Its Not You, Its Mii. Or Is It?

A few days ago, a somewhat controversial statement hit the interwebs from Mike Capps, president of Epic Games (the folks who make games like Unreal Tournament and Gears of War).  His statement, in a discussion of the Nintendo Wii, went a little something like this:

"It's a virus where you buy it and you play it with your friends and they're like, 'Oh my God that's so cool, I'm gonna go buy it.  So you stop playing it after two months, but they buy it and they stop playing it after two months but they've showed it to someone else who then go out and buy it and so on. Everyone I know bought one and nobody turns it on."

Bold words about the system that is currently leading the worldwide sales race.  But controversial statements hitting the blogosphere are nothing new - we are, after all, in the middle of a Presidential race.  So why did I bother to bring this quote up?

Because for me, it has been completely and totally true.



Sorry, I love that image too much not to use it ;-)

Among my friends, I was one of the last to get a Wii.  You might take that to mean that I was casual about it.  I'll let you think that, and hide the fact that Best Buy's number is programmed into my cell phone.  I justified the purchase to my fiancee using just about every rationale imaginable:  it was a more casual friendly system, it was a healthier form of gaming, it was imperative to my professional development, etc etc etc.  At one point or another I believed all of it, but above all else I just had an obsession with Wii Boxing. 

That was then.  Now, I am the embodiment of Capps' quote.  I havent turned my Wii on in probably about 3 months, instead deferring to Xbox to satiate all of my console gaming needs. 

I don't regret buying my Wii, though up until today, I had assumed that it had just been one of those purchases that never quite "took".  Or perhaps maybe  I'm still waiting for the "killer app" to take over where Wii Sports left off.  But after reading the words of Mike Capps, perhaps there is something to my apathy.  Maybe its not a problem with Mii, but a problem with Wii.

For me, there are two big reasons why the Wii just hasnt cut it.

• Achievements - I would argue that Microsoft's implementation of the achievement system has been one of the top 3 or so best innovations in gaming ever.  Why?  Because it gives you a compelling reason to want to play games with the X.  If given the opportunity to play a game on the Wii or a game on the Xbox 360, I will pick the 360 version every single time solely for the achievements.  It is an enormously powerful competitive advantage that adds a permanence to playing games.  Its also something I see as being an awesome model for education.  You'll probably think I'm insane (if you don't already), but achievements have the effect of making you feel like playing Xbox games accomplishes something, while playing any other consoles games just wastes time. 
  

• Downloadable Content - Guitar Hero is one of the few games I own that was distributed cross platform.  Achievements aside, there is another major difference between the Xbox  (or Playstation) version and the Wii version.  On my Xbox, I can download new songs for the game.  On the Wii, I can't.  Rock Band will be coming out later this year for the Wii, and it is destined to suffer the same fate.   As game companies continue to extend the life of their investments through patches, and mini expansions via downloadable content, this problem will only grow.  Purchasing certain games for the Wii has been, up until this point, like buying a computer that can't be upgraded.  To be fair, the Wii does allow the purchase of classic games online as well as online coop play for certain games, but the system is far less feature rich than Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. 
  

There are also some other tangential concerns of lesser importance (things like graphics, game selection, voice chat, and the fact that little tiny discs make me nervous) but those two points are the biggest. 

So Stub and Mike Capps have a problem with the Wii.  Big deal.  Regardless of how infrequently I use my system, It has filled a hole in the gaming market by creating an easy way for families and non traditional gamers to enjoy video games, and released an input device that could change the entire industry.  Its not a system about ultra realism, its a system about casual, accessible fun.  And in doing so it has made barrels upon barrels of money.  In short, I'm not exactly the target demographic for the Wii, so who really cares what I think.

But what is it that does make the Wii so special?  Is it the Wiimote?  If so, Nintendo might be in for some trouble ahead as third party vendors push to bring the Wii's motion sensing technology to other consoles and even the PC (see the "Darwin" controller).  Does the Wii still outsell its compeition if its not the only kid on the block that lets you point and click?

 
Personally, I think the Wii would continue to thrive regardless.  Though the Wiimote is the tangible advantage of the Wii, the far more significant distinguishing factor of the little white console is the mentality behind it.  Its cute.  Its approachable.  Its affordable (relatively speaking).  Its a system designed in every way for the gaming novice.  And that mentality sells systems like hotcakes. 

Now that Captain Obvious has rambled on for far too long, I should probably get to the point.  I think this whole situation serves as a very interesting case study for the difference in what games consoles (and games themselves) are expected to be, moving forward in our society.  For the Wii, its not about flash, just about simple fun.  For the Xbox and the PS3, its about creating a media experience for which "the game" is only a piece.   Who has it right?  Should a console be the center of your living room, or just another component?  Should a game be anything more than a game? 

Part of this is pure societal curiosity.  Given the success of every console in the race, its most certainly not a business question - there is plenty of room (and money) for everyone to get their piece of the pie. 

But the differences between the Wii and their more complex brethren also become relevant in the context of education.  When you use games as a tool to, who are you using them to reach?  What is the profile of a person who gravitates more toward learning from a game than from a textbook?  What do they want out of their games?  What must games do to make an impact on them, not only on an entertainment level, but such that they can transmit whatever concept or idea ties it back to a lesson plan?  Do they require the low barrier to entry of a system like the Wii?  Do they crave the more intense Xbox/ PS3 experience?  And could making the wrong choose render an EduGame at best ineffective and at worst detrimental to the learning experience?  Or is any moderately well designed Edugame (or game based activity) better than nothing? 

No doubt I'm over thinking this to an incredible degree.  And I would imagine that reality will answer quite a few of the questions for me (we don't exactly have a commercially staffed game development team here at PSU).   But it does make for an interesting thought exercise.  Have we just begun the EduGaming pedagogy <shudder> discussion?  

Sorry for the randomness overload.  Too much for one post.  Time to scold myself for using the p-word ;-)



Images from dandel.net and Gizmodo.com