Editor’s note: Tony argues that motion control isn’t a death knell for controller-based gaming. Instead, the PlayStation Move and Project Natal portend a hybridized future where gamers have access to a variety of control schemes. -James
Like many of us, I’ve been a gamer since my childhood. I’ve seen the industry blossom into something that offers great diversity. Modern-day games have moved closer to my childhood fantasy that games might one day look and feel as engaging as real-life movies. Bearing my past in mind, it comes as no surprise that I was one of the first 50 at the local Toys “R” Us to get my hands on the highly hyped Wii.
The new motion-based technology excited me. I played the Wii often…for a while. It was entertaining, but something was strange. It took some time, but eventually, it dawned on me: It was late at night, and I had woken my girlfriend up with the sounds of my intense gyration. I was mimicking an invisible hula hoop that was displayed on my television screen. Seeing myself through her eyes, I felt ridiculous.
Microsoft and Sony will be joining the ranks of Nintendo later this year. For many core gamers, this is an anxiety-ridden time. Hands-free experiences threaten the sacred controllers we’ve grown up with. And this has thrown casual and hardcore gamers into a melting pot. With the amount of games, genres, and devices available in modern gaming, controller people and noncontroller people must coexist.
Josh Tsui, President of Robomodo and developer of Tony Hawk’s motion-controlled Ride game, said he thinks motion technology has helped immensely now that there are choices about how to play games. Tsui explains:
“There’s still a lot of kicking and screaming from hardcore gamers about these new motion technologies, but it’s the equivalent of a bunch of old dudes who thought the silent era was so much better because back then actors had to really emote,” Tsui said. “But I really think that with the new tech out there, gaming can be seen as more than a niche activity that a few people do in their spare time. When my 75 year old mom is talking about the Wii, it says a lot!
Whether gaming culture really likes that or not, it doesn’t matter, that’s how it looks to an outsider and it’s good for the culture to evolve. Younger kids now, who are the future gamers, are going to look at a game pad like it’s the dumbest thing around. My nephews look at a 2600 [Atari] controller and can’t imagine any games working on that. This next generation of younger kids will feel the same way to anything that is not more interactive.”
USA Today reporter Mike Snider agrees with Tsui:
“There are a lot of people out there who are intimidated by a standard video game controller, so they’ll think just being able to understand a controller is geeky. Whether that helps or worsens the opinion of gamer culture, I’m not sure we really know.
“While the Wii has won a lot of people over, there’re still plenty of gamers who look down on the system. The rest of this year is going to be very interesting as we watch how Microsoft and Sony market their motion technology and how consumers respond.”
Peer Schneider, SVP of Content & Publisher at IGN, says that motion technology is changing the image of what looks like an antisocial, solitary, and inert experience to the uninitiated:
“The best motion-enabled titles are seen as positive by both gamers and non-gamers alike, but many gamers are threatened by the way motion controls have started to encroach on established – and in many cases more accurate and, to them, ultimately more satisfying – control setups,” Schneider said. “While I don’t think you’d find many gamers who’d say that motion controls have hurt the way gaming culture is seen by society, I think you’d find many who are worried that gaming culture is getting dumbed down and homogenized. That’s really more a function of the software and the fact that few companies have taken motion controls beyond the original Wii Sports.”
John Davison, Executive Vice President of Content at GamePro Media, drives home a similar view:
“Motion controls have certainly helped break down barriers and broaden demographics, but it remains to be seen what the PlayStation Move will do to further the success of the PlayStation 3. All eyes are certainly on Microsoft now. With Natal, not only do they have to show some interesting new experiences, but they also have to define an entirely new grammar for games that don’t require a physical controller. If they get it right, the possibilities are enormous.”
Some time has passed since that strange night my girlfriend spotted me, half liquored up, prancing around my apartment. Wario was a bad influence. Since then, I’ve found some common ground with motion control. It fulfills a niche in my life, and it offers something for all of us no matter what type of player we might be. The software needs to catch up with the technology, and like others, I hope it will do so soon.
I agree with Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director for Epic games, in his Techland interview for Time:
“I’m terrified of losing a controller. We’re looking at a new generation who are okay with motion technology and not having buttons, but I don’t think the controller will ever go away.”
Handheld controllers and motion-based technology can live harmoniously in a peaceful world. Changes happen. But you know what? They always do. More recently, my girlfriend caught me again. I was halfway though a six pack of Schlitz, and I was preaching to a high school kid in Alabama about Obama’s health care bill while playing Modern Warfare 2.
And I instantly missed my hula hoop and plastic stick.
