10 Video Game Crazes You Forgot Were A Thing
These trends were not built to last.
In an industry as multifaceted and ever-changing as that of video gaming, it's not surprising that success can be hard to come by. After all, while many franchises have stood the test of time by sticking to a working blueprint, many more have fallen by the wayside after becoming viewed as dated and uncool by the consumer market.
It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that when a game is a smash hit, developers scramble to try and replicate their competitor's success to satisfy demand, and draw every pound possible out of a burgeoning trend. This is particularly the case if a game is able to capture the attention of the wider public and become popular with the vaunted "casual gamers" demographic who aren't normally interested in sitting down to play a traditional title.
However, while certain formulas have proven timeless as big sellers over the years, many once-popular concepts are immediately thrown by the wayside the second their profitability wanes. With that in mind, let's take a look at some trends, fads, and crazes that gripped gaming before disappearing seemingly into thin air.
10. Cheap Wii Sports Cash Ins
During the mid-2000s Nintendo managed to capture the imagination of the casual market to an unprecedented degree with the DS and Wii, and by creating a series of video games for people who didn't normally play video games.
The pinnacle of this came with the tie-in for the hugely popular home console, Wii Sports. With over 82 million copies sold, Wii Sports proved to be a massive success by keeping things simple and utilising motion controls to appeal to the widest audience possible.
In the wake of the game's success, developers realized they could target the same demographic by creating similar experiences comprised of multiple games in one. However, while Wii Sports had a level of charm in its simplicity, many of these titles were little more than soulless cash grabs that were ultimately resigned to populating the shelves of none gamers.
Several of these X-in-one games also promoted the use of useless plastic peripherals to make the Wiimote look more like a baseball bat, gun, or even kitchen utensils, a gaming crime in and of itself.