV has an HDMI port yet he was using an svideo cable he had purchased and was going through the standard audio in.

Also, he had no plans of ever getting online with it.

Also, he had a week overdue blockbuster game sitting out.

I can't say that console gaming is too complicated, or the hardware is too complicated. But I can say that people are buying consoles these days that couldn't find the hole in their ass with both hands, a flashlight, and a mirror.

Most consoles these days don't play HD discs. These days you get DVD players free inside cereal boxes, so who really cares if your game console plays them? Using a game controller to start a DVD is annoying anyway, and it doesn't occur to most people to buy a separately packaged remote control.

I think if Sony marketed the PS3 as a multimedia device they could boost sales quite a bit. If they bundled the PS3 with a Bluray copy of Planet Earth or something... shit I'd probably go out and buy it right now.

You want to know why controls are getting more complex? Come to Maryland and watch my four year old son play TMNT on the 360.... I can't believe some of the stuff he can pull of. Kids these days have this part of DNA passed down directly so they pick up right where we leave off. ;-)

They need a brief intro video on the capabilities of the device when you start it up for the first time, also comparing the differences between a regular dvd/hd/br player and the console itself.

I'm sure 90% of consumers don't read the manual. i did

I seem to remember when everyone scoffed at the Wii and claimed it would fail because of the lack of included dvd player...

Yeah, my parent's play the Wii. They're actually going to buy one eventually (partly limited by local supplies and a lack of real burning desire).

Other than that, the last real console gaming my parents did was Dr. Mario. We used to play 2 player vs. a lot before my sister and I moved out.

Every time my parents come down to Indianapolis to visit myself or sister we'll play some Wii bowling and Excite Truck. My mom especially is not much of a gamer, though my dad did buy the Atari 400XL and 800 we had in pre-NES days.

good to see you writing STeve. Good points.

Look, all they need to do is employ some Apple marketers.

"Blu Ray disks can fit up to 50gb of data.... or 548542322 songs!"

Wait, Steve is posting an article? I must be in the twilight zone. ;)

I <3 you sCary

Most consumers are dumb. I'm sure the same could be said about something like an ipod and consumers not knowing it can do more than play music or even a more common device like a cellphone but that doesn't stop them from buying the latests and greatest. It all comes down to who's going to drop the money and buy those devices at launch and they are the ones who are going to be interested in all the extra features and the ones who are going to spread the word. It's not going to be mainstream over night, not everyone knew what a dvd was a few years back either. Do those numbers really make you wonder what MS and Sony are doing?

Still can't find a Wii >:|

Nice article, Steve. It made me think of Super Smash Bros. and how *simple* yet how absolutely fun it is.

I heartily agree about your comment regarding the complexity of control schemes.

It stands to reason that as controls or even the way we interact with a GUI becomes more complex, the less accessible it is to the public. It's another step and more time that is required to acclimatize an inexperienced individual (gamer or non gamer) into the videogaming experience. Less complex, more inuitive control schemes are absolutely integral to appreciating and enjoying a game.

In my opinion, gamers want to feel like they have CONTROL over their gameplay experience. Control is what makes the interactive medium of videogaming so resonant. There is naught but our wits and our bodies to influence what happens in the game, which is why it is such a fantastic tool for our society's favourite pastime - escapism! :) If we take away that level of control in a videogame, it becomes less fun and more frustrating. We've all had that moment where we've angrily screamed: "BUT I DIDN'T MOVE THAT WAY," or "I DID THAT MOVE!" while furiously pounding some inane button sequence in a particularly infuriating videogame.

Conversely, when someone picks up a game controller and a videogame for the first time, and they intuitively are able to grasp the controls, control their character, and understand the gameplay mechanics with utmost ease, they are instantly enthralled. In my experience, even non-gamers find it difficult to pull away.

And that's what I love about the Nintendo Wii. I don't know how many of you guys have seen a complete newbie gamer pick up a controller, but the first time I saw my Mother pick up a controller and try to control Sonic the Hedgehog, she was moving her whole body and the whole controller to try and avoid some horrible trap. That Nintendo has actually been able to observe and recognize the limitations of traditional control schemes, and actually incorporate these basic intuitions into the Wii has me absolutely flabbergasted. I'm just floored by how well the control scheme works with even the first generation of games coming out.

It's just bloody fantastic, and I think is one of the main reasons as to why the Wii has been so successful. I hope this trend continues. I love how "gaming" has reached that pinnacle of pop-culture penetration. It's a good time, and I love having new people to play with, or who appreciate gaming as much as I do.

reason why i haven't watched a DVD on my 360: HDCP securelink not found!

doh :(

The PS2 and Xbox were pretty crappy movie players, well, unless you count modding/XBMC. As soon as the Xbox came out there was that "what, no progressive scan?" whine from the peanut gallery.

So much of Sony's marketing for the PS3 has been mostly "bluray BluRay BLURAY" that if the promotion they've done so far doesn't get people to understand something about BD (this disc is like a drop of water, while our disc is a virtual tsunami) then I don't think anything can be done.

I think most people know anything about the PS3 knows it plays BluRay, they just don't know what BluRay is.

Barrier of entry isn't really something that concerns me personally, but I welcome games with more simplistic controls just as a change of pace from the types of games that I usually play. I go through so many games every year, and sometimes when I finish one I go through a bit of a lull before I can muster up the motivation to dive into another one. It's just this feeling that I spent so much time getting comfortable with a game and how it's supposed to be played, and now it's finally over. I just sometimes don't feel like jumping back into that learning process right away, so I'll turn to more simple games just as a change of pace between the more complex or sophisticated games that I play.

the difference in those stats between the USA vs Japan vs other countries would be interesting

*crickets*.....*slow clapping*....*crickets*