N-Banter Edition 9: A Lack of Understanding
Column by Jeff Van Camp, James Burns
Edition: April 23, 2005
Two minds...one site. Two motives...one goal. Two editors...one conversation. You have now entered a dimension unlike any other. This is N-Banter.
In this edition, I (Jeff) chat it up with the very talented and very Australian James Burns. Electroplankton, Nintendogs, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and many games are brought up as we try to figure out exactly why some people dont seem to understand Nintendo and its stance on the future of gaming.
Jeff: Hey James, played Jungle Beat yet?
James: I want to pretty bad, But I don't have the money right now - for one of my freelance jobs I'm going to use the money to import a DS with Electroplankton.
Jeff: Very cool. I want to play Nintendogs and Electro pretty bad.
James: Yeah, Nintendogs looks quite interesting.
Jeff: It reminds me of an old PC game called Dogz, which was very fun.
James: The funny thing is, it's not normally something I'd be interested in, but it seems like a highly elaborate Tamagotchi. It really interests me in terms of being something I could just pick up and play at odd times. A bit like Animal Crossing.
Jeff: Ive been known to play odd games like Harvest Moon, AC, etc, but I really had no interest in the game until I saw it in motion at the Game Developers Conference in March. The whole speech by Satoru Iwata really clarified Nintendo's stance for me.
James: Yeah Although Matt [Casamassina, IGNcube] still doesn't seem to get it, but I could rant about that for a while :-P
Jeff: Yeah, check out his rant at the end of the April 19th IGNcube Mailbag. Its discouraging to read that kind of stuff. I dont dislike the guy, but he just doesnt seem to get it.
James: Yes! Haha. I thought Iwata sort of confirmed what I felt in my own mind. He was very clear about it, but a few people still don't seem to understand.
Jeff: Matt seems to want Nintendo to just do exactly what MS and Sony are doing. That sounds like a winning strategy
James: I agree. He's a self-confessed graphics whore though. Im not saying that liking graphics is bad, but I think he's coming at it from the flash-and-not substance angle. Im not sure if hell ever really understand Nintendo's point of view.
Jeff: I don't think the market can really support three systems like PS2 and Xbox. There's not enough to separate the three, which is why I am glad that Nintendo is trying something a bit new.
James: I agree with you. I've posted a bit about it in the N-Forums. I really feel that there's a major long-term thing going on here that many people don't want to acknowledge or aren't aware of.
Jeff: What bothers me most is that Matt seems to think Nintendo just wants to make simple games. The company has stated very clearly that they are out to explore new kinds of gameplay and continue to support their current fans of larger games like Zelda, Metroid, and whatnot.
James: I hate to say it, but Matt seems to whine about things like an uneducated fan at times. People who complain about Nintendo's position over recent years should be the ones who are most happy with the direction of DS and Revolution, I think.
Jeff: I agree. It's healthy to be skeptical, but you have to have some faith once in a while.
James: Yeah, but in Matt's case I don't even view it as skepticism or faith. I view it as being educated versus uneducated. I mean, you can disagree with Nintendo's approach, but you should first acknowledge and understand it.
Jeff: Exactly, I hate how he will almost dismiss something like Jungle Beat just because of the bongos. I just can't see the game being as fun with a regular controller.
James: I don't even like the way they phrase the questions within Nintendo Minute. Like when they asked why Nintendo thinks the industry is broken [Nintendo Minute Vol. 4]. Nintendo has never implied that this is the case, to my knowledge. They've simply identified some problems and felt that they could offer alternatives.
Jeff: The industry is on a dangerous and breakable path. It's fairly easy to see. But sure, it's not broken yet. Though, if things keep going the way they are I don't foresee a very bright future.
James: Precisely. In the mailbag Matt seemed to be saying that things could go on like this forever and there's no problem and we'll all be happy. If the process continues we'll end up with $200 games, lol. Nobody will pay that. So we'll have a collapse.
Jeff: That's "what gamers want."
James: Gamers do not know what they want. Surely that is the chief lesson people learn about the industry. When a company satisfies one demand, another is created. And then another, another, etc. "It's too much like the old Mario"; "It's too different, I want classic Mario." They simply don't know what they want.
Jeff: Did gamers ask for the NES? Gaming was considered a dead fad at the time. No one thought another gaming system could survive.
