The face of the average gamer is changing.
No longer is it the exclusive domain of the young, the college frat boys, or the stereotypical basement dweller.
Today, a gamer can be your next-door neighbor, your teacher, even your parents. And we have one major influence to thank: The Nintendo Wii.
'Just the Wii,' you may say, incredulously, 'What about World of Warcraft?'
Now, I will not deny the influence of the world's most popular MMO, but the game is still limited to those that are willing to learn to use a computer, as well as try to grasp the concepts of raiding, DKPs, and use voice chats.
The Wii, and to a lesser degree, titles like Rock Band and the Nintendo DS have brought gaming to the masses. The Wii is the primary mover and shaker in this, because of the fact that the controls only require that you, well, move and shake. While we all look ridiculous playing these games (which is, in fact, some of the appeal), it removes one big turn off of standard gaming: The controller.
Most people who are non-gamers will pick up the most elegantly designed controller (in my opinion, the PSX Dual Shock controller line), and study it as if it were some artifact of an alien civilization, and pressing the wrong button could destroy the earth. Throw at them the standard multi-button controls of any modern game, and now the poor sod feels lost in what to do.
The Wiimote, by contrast, is simple in design, and a clone of a familiar device every family member uses: A remote. Point and click was never more literal. Once it's set up, you can literally just use intuitive movements to guide you through most games. Yes, there are some games that will cause you to be frustrated due to the chaotic movements needed to complete some tasks. But by and large, this is not the case.
Pile onto these facts that most games are a series of minigames meant for a short attention span. No sitting for hours grinding honor, experience points, or exploring every corner of the map for secrets. No having to learn some arcane series of button presses to master the game. Most boil down to flailing at the right moment, or basic hand-eye co-ordination. In essence, the gaming experience has been distilled to it's most base elements, then repeated endlessly through different characters and locations.
The cherry on top of Nintendo's dominance is the integration of multi-purpose applications of their gaming equipment. No longer is it just about shooting aliens, saving the world, or exploring dungeons. Now, there is a fitness craze spawned by this console.
The Nintendop DS also has a cooking assistant which recites recipies as you cook them. The gaming console is leaving it's place hidden among the dusty, stuffy bedrooms and basements of the stereotypical gamer, and entering the living room of the household.
While that started with the PS2's DVD player capacity (which has been followed up by the Blu-Ray player capability of the PS3), it is the Wii that acheived the impossible: To become a part of the household in the same way a toaster oven or a stereo is. It's another part of your lifestyle. It's a member of the electronics assembled for when company comes by, for when kids have their friends over, and when you want to sneak in a quick workout to burn off a few pounds. It offers retro thrills to the gaming geek in all adults of the 80's, and it's console Grandma can get into with her knitting circle for a bit of cheeky fun.
With new "games" like EA Active, a genuine exercise video turned interactive, the future is bright for Nintendo, and the other two of the new "Big 3" better sit up and take notice. Nintendo isn't winning the war by making their machine high-tech, and dazzling its owners with sharp, high end graphics. It's boiled down the essence of why we play games: Because they are fun, a break from the dreary drudgery that is our day-to-day life, and sometimes they can even teach us a thing or two along the way.
Yes, We Would Like to Play...
