Exercise game saturation? Nah.
What we have is FPS, RTS, MMORPG, Flash game saturation. I won't even touch the WWII subject...
But that's just the new business model...
Still, I always get nostalgic when I think back of the time where we only had a handful of games a year, and I could always discuss about them with every gamer friend I had.
About exercise games though, I don't see a problem with tons of companies trying to find ways to make gamers exercise while having fun.
It's always a problem when the genre gets stalled with only one game style, but I think most companies are trying to give different approaches to it... so it's all good.
But I still can't understand why no big company has tried to integrate REAL fitness machines to work with games.
You know, like making a Super Mario Kart with trendmills or ergometric bikes...
@Bokusatsu_Tenshi: I've been wondering your last statement for years as well. An exercise bike with a USB interface would be something you'd think someone would get working on. You could use it on your own, while watching shows on your console, or to a game.
I'm surprised that nobody has made a Wesker joke yet.
As for being on topic: I think that the fitness genre should try to slow down a little bit. If you look at the multiple games out now, you'll see that there haven't been many advancements. This will probably lead to genre saturation and a decrease in sales, similar to what finally happened to the music game genre.
The industry should take time and try to make more innovations to the fitness genre instead of rushing out the same game over and over again, or else even the casual demographic will ignore it.
And that would suck, because the fitness genre actually helps people who don't have the time to go to the gym and do an actual work out.
It also helps for people who simply don't have the motivation. I'm not going to no gym, but I'll definitely play a game that gives me a small workout if it's fun. and no one is around, of course. lol
@Omegabakon: Were you talking about FPS games or fitness games, I can't tell.
But seriously, it's the same story with any popular genre. You have trend setters and trend followers. Any time the followers start to vastly outnumber the setter, your genre can start to look pretty ugly.
Honestly, I think we've reached game saturation period. And the worst part is that most gamers have gotten used to this super high saturation so the second there's a blank week with no zomg blockbusters, it gets called the worst week ever, even though that used to be pretty common.
@subnet6: I worry about this. I have a giant backlog stack, a gamefly subscription and still my attention wanders and I think about going to gamestop to get something else, new. How much is enough?
And I think this is going to be a big factor in the upcoming burst of the video game bubble that I think will happen. Simply put: An ever-increasingly number of increasingly expensive games chasing a pool of money that has probably peaked, or is close to it.
@The Cap'n: I would have agreed with you before the Wii came out. More and more mainline releases without a major increase in customers is a recipe for trouble. Basically, developers were depending on core gamers to buy more and more games. And because the average age of core gamers was rising (and therefore income levels) they could buy more games. But we were getting dangerously close to reaching a limit I think. Nintendos struggle the last 2 gens enabled them to realize it first. Fortunately for them, they acted or it could have likely been them who felt the "burst" the most. Now, I think Sony is feeling the burst the most of the big 3, along with a lot of smaller developers.
Dear God, I go to Kotaku and there's a small picture of Richard Simmons on the front. No biggie, good for a laugh. I hit an article then go back to the homepage and now the picture of Richard Simmons is huge! Terrifying, even. At this rate, if I F5 Kotaku two more times it'll be the size of my entire monitor...
Edited by Dangeresque (Kojima-san doesn't have to make Metal Gear any more) at 07/22/09 1:28 PM
Dangeresque (Kojima-san doesn't have to make Metal Gear any more) was starred
Dangeresque (Kojima-san doesn't have to make Metal Gear any more) was unstarred
@KillerBee: The scariest part seems to be that is made up of two different faces, there is a definite line across the nose a bit of a join between the top and bottom.
Amongst all owners I know, the Wii Fit was just this generation's exercise bike. People throw the money at it but only use it for a few months. It's like they have some mental calculation that money spent = exercise guaranteed.
So I guess what people really want is just to pay for fitness to just happen to them.
I don't think exercise games are anywhere near saturation, especially when you look at games like Rock Band and the saturation king himself Activision, with Guitar Hero. That's saturation. A system inundated with FPS after FPS is saturation. Just beginning to break into a new genre in gaming, and introducing a new demographic to video games in general? Not saturation--more like progress.
Until of course Activision releases their new $300 exercise package; then we'll know it'll be time to abandon ship.
@bakagaijin: How is RB involved in saturation? There's only 2 of them and Harmonix has even said they're holding out on making RB3 until they can come up with plenty of new shit to justify it.
@ShoopDaBoofs: Don't forget the Beatles. Harmonix is just as guilty of trying to milk it's customers for more money. Nowhere near as bad as Guitar Hero, you're right about that, but they are certainly adding to the glut of peripheral based, music games on the market.
@bakagaijin: I'm willing to overlook The Beatles simply because it wouldn't fit anywhere in Rock Band. I personally have zero interest in it, but I'm sure there's someone out there with an interest in the Beatles and not the tracks on Rock Band.
@ShoopDaBoofs: Maybe that can be the goal of the game. Lose enough weight to fit into the shorts, which will never be possible other then Richard Simmons himself.
