thenefariousone
Newcomer
There's an interesting article on primotechnology (http://primotechnology.com/issues/004/04/warrior-woman.html) about a reviewer who had his 54 year old mother setup and play a number of games on the xbox 360 for a few weeks.
This involved only one woman, however a couple of things came to light from the process:
1) Cinematic experiences matter to older gamers.
Being able to provide a cinematic experience that rivals film is a big selling point. This means not just visuals, but story and voice acting too.
2) Interactivity.
Controls must be very simple to use. Several games played were confusing because of the controls. She was interested in the potential offered by the wii controller, however didn't have a huge problem with using a regular controller.
3) Violence.
It's appropriate in some cases, but there are too many games out there that primarily purpose is to kill zombies, nazis, aliens, etc.
4) Game design.
Part of the reason she was confused is that several of the game she played are designed for people who have been playing games for years.
5)Puzzle games are good, but card games like Uno are stigmatized for being $400 card games.
My own conclusions:
A sims game done in "next gen" sandbox environment would do sell wonderfully to this audience.
Games that seem like interactive movies would also do quite well.
A game like Dead Rising (with silly design flaws like saving and time fixed) would do well in this audience.
Ideally, a game with an unusual concept like "being a photographer/journalist in a war zone, where your job is to survive, take pictures and get interviews from both sides" would also do quite well.
Your thoughts?
This involved only one woman, however a couple of things came to light from the process:
1) Cinematic experiences matter to older gamers.
Being able to provide a cinematic experience that rivals film is a big selling point. This means not just visuals, but story and voice acting too.
2) Interactivity.
Controls must be very simple to use. Several games played were confusing because of the controls. She was interested in the potential offered by the wii controller, however didn't have a huge problem with using a regular controller.
3) Violence.
It's appropriate in some cases, but there are too many games out there that primarily purpose is to kill zombies, nazis, aliens, etc.
4) Game design.
Part of the reason she was confused is that several of the game she played are designed for people who have been playing games for years.
5)Puzzle games are good, but card games like Uno are stigmatized for being $400 card games.
My own conclusions:
A sims game done in "next gen" sandbox environment would do sell wonderfully to this audience.
Games that seem like interactive movies would also do quite well.
A game like Dead Rising (with silly design flaws like saving and time fixed) would do well in this audience.
Ideally, a game with an unusual concept like "being a photographer/journalist in a war zone, where your job is to survive, take pictures and get interviews from both sides" would also do quite well.
Your thoughts?
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