Gaming By Numbers and The Boss' Annoying Kid Ruins Diablo 3

Over the past six months, I've had two co-workers looking into a getting a console for the first time this generation. One of them was new to gaming in general. For both of them, the decision came down to Xbox 360 and PS3. I did what I could to figure out which console would be a better fit for the each of them by asking what they wanted to get out of a console and comparing that to my opinion of what each console does better. I generally recommended the 360 for online gaming despite the Xbox Live subscription fees and the PS3 for someone who wants to do more than game with their console.

Everyone has their own opinion about each console, but that was my recommendation. As much as a gamer as I am, I tend to game almost exclusively on my Xbox; my PS3 is mostly a Blu-ray player. My wife and I still game on it, but mostly just PS3 exclusives like Uncharted and Little Big Planet. It seems that I'm not alone here, either.

Some Nielson ratings were recently released about usage on the Big 3. It's a pretty interesting chart to look at. The Wii gets the largest percentage of offline play because people are generally playing with people in the same room. (Most of those party games don't have an online option, and when these games are about 60% of the total gaming options on the Wii the math adds up.) I'm guessing that 20% that is streaming video are Netflix users. It's the only explanation that makes sense.

When we compare the 360 and PS3, the numbers are closer, but they reveal some interesting trends. Gaming in general, offline and online combined, makes up of a little bit more than 60% of activity on the 360 but less than 50% on the PS3. Besides gaming on the PS3, the most popular thing to do on a PS3 was watching DVDs and Blu-ray movies. Not too surprising though, considering that the 360 doesn't actually play any HD format discs without the now antiquated HDDVD peripheral (I know someone who has one and a decently sized collection of these elusive creatures). I must say, though, that all of these numbers are only recording the proportional percentage of usage and not numbers of hours compared to the other consoles. So, where there is a higher percentage gaming done on the 360, these numbers are not actually saying that there are more people using the console over the others. Just keep that in mind.

Some other interesting numbers came out this week regarding digital downloads. As a proponent of digital distribution and a harbinger of the digital revolution, I find these numbers fascinating. According to NPD, digital downloads are nearing 1/3 of total game sales. Of these digital purchases, services like Steam make up of almost half. App stores for smartphones almost match the numbers for Steam and Steam-like services. What amazes me most is that digital downloads on the Big 3 consoles make up less than 1/3 of these digital sales combined. Granted, since this all includes cell and smart phones, you have a lot of casual gamers downloading free game apps or $0.99 games like Cut The Rope and Angry Birds and purists may argue the "validity" of including such stats. However, these are real games and should be included. Curious to see what these numbers may look like in the next couple of years.

And, one more thing!

Diablo 3, the tease that she is, creeps ever closer. Now that the last of the first 5 classes has been revealed, it seems that Blizzard had to work pretty hard to keep the list short and sweet. With ideas like these, I wonder what the game could have been...

Gnome, out.

How I Suck At Predictions and The Worse Game Ever (of 2010)?!

So, yeah. My predictions for the Spike VGAs were waaaaay off. Whatever. I'll eat my crow, but I just want to go on record as saying that the awards show was awkward and pitiful at best. The on-stage projection effects were pretty awesome, but NPH was not himself; he was trying too hard to appeal to the gamer crowd. I also came to the conclusion, along with the rest of the gaming community, that Olivia Munn needs to stop talking. I love Attack of the Show, but she is really taking this diva persona a bit too far.

So, let's recap. Spike's Video Game Awards were:

1. Mostly boring

2. Hosted by a sub-par Neil Patrick Harris

3. Pretty much ruined by Olivia Munn

4. Showed off some cool presentation tech with on-stage projections

5. Revealed a lot of cool new games

Oh, yeah...I wasn't totally wrong about BioWare's new game. As I said a few posts ago, I figured it was Mass Effect 3, but I was hoping for something else. While, this reveal filled me elation about ME3 but a bit of apprehension that it may be too soon, the trailer was more epic than I imagined a teaser could be. Full trailer - plzkthksbai!

Now for some other fun things I found this past week.

I'm super pumped for L.A. Noire. Granted, I have no idea how this game will play, but the tech itself is blowing...my...mind. If the teaser that released about a month ago didn't show you enough of what this game and development team are capable of, perhaps this tidbit will give you more of an idea. *swoon*

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? Here's a video game one from GameSpy. You're welcome.

I like Entertainment Weekly. They seem to be fairly on par with my thoughts about TV shows and movies. They also seem to be on top of the most recent scuttlebutt and reveals. They broke the story on the design of Captain America from the upcoming movie, as well as Green Lantern. EW makes me happy...mostly. I say "mostly" because when they do have video game reviews, they generally have no idea what they are talking about. Their reviewer(s) listed Kirby's Epic Yarn as the Worst Game of 2010.

