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Interest in Console Gaming on the Decline
An anonymous reader writes "The results from a teen shopping behaviour and branding survey by Piper Jaffray & Co state that teen interest in playing video games is on the decline, as well as those that do play video games saying that they spend less time playing them." From the article: "The students were also surveyed on video game products and other consumer electronics. Results of the survey point out 79 percent of student households have at least one video game platform and 58 percent of students stating that they are occasional game players (playing at least monthly). In addition, 65 percent of student households own Sony's PS2, 50 percent own Microsoft's Xbox and 26 percent own Nintendo's GameCube. GameStop was recognized in the survey as the leading retailer for pre-owned video games with 60 percent market share and 29 percent market share for teen video game purchases. The survey also pointed out that 75 percent of teens say their interest in video games is declining and 78 percent indicated they spent less time playing in 2005."
Up front disclaimer: I am not a video-gamer, and have never been one.
I can add only anecdotal experience, but that experience jives with the article. I've had many friends who children were video game freaks. About ten years ago I was befuddled and bemused at the length of time they played and their intensity. Today, different friends, different generations... what I've seen has been that video games for today's kids is more of a diversion among many rather than a life style. I think video games were largely a fascination with "look what we can do with computers and graphics" emerging technology.
Video games will always have a market, but I would agree with the observed trend they don't hold sway today as in the past. I think a number of things factor into this:
Today, when I see kids playing video games at friend's homes it's typically a end-of-the-day diversion after all other activities have been exhausted.
If people are starting to lose interest in gaming, is this Nintendo's chance to shine with the Revolution, and its ideal of more accessible games and simple/intuitive controls?
As kids get older, their interest in something they've been doing for quite a while will normally tend to decline. That doesn't mean that todays 14-year-old is any less interested in the subject matter than a 14-year-old from several years ago, it just means that particular teen is less interested in the games than he was when he was 11 or 12.
I believe it could be in part that there hasnt been anything really new or innovative in the past few years. There has been a few titles here and there, but its all been sequels and known formulars. People will get bored of them.
Maybe if this downturn continues long enough (though i doubt with the new consoles) that it will force developers/publishers to try something new. I am going to buy a Revolution coz its so different. A lot of the Xbox 360 titles will be PC titles, I already have one. PS2 might get some funky Japanese stuff, but not as funky as nintendo.
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From clueless analysts. I am really tired of hearing all these analysts using their surveys to tell us that the games industry is in for a down turn. More people are playing games than ever and I don't see that changing. Do they think people will go back to passively absorbing TV? Surveys on the whole are pretty useless because people lie or say what they think is the right answer instead of what they really feel.
"the failure of real-time on-line video gaming (too much latency)"
Er, what? There are currently 254814 players (and 55392 games) on Battle.net (and World of Warcraft doesn't even use b.net), and that's just one company's online service (albeit one of the biggest ones). Of course traditionally most online play has been for the PC, but Xbox Live has been pretty popular, and latency is not a major issue for anyone with broadband (which is most heavy gamers these days).
Quite wrong, broadband usually means a fat pipe, it doesn't say anything about the latency. For example satellite has a really fat pipe, but the latency sucks big time. Plenty of adsl areas get crappy latency to most of the world.
1. The tactic to release most stuff for christmas isn't new, but in 2004 it got ridiculous and in 2005... well, let's just say there was almost nothing released the whole summer. (Followed by a rush to release unfinished stuff in September, presumably because everyone realized the case of all demand and no supply on the market.)
You know it's a bad year when Penny Arcade makes a strip about them buying Barbie Horse Adventures because nothing else got released in months. You know it's even worse when you actually take that as a hint to go to the shop and look for Barbie Horse Adventures. I swear to god, I actually did.
So, well, I'm not surprised a bunch of people have said they've played less in 2005, simply because there was a severe drought of stuff to play.
2. Additionally, one thing you need to understand is the way people answer in surveys. The answers invariably reflect the way people would like to be, or the way that would make them more socially acceptable, not the way they really are.
E.g., if a community publically values helping each other and stuff, people will invariably tell a surveyor "oh, yes, we help each other on the farm all the time and we even help each other build a house"... even when the last time that's actually happened was in the 50s. E.g., if a (ex-tribal) culture values being a warrior and a hunter, almost everyone will declare themselves one in a survey... even though almost all their food comes from agriculture, and most of the population has never even seen a weapon recently. E.g., at one point where meat prices went up, everyone declared in surveys that they eat less meat... even though the meat consumption has actually _doubled_.
All three above are actual cases studied by various anthropologists.
It's not even a case of consciously lying, it's just selective confirmation, because everyone wants to have some self-esteem. So they alter their perception of reality a little, remember the things they did right, or close enough, and quickly forget the things they did wrong.
What I'm getting at is that you should take such surveys with a grain of salt. With the anti-games campaign by the media and politics reaching such a climax, and games being presented as pure filth for degenerates... well, I can imagine a lot of people would like to look a bit less degenerate. So they'll adjust their answers accordingly.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
We had agreements with them about what constituted qualifying to keep their cars. They had to maintain a GPA (one graduated Valedictorian of her class of 600 students, got straight A's, and is now a doctor and has been invited to participate in a prestigious research project; the other maintained a 3.5 out of 4 GPA, and is a teacher today). They BOTH worked, and paid for their own gas.
We did give them things but we were strict and insisted they be part of the community, e.g., hold jobs, and do community (volunteer) work.
So, yes, we did give them cars, but not to just hop into and go out and do whatever they wanted.
Your concerns are valid. I see many kids exhibiting what you describe: financially dependent; spoiled; and without a clue where things come from. These are probably the kids I worry about most.