Are Motion Controls a Passing Trend?
With the undeniable popularity of Nintendo’s Wii over nearly 4 years since its initial release, motion controls have become a very popular gaming method. Sony jumped onto the bandwagon with the Move and Microsoft with the Kinect. The later two motion control devices can easily match the capabilities of the Wii’s and will likely gain their own respective fan bases. Since we may be heading into the “golden age” of motion sensing gaming, there’s a question that needs to be asked: is it really here to stay or is it just a passing trend? To answer this question, players need to look at why the prospect of controlling games with movement has caught on.
The concept of gaming with a motion sensor is still a fresh idea. Although the Wii has already been out since November of 2006, not everyone has gotten a chance to experience it for themselves. Change is good when it offers an interesting and still manageable way to control a game. On the other hand, having an overly complicated control scheme can be a put-off to the less “hardcore” video game players. Moving to control a game is generally not complicated as long as it offers basic instructions.
Another appeal of this gaming style is weight loss and exercise. Although not everyone will go out of their way to buy something like the Wii Fit, standing up and moving around to control a game is still better than sitting down and holding a controller in a fairly stationary position. Obesity is a growing problem that countries around the world are dealing with. This naturally makes playing video games to get healthier an attractive concept especially because weight loss pills generally do not work.
With a simpler control scheme, unfortunately a lot of simple game concepts have also appeared. This is good for the more casual player who doesn’t want a steep learning curve to enjoy a game. However, it’s bad for the core players because most have a lot of gaming experience and creating a simpler game will not satisfy their needs. Simple controls does not always mean a simple game. The guitar hero and rock band series are good examples that the motion sensing market can learn from. They offer a lot of depth for very skilled players while being simple enough for inexperienced ones. Even though rushed releases have earned companies like Activision a poorer reputation lately, the success of creating a game that meets both needs cannot be ignored.
The long-term success of motion controls relies mostly on the game developers. Arguably, the “core” gamers are what keeps a market surviving long-term while the “casual” ones make up more of the sales. A healthy gaming market will satisfy the needs of both at the same time and give customers long-term satisfaction with their purchase. Based pre-release information, Metroid: Other M (Wii),Child of Eden (Kinect), and Sorcery (Move) may be steps in the right direction. They should offer unique experiences, but whether they become memorable classics or just another game on the shelf depends on how much effort are put into them.
With plenty of potential to create innovative motion sensing games on three different gaming platforms, the stage is set for motion sensing to stay. However, thanks to the large number of shovelware games created, there’s also potential for a widespread relapse causing motion gaming to be a thing of the past. Ultimately, the next few years of game development will likely decide if motions controls are a passing trend or if they’re here to stay.
