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It was never something I really thought or cared about. I was just content with what I had, and since 1995 what I had was a Sega Megadrive. If I told people that, they'd just laugh and say "is that it?". It only really started to p!ss me off when my freinds all got a PlayStation and I hadn't. I don't know if they were richer than me or not.
For a few years now I've noticed the relationship between money and computer gaming. I've noticed that there are companies out for the fans and companies out for themselves. An example of this in my opinion would be the X-box. A great machine, perfect. All a modern gamer could ever want. But looking into it a bit further, you should realise that Microsoft did not make this machine to entertain fans, they did it simply to branch out. Microsoft made the X-box to gain more money.
I suppose you could look at it like a fishing net. The bigger the net, the more fish you catch, and as long as you don't cast into poisened waters (probably handhelds nowadays), it's smooth sailing. X-box is their first machine, and they've told us that they wanted it to be the best. Granted, it just might be the best.
However, now let's look at a different company, Nintendo. Nintendo in their own rights haven't done too badly for themselves. They've been through rough and tumble for years now. Nintendo haven't rolled around in money, and they've never boasted about how much they earn and how much better they are than anyone else. They just do their job, which is to entertain gamers across the world, and I think they've done a pretty damn good job. They brought out one of the first handheld gaming systems, and other companies also brought out a long line of failures. Nintendo basically set out and said 'Where there's a will there's a way', and I find that admirable.
There aren't many people who could honestly say that they'd put their future on the line to entertain people, as exaggerated as this probably sounds to you all. The N64, Nintendo's 3rd generation machine, was made solely for the fans. This machine was made specifically to bring the fans back to Nintendo, and if they made a little bit of money while they were at it then so be it, they deserved it. Now the Gamecube I think has suceeded everyone's expectations.
My point is that they've worked for years and years simply to entertain the fans and make a few bucks inbetween. Whereas X-box came in and said "Love us. C'mon, we do!". Where's the work in that?
Not that I'm getting at Microsoft for quality though. I think everyone has to say that the X-box is an awsome machine, and I'll probably buy one some time in the near future. All around me people are saying "Think of the future, the best times are still to come!". Well no, the best times have already passed. The best times in this industry that I can remember were me infront of the old TV in the lounge when I was 5 years old, whippin my mates' butt at Street fighter. Before you step into the future, look back into the past. Get out your old Megadrives, SNESs, Atari's, Commodore's. Just think how much joy they brought you when you were younger. You had those systems in your houses for years before you updated.
Now there's something new and expensive every year, pushed onto those shelves infront of your noses just waiting for you to hand over your money, take it home, play for 5 minutes then buy a different console and do the same. In my room I've got a Commodore, an Atari, a Megadrive, a PC and a PS1, and soon there's gonna be a PS2 as well. I've realised I have gotten more enjoyment out of the simple games (Space Invaders etc) than I have out of Metal gear solid and Unreal Tournament. It may sound corny, but it's true.
Just think about it. As a fan, would you prefer to be entertained, or to be told that something is entertaining?...Just think about that for a while...
> Rubbish, tish, nonsense, bilge, pah, and even rhubarb.
>
> Nintendo make games to entertain people, instead of make money? Yeah,
> and Nike make trainers so that athletes can break records. Ford make
> cars so that people don't get bored on busses so much. Coke makes
> drinks so that dentists don't go out of business.
>
> Wake up and smell the coffee. Nintendo are as much a business as
> Microsoft, or any other large corporation. They just have a different
> approach to their business. Don't make them out to be good-natured
> alturists that just want to teach the world to smile.
I think you've missed what I'm saying here completely. What I'm trying to say is that Nintendo don't tell you what you want, they ask you. Sure, they're a business, and a very good one. I'm not saying that they don't want to make money. What I'm saying is that it's not their only purpose. You can have your own veiws on what I'm saying here, and I will always have mine. I'm not telling you what to do, I'm reminding you of what you used to do.
Nintendo make games to entertain people, instead of make money? Yeah, and Nike make trainers so that athletes can break records. Ford make cars so that people don't get bored on busses so much. Coke makes drinks so that dentists don't go out of business.
Wake up and smell the coffee. Nintendo are as much a business as Microsoft, or any other large corporation. They just have a different approach to their business. Don't make them out to be good-natured alturists that just want to teach the world to smile.
It was never something I really thought or cared about. I was just content with what I had, and since 1995 what I had was a Sega Megadrive. If I told people that, they'd just laugh and say "is that it?". It only really started to p!ss me off when my freinds all got a PlayStation and I hadn't. I don't know if they were richer than me or not.
For a few years now I've noticed the relationship between money and computer gaming. I've noticed that there are companies out for the fans and companies out for themselves. An example of this in my opinion would be the X-box. A great machine, perfect. All a modern gamer could ever want. But looking into it a bit further, you should realise that Microsoft did not make this machine to entertain fans, they did it simply to branch out. Microsoft made the X-box to gain more money.
I suppose you could look at it like a fishing net. The bigger the net, the more fish you catch, and as long as you don't cast into poisened waters (probably handhelds nowadays), it's smooth sailing. X-box is their first machine, and they've told us that they wanted it to be the best. Granted, it just might be the best.
However, now let's look at a different company, Nintendo. Nintendo in their own rights haven't done too badly for themselves. They've been through rough and tumble for years now. Nintendo haven't rolled around in money, and they've never boasted about how much they earn and how much better they are than anyone else. They just do their job, which is to entertain gamers across the world, and I think they've done a pretty damn good job. They brought out one of the first handheld gaming systems, and other companies also brought out a long line of failures. Nintendo basically set out and said 'Where there's a will there's a way', and I find that admirable.
There aren't many people who could honestly say that they'd put their future on the line to entertain people, as exaggerated as this probably sounds to you all. The N64, Nintendo's 3rd generation machine, was made solely for the fans. This machine was made specifically to bring the fans back to Nintendo, and if they made a little bit of money while they were at it then so be it, they deserved it. Now the Gamecube I think has suceeded everyone's expectations.
My point is that they've worked for years and years simply to entertain the fans and make a few bucks inbetween. Whereas X-box came in and said "Love us. C'mon, we do!". Where's the work in that?
Not that I'm getting at Microsoft for quality though. I think everyone has to say that the X-box is an awsome machine, and I'll probably buy one some time in the near future. All around me people are saying "Think of the future, the best times are still to come!". Well no, the best times have already passed. The best times in this industry that I can remember were me infront of the old TV in the lounge when I was 5 years old, whippin my mates' butt at Street fighter. Before you step into the future, look back into the past. Get out your old Megadrives, SNESs, Atari's, Commodore's. Just think how much joy they brought you when you were younger. You had those systems in your houses for years before you updated.
Now there's something new and expensive every year, pushed onto those shelves infront of your noses just waiting for you to hand over your money, take it home, play for 5 minutes then buy a different console and do the same. In my room I've got a Commodore, an Atari, a Megadrive, a PC and a PS1, and soon there's gonna be a PS2 as well. I've realised I have gotten more enjoyment out of the simple games (Space Invaders etc) than I have out of Metal gear solid and Unreal Tournament. It may sound corny, but it's true.
Just think about it. As a fan, would you prefer to be entertained, or to be told that something is entertaining?...Just think about that for a while...