@-Skyline-: Unless of course you sign up for the patented Richard Simmon's SUPER ULTRA FITNESS OPERATION - which essentially just extracts all the testosterone out of your body allowing you to wear the shorts without immediately getting a hernia.
The thing that people need to know is that the best thing they can do for themselves to get in shape is to eat better and exercise daily. That's just the way to do it, and video games can't really change that.
In terms of saturation, let's talk about FPS and music games, because I think that's where we're really hitting the saturation mark.
I think these fitness games are misleading and potentially dangerous, especially to individuals who think they could get fit with them.
If you want to get healthy, the best way to do it is through physical exercise. The last thing I would want is to be stuck INSIDE all day long playing a gimmick that will not help me get healthy. As for Miyamoto's foolish comment, he is just trying to justify to the consumer a reason to buy Wii Fit; just go get a gym membership and if you can't make it to the gym, do simple exercises at home. Not to mention the fact that you need a proper diet as well.
As a kid, I used to set my clock 17 minutes fast on my bedside table. Why 17 minutes? Because in the amount of time for me to figure out how what time it REALLY was and how much time I'd have left before it'd go off, my brain was stimulated enough that it would wake me up completely. Sure, sounds stupid, but the only time I ever missed the alarm would be when the power goes out.
Course, nowadays I actually use an Atomic Alarm Clock with an MP3 file off of a netbook as my primary alarm clock. It doubles as my check-in machine during the times I'm 24/7 on-call for work. I have it set to a song that in the first 30 seconds sounds coincidentally identical to a chime you'd hear in a department store. Weird, but still works!
07/24/09
What we have is FPS, RTS, MMORPG, Flash game saturation. I won't even touch the WWII subject...
But that's just the new business model...
Still, I always get nostalgic when I think back of the time where we only had a handful of games a year, and I could always discuss about them with every gamer friend I had.
About exercise games though, I don't see a problem with tons of companies trying to find ways to make gamers exercise while having fun.
It's always a problem when the genre gets stalled with only one game style, but I think most companies are trying to give different approaches to it... so it's all good.
But I still can't understand why no big company has tried to integrate REAL fitness machines to work with games.
You know, like making a Super Mario Kart with trendmills or ergometric bikes...
07/26/09
07/22/09
07/25/09
Whoopse blank post
07/25/09
His names Richard Simmons :)
07/22/09
As for being on topic: I think that the fitness genre should try to slow down a little bit. If you look at the multiple games out now, you'll see that there haven't been many advancements. This will probably lead to genre saturation and a decrease in sales, similar to what finally happened to the music game genre.
The industry should take time and try to make more innovations to the fitness genre instead of rushing out the same game over and over again, or else even the casual demographic will ignore it.
And that would suck, because the fitness genre actually helps people who don't have the time to go to the gym and do an actual work out.
07/22/09
It also helps for people who simply don't have the motivation. I'm not going to no gym, but I'll definitely play a game that gives me a small workout if it's fun. and no one is around, of course. lol
07/22/09
But seriously, it's the same story with any popular genre. You have trend setters and trend followers. Any time the followers start to vastly outnumber the setter, your genre can start to look pretty ugly.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
And I think this is going to be a big factor in the upcoming burst of the video game bubble that I think will happen. Simply put: An ever-increasingly number of increasingly expensive games chasing a pool of money that has probably peaked, or is close to it.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
That's how it works, ya know. I read about it in school.
07/22/09
"you spent more money on your tie than on my steamer" -win
07/22/09
Actually that video is in my favorites on YouTube. I love that video. Then Dave says, "How much did you spend on your waredrobe?"
Priceless.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
Edit: Ooops. Nevermind. The bottom half of his face definitely DOESN'T look like Reggie Fils-Aime's
07/22/09
@Omegabakon: What about Reggie?
07/22/09
xbox, ps3? MEH!
07/22/09
So I guess what people really want is just to pay for fitness to just happen to them.
07/22/09
Until of course Activision releases their new $300 exercise package; then we'll know it'll be time to abandon ship.
07/22/09
Guitar Hero..Well, that's a different story.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
In terms of saturation, let's talk about FPS and music games, because I think that's where we're really hitting the saturation mark.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
Fat Princess should help cure all those I'm too thin blues...
07/22/09
If you want to get healthy, the best way to do it is through physical exercise. The last thing I would want is to be stuck INSIDE all day long playing a gimmick that will not help me get healthy. As for Miyamoto's foolish comment, he is just trying to justify to the consumer a reason to buy Wii Fit; just go get a gym membership and if you can't make it to the gym, do simple exercises at home. Not to mention the fact that you need a proper diet as well.
07/06/09
Course, nowadays I actually use an Atomic Alarm Clock with an MP3 file off of a netbook as my primary alarm clock. It doubles as my check-in machine during the times I'm 24/7 on-call for work. I have it set to a song that in the first 30 seconds sounds coincidentally identical to a chime you'd hear in a department store. Weird, but still works!
07/06/09
My kingdom for a 30 second edit window.