Seriously?

Kirby?

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Are they serious when they say that Kirby's Epic Yarn was a bigger train wreck than something like Clash of the Titans or Kung Fu Rider? Granted, I haven't played any of those three. However, Kriby got great reviews from almost everyone but EW. Come on, Entertainment Weekly. Kirby may not have been the greatest game of 2010, but I can't imagine that it was that bad. Get some perspective.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back later this week with a discussion about consoles and digital game sales and distribution. Same Gnome-Time, same Gnome-Channel; so stay tuned!

Gnome, out.

Old People Talking About Video Games and Upcoming Events

The Governator is at it again. California state legislature is trying its hand at regulating video games. The state recently passed a law prohibiting sale of "violent video games" to anyone under the age 18. Furthermore, such games are required to sport a 2" square "18" sticker. There a lot of things about this issue that just burn me, but then I do see a little sense here.

First of all, as this law goes under the Supreme Court for a decision, the attorney for EMA is quoting the First Amendment to show the unconstitutionality of Ahnold's law. Really, that is what this boils down to on a legal scale. Our nation was founded on the idea that people are free to express themselves and make a buck. Granted, this has been modified to ensure that making a buck doesn't involve enslaving entire cultures, but you get the idea. Prohibiting the sale of violent video games spits on the spirit of the First Amendment. For one person to say, "You can't sell this to certain people," when no hard evidence of detrimental effects exists is totally against the Constitution however you look at it.

Now you might say, "What about the age limits on alcohol and driver's licenses?" Alcohol is scientifically proven to alter and damage brain cells. And putting 12-year olds behind the wheel of 1.5 tons of metal and rubber which zoom along at 55 mph is just a disaster waiting to happen. A recent study was released (unfortunately I don't have a link to it at this time) in Australia that states that there is simply no conclusive evidence that people (adults and kids alike) are any more likely to be violent than other forms of media. Keep in mind, this is coming from Australia, a country infamous for banning violent games like Left 4 Dead 2. Also notice that this study doesn't dismiss media as a whole as a non-factor in violent influences; it states that video games are no more or less likely to foster violent tendencies.

At this point, I want to say that I do see some value in restricting the sale of graphic media. We already have that to some degree: pr0n. Really, this is just video and print media deemed too graphic for the public. So, we have age limits on it. Fine. I'm all for keeping kids away from some of the crazy things people consider to be "fun" behind closed doors. I don't think anyone will argue with that. Why not apply this to other forms of media just in new ways? I don't really see anything wrong with having to ID people for R-rated movies, explicit music, and Mature-rated video games. I used to scoff at the local EB Games manager at the mall when I was 16, but I understood the reason at least. All in all, I see no problem in trying to protect the youngin's. However, I think California's going about it the wrong way.

I remember my parents sitting down with me when I was about 12 or 13 when I was going over to a friend's house to watch some movies. Some of these movies were rated "R" and they knew it. They were not going with me and they knew there would not be any adults around. They sat me down and said, "You realize that whatever you see in these movies is all fake and you should never do them, right? Do you also know better than to use the bad language in those movies, too?" I did. And honestly, coming from a family that never really hammered these sorts of things home, this one moment really stuck with me.

Ultimately, while I see the pros of limiting sale of and attendance to questionable media, I uphold the First Amendment more. This means that such limitations, while noble, are unconstitutional. It really comes down to parents. Parents need to understand what their kids are in to and what that means. That goes for video games, music, movies, fashions, etc. I, as a parent, do not plan to let my daughter play M-rated games when she's 14 unless I know she realizes the difference between them and reality. Nor will I let her go to R-rated movies for the same reason. And, really, the bigger idea here is that media is largely rated already so people know what they are getting into. If parents have a problem with what their kids are playing or watching, take some accountability as the child's guardian and don't just blame the people who are making such things. Laws should not have to be made about this.

Speaking of violent video games, watch the episode of Penn & Teller: Bulls**t about video games. Here's Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 on youtube. It's cynical, but I think you'll find it eye-opening.

And Now For Something Relatively Different:

Spike's VMA awards are Saturday night. Let's watch as God of War 3 and Mass Effect 2 steal all of the awards. There also seem to be a good handful of game/trailer reveals coming as well. Uncharted 3 was announced today with a trailer debuting during the awards. We'll also get to find out what that damn picture BioWare released was all about. So, stay tuned. We'll discuss afterward.

Gnome, out.