10 Things Developers Wrongly Think About Gamers

6. We€™re Teenagers

For a long time, the computer game was the preserve of the youth. You had to know BASIC or DOS commands, games were loaded via cassette meaning you had to wait around ten minutes to be able to play them (9 mins 37 for Bubble Bobble on the C64), enduring the sound of dial-up as you waited. And if you accidentally hit the break button it instantly reset the computer and got you told off by your mum for swearing loudly. There was no €œAre you sure?€ in those days. Adults, most of whom had a level of technical ability that went no further than operating an electric kettle, stayed well clear. Even as things progressed and we reached the current generation of consoles, gaming was still seen as something for kids, but in all honesty it has become so mainstream now that games are cross generation and cross gender. Those 80s kids have grown up and had families of their own, raising their children in a gaming environment, and at the other end of the scale an 85 year old man holds the Guinness World Record for most consecutive strikes on Wii-bowling. Business men and housewives have accessed the scene through mobile and facebook games, so why is all the marketing, the advertising, and even the content of games aimed squarely at that same 10-25 male demographic? Nintendo have tried to expand a bit, mainly showing Nicole Kidman playing with her DS (I€™m leaving that punchline well alone), but Microsoft and Sony haven€™t even bothered. Playstation ads in particular are terrible, most of which would make even Salvador Dali blink and think €œThat€™s a bit weird€. How they€™re meant to appeal to my Dad€™s generation, who think adverts are confusing if they get more complicated than €œBuy this because it€™s great€ I€™ve no idea. There is a massive market out there for anyone who is brave enough to go at this full bore, whether they€™ll dare is another matter.
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Richard has been playing video games since the days of the BBC Micro, (and incidentally when is Chuckie Egg going to get a reboot?) He is currently available for the post of Head of Marketing at Nintendo, seeing as no-one else seems to be doing the job. He's also a major fan of fantasy/sf books and is just waiting for his novel about an assassin who doesn't wear a hood to get picked up.