In James Smith's article (Who's more popular Mario or Brad Pitt), he says there are three reasons that games have become so popular recently.
- Accessibility - Because of the ease of use of the Nintendo Wii, folks that didn't originally play video games were able to use the motion controls and experience the fun that kids that grew up playing games could only experience.
- Mobile Apps - Smartphones in everyone's pockets means that everyone has a game console in their pocket. Free and paid games mean people are used to diving into a game quickly as a way to kill time or relieve stress.
- Game making tools - Tools like Game Maker, Unity, and App Stores have made the process of hacking together and publishing games much simpler.
People can now see games as platforms to jump off and create things (Mario Paint is about creation) rather than just consume them.
Citations
#gamedesign #toolong