Seeker: James Mufsas Dressel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars#Worldwide_sales_figures_5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars#Worldwide_sales_figures_6

(Both are the same page, just different parts of the page.)

This week we have had much talk about how social games are. Out of the current three main consoles the Wii is commonly thought to be the most social of the consoles. The best games it has are all multiplayer games such as Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Brothers and Super Smash Brothers Brawl are all games with a focus on multiplayer. The Wii is also the best selling console. In the handheld arena the DS is the best selling, and its most popular games: New Super Mario Brothers, Mario Kart DS, Pokemon, etc are primarily multiplayer games. You can play though Pokemon by yourself, but most people use the single player just to build their team for multiplayer battle. I think it is interesting to think about how the more social systems are vastly outselling the others.

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3 Responses to Seeker: James Mufsas Dressel

  1. cole says:

    Its useful to have some hard figures out there to base our discussion on. I had a post somewhere else where I brought up the fact that even singleplayer games are not devoid of social interaction. Its not often that I will play through an entire single-player game and never talk about it again. People enjoy sharing their experiences, and multiplayer games are an easy way to do that.

    Using Koster’s definition of games as things that teach us patterns, perhaps multiplayer gaming is continually fun because it requires us to understand the patterns of other brains. Humans, because of their social nature, would have a clear evolutionary advantage if they found it ‘fun’ to learn the patterns of other brains. I find myself groking the behavior of other players when competing in online multiplayer FPS games, and it is one of the most satisfying aspects of the game.

  2. These sales figures are useful for determining the best-selling consoles, but I’d caution you against saying that the “best games it [the Wii] has are all multiplayer games.” And the reason is this tricky adjective “best.” We can certainly talk about best-sellers, but as for what makes a game better or best, that’s often a subjective call, based on one’s own preferences and experiences.

    • Mufasa says:

      You make an excellent point, I should have said most popular games instead of best games. Also my point here is not to claim that the Wii is the best system, but that the sales figures of it indicate the public wants a social type system.

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