"I'd like to play Mario but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to do it."
YES, exactly. I'm sure it is a great game but I need more than just one and maybe a couple other decent ones to drop that kind of cash.
Incidentally, I know a couple where the guy is like super mega Nintendo zealot who bought the system right during the launch period, and even they think it's a waste. He's really bummed there's no new Metroid, wasn't all that keen on Wind Waker in the first place to get excited about an HD remake, and the games he's bought have been kind of meh for him. However, he should be quite happy with the 3DS he will soon purchase.
I don't agree with the comments who say "oh it's because kids today are all whiny and spoiled". Kids 20 years ago were whiny and spoiled too, they just didn't have the Internet. I mean, the Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo console war was legendary (I should know, I lived through it). I like Danny's point about how it's mostly just "teenage boys gonna be teenage boys". When thinking back to my own teenage years (and early 20's), I could definitely be a giant douchehammer at times, especially to anonymous other players on the the Intertubes.
Also I'm thinking that this whole "liking" system that many comment systems use now just encourages people to make a drive-by smart-ass comment so they can get tons of likes, which triggers whatever part of their brain that gives them pleasure and encouragement. Although I must admit, sometimes those comments are actually funny. Ah well.
If we're talking about games, the ONLY game that I played regularly on Xbox Live that even approaches 40% was Burnout 3. There were lots of women on that game, maybe 1 in 4 or even a bit higher. Otherwise? Total sausage fest.
Somehow, I don't think MS is talking just about games though.
Heh, I've played Dota 2 for over 20 hours according to Steam, and I probably wouldn't have any idea someone was using a custom skin since I hardly know what the regular heroes even look like anyway. XD And I DEFINITELY wouldn't get "jealous" and feel compelled to spend money because someone had a shiny skin....but I guess some people do!
Oh thank god I actually watched the video first, upon reading the description I thought you were just creating some kind of straw man argument about how we all just needed to #dealwithit and the future is online and why is everyone complaining etc etc. (You know, kinda like the various soundbytes from guys like Peter Molyneaux and the Assassin's Creed creator) Rock on Danny, I think I will like this show! :D
Nostalgia definitely is big business. I mean, it's basically Nintendo's business model. :P (Mario Kart! Super Mario! Donkey Kong Country! Aren't you excited?) And it basically goes in 20 year cycles ('90s nostalgia is big right now). As a child of the late '80s, early '90s, I was an NES kid and then sided with Sega during the great 16-bit Console War before buying a SNES a few years later. In a few years it'll be PS1/N64 nostalgia and I will just feel old again.
Tom, you made an excellent point early on, about how it harkens back to a simpler time, when it was just you and the games and you didn't have to worry about things like rent, jobs, families, and adult problems. Time also makes us forget about all the bad games that were released alongside the good. (Seriously, probably 80% of NES games were crap) You almost sound a bit like an abuse victim though, where a company disappoints you (perhaps repeatedly) and you're right there, ready to forgive. But if you recognize that problem, you can break the cycle! :D
I must have reached my "personal limit" a few years ago. I used to be very much into online competitive games (StarCraft mostly, but some Xbox Live ones as well). And now I've basically lost most interest in playing online. Dealing with toxic communities for the purpose of chasing rank (that "high" you talked about) just seemed pointless. Now I like to play all kinds of single-player games, but I don't try to 100% them either (something I used to do a lot when I was younger). I just play through the game once on normal and enjoy the experience, then move onto something else. It's a lot more fun that way. I also don't play games more than 1-2 hours a day. Lots of other things taking up my time as a 34 year old man...
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