Inaugural Posting!

My wife told me that this would be a good idea so I here goes. I'm very into video games, and in addition to what most nerds do (read previews, bitch, etc.) i also follow the industry closely and I care greatly about it. So I decided to start this gaming blog. My first topic: The Wii and its ilk.

I recently read an article about the videogame industry (non gamers may even now, no longer care about this blog) and it's trends. Everyone talks about "exclusives" For those not in the know an exclusive is a game appearing one company's machine and that machine alone. It went on to state that the Nintendo Wii has 23 exclusives games for the holiday season (Q4) Microsoft's Xbox360 has 8 and Sony's much maligned Playstation 3 has a measly 5.

But I think the article missed one big point and that's that the Wii's "exclusives" would tank if released on the PS3 and 360. "exclusives" don't count if the competetion doesn't need/want them. Name one completely awesome "oh I've got to get me one of those" exclusives for the Wii out for Q4 that isn't mario Galaxy or Smash Brothers Brawl. There aren't any. So I guess that puts the Wii at only 2 "exclusives" for holiday season. Looks like Eight and Five is looking pretty good. And for the most part I'd take that "familiar" lineup for the 360 and ps3 over all that kindergarten crap on the Wii anyday. One more thing before the Nintendo fanboys flip out: Galaxy and Brawl are not kindergarten crap. But almost everything else on that system is.

I say all of this out of sheer objectivity, so please don't brand me a Nintendo Hater. I don't have my Wii connected at the moment for the obvious stantments above. In fact, the only reason I haven't sold it off is because it was a wedding present from my closest friends. The PS3's lineup isn't tickling my pickle.
So all I play at the moment is 360, because honestly with the Wii targeting an obviously different demographic, I have no reason to play it. And with the PS3 not getting anything different from the 360 as far as my tastes are concerned, why buy one? Also, Xbox Live is the greatest thing since boobs.

I guess the only reason I could be a little embittered towards Nintendo is because I'm one of the people that thinks this "Casual Gaming" push will inevitably hurt the industry. There's the obvious "developers will shovel out more family crap for the Wii, and not publish totally B.A. Baracus games for the PS360" mindset (which I FIRMLY believe), but there's more to it than that that.

I'm a manager for Gamestop (go head and laugh. I don't push preoders when it's not necessary, nor do I sell unsealed games as new, unless it's last resort. But I will say that I do ask them if the unsealed copy is O.K., ahthankyouverymuch.) So now that've proved my game street cred to the Kotaku reading hardcore gamer crowd, peep this, devils: Casual gaming is ruining my job. Now more than ever, clueless Soccer Moms, Less-than-awesome Dads, braindead girlfriends, and straight out OLD PEOPLE are finding their way into my store, and not on accident. And with this comes the larger sales yes, but it also brings the stupid. Now as someone who as of now does not own Gamestop outright i view it this way:

less stupid>more money.

Also the corporate masters have coined, sang from the hills, and ran into the ground, the phrase "MOM FRIENDLY". So my completely visible all the time and totally awesome tattoos, that are still ok by handbook standards, are now to be covered. I'd hate to alienate these new all important customers, oh no, we mustn't do that. Let's make sure they're comfortable, and feel oh so loved. Nevermind the core gamers who got you Suit Monkeys where you are today.

"Let's create a whole new section for casual/music games." Well fine, but are you going to start carrying import RPG's and make a special little land for them too? (Just for the record I HATE Japanese rpg's so this is not a selfish motive.)

We are also now "encouraged" to give out hints on how to pass parts in games when stumped customers call in. Like I don't have enough to worry about with customers buying stuff, and stealing stuff, putting away new product, and saying "No we don't have Wiis. No, I don't know when we're getting them. I don't know who would have them." to every person that calls, now I have to tell you people how to save your game in Midnight club PSP. Yes that actually happened.

So while developers, publishers, and retailers are busy blowing this new holy grail of the gaming populice, they forget that in a years time or so, Half of these people may actually graduate to more complex and advanced games, but tragically, and more realistically, the other half may just hop on whatever then next new fad is after Wii. I've prepared a handy (but crude) chart to illustrate:

Pet Rock-->Cabbage Patch Kids-->Slap Bracelets-->Tickle Me Elmo--> Beanie babies--Wii-->Handlebar Mustaches

And when that happens, you guys in the gaming industry may wish you hadn't spent so much time cozying up to Johnny's mom, sister, and grandma (well maybe sister) by making "Barbie Hairbrushing Sim and Brain Game Sudoku", or whatever the hell Wii or DS game EA/Ubisoft/Activision crapped out this weekend, and worried more about making "Super Badass Machinegun Toting Guys with Butch Names 4" or "Incredibly Amazing Quest To Save the Universe In 120 Hours or More If You Must Find Everything XIV", or hell even "Any Sports Game But Madden 2057" for JOHNNY himself, you might not feel like such and Idiot. And yes some hardcore gamers DO play sports games. Just not this one.

Just like anything else, games have been dragged into the Mainstream, like for realz. And just like anything else, with mainstream comes what i have deemed THE PUSSIFICATION:

Comic Books:
Every awesome superhero ever has their own monthly series.
Comic Books movies make comic books "cool" again:
Every awesome superhero's GIRLFRIEND has their own monthly series about how they feel about their awesome boyfriend and their hair.
Evidence:
Spider-Man: Mary Jane <--actually exists

Movies<--mainly of the action variety:
John McClane says Yippie-Ki-Yay-Mother%(er
After the pussification of, uh, EVERYONE:
John McClane says Yippy-Ki-Yay-motherBLAM!

Music<--this could be the big one:
Punk rock gives us The Misfits, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Black Flag:
Punk rock is then deemed marketable buy the Dreaded Suit Monkeys sometime in the 1990's (which did still manage to crank some AWESOME):
EMO gives us: Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, Good Charlottle and Hawthorne Heights. All of which NOT awesome.

And now gaming's gone mainstream and, I don't know if the combined might of Kratos, Dante, Hayabusa, Snake and Master Chief will be enough to save it.