High Dynamic Range Lying

A war is brewing in the world of gaming. The success of both the DS and the Wii has ensured that, if nothing else. The blight on the industry that we all call “casual gaming” has made its mark on the world, and it continues to drive sales, beating out “hardcore” titles in sales week after week. Games like Brain Training and Nintendogs have been driving massive sales for Nintendo, effectively making the DS into a money printing machine.

Traditional games developed by third party companies have been suffering in sales, even after considerable marketing and a rash of critical acclaim. Recent casualties like Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword are evidence that the DS market requires a different approach to be successful.

Meanwhile, first party enthusiast titles like Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and New Super Mario Bros. continue to sell in droves far after enthusiasts have moved on to other titles. Slightly less mainstream first party titles like Monolith Soft’s Soma Bringer seem to be selling relatively well, but still cannot match the popularity of Nintendo’s flagship titles.

Even newer Nintendo franchises like Animal Crossing have become household words in Japan. Just yesterday, as I enjoyed dinner and drink while playing my DS, my waitress walked up to the table, asking “どうぶつの森？” (“Animal Crossing?”). I was not playing Animal Crossing, but it definitely had me thinking about what the average person considers entertaining and engaging gameplay.

Perhaps it has not really changed. When the original Nintendo Entertainment System was released, my parents definitely played Super Mario and even a bit of Duck Hunt. What was it about those games that made them so appealing.
We always seem to return to the same assumption-ridden answers time and time again: accessible controls, lack of difficulty and aesthetics that appeal to young children or brain dead senior citizens. After all, that’s why so many enthusiast games fail on the DS and Wii, right.

It would be, if one were to completely ignore games like the Professor Layton series. The Professor Layton series is hardly super casual. Billed as an adventure puzzle game, the game has a unique aesthetic and an engaging storyline. The puzzles that players encounter throughout the game can be easy starting out, but the difficulty ramps up severely very early on. It is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. What is the secret to its success then.

I suppose the most obvious reason is its core gameplay. The first game in the series sports an interesting adventure game structure that will have players romping about a mysterious village in search of a treasure known as the golden apple. Along the way though, is the main hook. The player has to solve a multitude of brain teasing puzzles. Readers who ever read mystery books like Sherlock Bones and its ilk will be familiar with the types of puzzles the game presents.

At its core, these puzzles are incredibly accessible. Everyone has done these puzzles as a kid at one time or another. Even if they are difficult, the game provides hints at a cost, giving players that lack an aptitude with these kinds of games a lot of help along the way. The story is not overly complex or convoluted, and while it can be a little predictable at times, it offers a few twists and turns that keep it interesting.

Despite all of these factors, Professor Layton still manages to keep a large portion of enthusiast gamers interested. The game is essentially a string of 120 brain teasing puzzles, but still offers what gamers want: engaging story, interesting characters, a unique and inspired art style, real conflict, and even a murder mystery.

That is not to say that Layton or other “semi casual” games appeal to all enthusiast gamers. A few of my friends have expressed their disinterest in the series, and I totally understand. No game can ever appeal to everyone. Variety is the spice of life, after all. There is something to be learned from Layton’s success, though. The game has effectively bridged the gap between enthusiast and casual, the way The Sims, though to a lesser extent.

The way Pixar films appeal to different age groups for entirely different reasons, it may be time for developers to look to developing titles that appeal to different gaming demographics for decidedly different reasons.

Creating and managing that kind of artistic complexity is not possible for every developer. Some thrive on focusing on a loyal demographic, while others simply do not wish to acknowledge the existence of casual gamers. There seems to almost be a level of disdain when casual gamers are referred to, as if their existence is nothing but evil for the industry.
I personally fail to see how a fresh new perspective on an otherwise fledgling industry can be bad. I cannot guarantee that every innovative release will appeal to every gamer, but there are still the Laytons and the Animal Crossings of the world that might unexpectedly draw you in. After all, these games will not be the death of enthusiast gaming. Action games will still be around, and thrive on other platforms. There’s nothing wrong with change once in a while. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results.