I have to admit, I’m kind of a gaming fanatic. Just recently, I dusted off the old Super Nintendo gaming system and haven’t been able to stop playing it since. But why am I playing these older games when I have an X-Box and a Nintendo Game Cube with much better graphics and systems that are far more advanced? For instance, with X-Box I wouldn’t be worrying about reaching the final level with one life left, just to die and have to start the whole game all over again. Oh, the enjoyable frustrations of gaming.
So, why the fascination with the Super Nintendo? The answer is actually pretty simple: Nostalgia. It replaces hi-res graphics and online multi-player combat by simply bringing me back to a different time. Of course, it usually feels good to time travel — and it’s also interesting to note what experiences still resonate with you today. What was it about the Super Nintendo games that I liked so much? Simplicity. From the story lines, levels, to the big bad bosses, there was always a definitive thought process behind each element and why it was included in the game. At that time, this was the very best technology had to offer. Take today into consideration — big difference in challenges and gameplay — still, the older games kept kids’ eyes stuck to the TV and fingers glued to the controller for hours. We are seeing a shift back to simplicity, though. Take the Nintendo Wii, for example, with most of its games having low detail as far as graphics, but really strong usability.
The gaming market has changed dramatically in the short time since the 1990s. Then, all that gamers had to look forward to was one magazine — Nintendo Power — that announced new releases and offered game reviews. Now, if you’re a gamer, you can’t go anywhere without hearing both children and adults talking about how they slaughtered PwnKing2000 in Halo 3 the past night or how much they loathe the little kiddies online who are so much better than them. Similarly in marketing, our culture has seen an explosion in the number of ways we digest advertising content. Just think about how limited the internet was in the mid-90s. That really wasn’t all that long ago.
The gaming industry — its interactive nature, brand storytelling, and allure for the latest digital technologies — is maneuvering itself into many aspects of our culture, not least of which is marketing. Online banner ads that a few years ago were at most a glorified hyperlink now act as interactive widgets with games to attract your participation. And some of today’s advanced videogames leave a lot of potential for companies to advertise within the reality of the game itself. I remember playing NASCAR Kart Racing a while ago and zooming past billboards with real advertisements that you would pass by driving your car on the highway. Not long from now we’ll be feeling the punches from Street Fighter and experiencing a shock when getting shot in Call of Duty. In a video game demo I tried this year in the Emerging Technology section at SIGGRAPH, I was actually able to feel the sensation of getting stabbed from a video game this past year. It didn’t actually hurt me, but still — what a trip! Now, most marketers out there probably don’t want to make you experience the sensation of bodily harm, but they certainly would love to take a digital experience and make it more visceral. Can you say Smell-o-vision?
No matter what technology brings in the future, though, you have to remember that with websites, film, or really anything creative, the end product must have qualities of usability, strong story, aesthetics and an overall experience that is fun and engaging. A flashy icon or a photo-realistic Tiger Woods cannot make up for a poor concept and interactivity. Not saying that Tiger Woods Golf isn’t awesome or anything…
