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The thing is Wii and Kinect already tried that stuff 15 years ago and although they were fun novelties at first, neither really changed the industry in the long

The thing is Wii and Kinect already tried that stuff 15 years ago and although they were fun novelties at first, neither really changed the industry in the long term. It's no surprise to me that the most popular VR game is a rhythm game, because the latest hype cycle of VR is following the same trajectory as "novelty input device" arcade games whose most lasting hits were rhythm games too. It seems that the group of people who a) are interested in physically moving their body around in their spare time, and b) prefer indoor environments to outdoor ones, and c) prefer virtualized spaces to physical spaces, and d) prefer the privacy of their own home to third places, and e) also have a home big enough to dedicate space to this hobby... is a relatively small group with a rather specific taste in games. A much larger group of gamers already has an exhausting physical job, or a preexisting workout schedule, or prefers to go hiking in the woods, and so when they get back to their home to game they just want to plop down and zone out.

kbenson 2y ago
> The thing is Wii and Kinect already tried that stuff 15 years ago and although they were fun novelties at first, neither really changed the industry in the long term. I'm not looking to see something change the industry, I'm looking for interesting and novel. > It seems that the group of people who... I don't disagree, but people are writing games for the platform. I just want to see people lean into the strengths of what they're targeting. Some of the most fun and interesting games for the wii did exactly that. Boom Blox for the Wii was extremely simple in concept and execution, and was also more fun than most Wii games I played. > A much larger group of gamers already has an exhausting physical job, or a preexisting workout schedule, or prefers to go hiking in the woods, and so when they get back to their home to game they just want to plop down and zone out. All the more reason to lean into new and novel ideas, because as I know, when your time for playing games is limited you're often going to stick with the known quantity that can provide enjoyment (which is likely some AAA title that is good enough) unless there's a very good hook.

kbenson 2y ago

> The thing is Wii and Kinect already tried that stuff 15 years ago and although they were fun novelties at first, neither really changed the industry in the long term. I'm not looking to see something change the industry, I'm looking for interesting and novel. > It seems that the group of people who... I don't disagree, but people are writing games for the platform. I just want to see people lean into the strengths of what they're targeting. Some of the most fun and interesting games for the wii did exactly that. Boom Blox for the Wii was extremely simple in concept and execution, and was also more fun than most Wii games I played. > A much larger group of gamers already has an exhausting physical job, or a preexisting workout schedule, or prefers to go hiking in the woods, and so when they get back to their home to game they just want to plop down and zone out. All the more reason to lean into new and novel ideas, because as I know, when your time for playing games is limited you're often going to stick with the known quantity that can provide enjoyment (which is likely some AAA title that is good enough) unless there's a very good hook.