James: Absolutely. In fact, we all have experiences like this. For example, before I saw the video for Okami I had no idea that I wanted it. When I saw the video it looked like an incredibly unique title and I decided that I wanted it (the fact that Clover Studios are behind it also helped). It's up to the companies to generate something new, to create demand. Demand isn't there for Revolution - because nobody knows they want it yet. But when people see it, if they like it and if it seems new, they'll decide they want it.
Jeff: Yeah, Nintendo has yet to showcase what it's all about. People know what the PS3 and Xbox 360 are about because they already own or have seen an Xbox or PS2. They are more of the same, which is fine in some ways. On a similar note, did people want Star Wars or Lord of the Rings until they saw them? Did people ask for Harry Potter? There are a million examples.
James: Exactly. I don't feel that everything needs to be revolutionary. But it's all about generating demand.
Jeff: It needs to be fun, period. As the industry grows there should be more and more varied types of games that provide many different types of fun. To some caring for a dog isn't interesting. That's fine. I guess I'm seeing it more and more difficult for one person to really review a substantial variety of games. The video game industry is turning more and more into something more akin to the music industry, where you can say something is crap, but there's a whole other audience just waiting for it.
James: That is very true. I think a good example of this is something I experienced the other day. My mum is the only person in this house who has never touched a video game - we can't even convince her to. She simply has no interest. But I showed her, out of interest, some videos of Electroplankton and described the concept to her. Her immediate reaction is "Wow, I wouldn't mind trying that when you get it." This is coming from a 46 year old woman who has never ever had any interest in video games.
Who knows if she will like it? But if she does, I think that alone demonstrates something very significant. You might lose two million hardcore gamers with that product - maybe those people won't buy it. But you might gain five million non-gamers. And if they like it, they'll want more experiences like that.
Jeff: Definitely. The same thing happened one night with my friend Alex and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. The only game he has really ever gotten into is Halo (he never owned SNES, NES, etc). He watched me bongo it up with Jungle Beat for a few minutes and then wanted to play. He ended up playing for quite a while. He even asked me why I didnt have more games like that.
James: And if you read the details of the XNA interview over at IGN...They make specific mention of something that a few of us have been talking about already -- that if the process of development doesn't change in the next generation, a ton of small and medium sized businesses are going to die. A team of eight people can't hold out for eight or twelve months until they find a publisher. Especially if they are going through money like crazy.
But one man can make Electroplankton with some minimal support from Nintendo, which reminds me of the old days of game development, where you did only need a very small team. So who knows? It does seem to me that a good idea and not a big budget could win out on DS, especially if Electroplankton is the example.
Jeff: I agree, but it's not just about developing tiny little games either. With the current control system there's so much you have to do to even make a 3D game viable these days.
James: That's very true. I think the key is that the bigger and more elaborate games should be easier and faster to make. And there has to be enough scale for very unique small projects that might attract a niche audience (or a non-gamer audience).
Jeff: It's about balance. One thing I love about the DS (I still don't own one yet) is that it is both a 2D and 3D system. It might be the first system to really embrace both and not see one as inferior.
James: Yeah that's very true. Very few DS games are 3D right now and I don't think it's a problem. I love the idea that I could play Mario 64 DS one minute, and then a genuine 2D Castlevania the next, with a little Nintendogs in between. The more game announcements I hear, the better I feel about it really.
Jeff: There will be more. Nintendogs is 3D.
James: Yep, the variety is really nice. Besides, I love the idea that I'll be able to visit your town when Animal Crossing DS comes out and do so apparently without any kind of complex setup.
Jeff: Haha, I hope Harvest Moon DS has something similar. Though I doubt it will.
James: Yeah. One thing I'm really hoping to see is Mario Bros. on DS. It would definitely be nice to see a proper 2D Mario game on DS...especially if they were to include some sort of Wi-Fi connectivity. But who knows. I suspect there will be some great surprises anyway.
Jeff: I'm just hoping Nintendo remembers how to make a 2D Mario game.
James: Haha, me too. I'm sure they do.
Jeff: But yeah, so back to Jungle Beat. I love it. Make sure to check it out when you can.
James: Yeah, it seems to me that Yoshiaki Koizumi is one to watch for the future.
Jeff: Definitely.