Gamer! Off that couch.

Mike Bantick
Tuesday, 17 October 2006 06:00

Your IT - Entertainment

With the advent of innovations like Dance Dance Revolution, the Eye-toy and Singstar microphone peripheral to get people off the couch.  Add some expansion in thinking on behalf of game designers to draw in casual gamers, with titles like Guitar Hero, Play and the Buzz quiz series.  The “party game” is beginning to hit its stride.

I was sceptical at first.  I remember thinking that the push by the big three console developers to make their particular box-o-fun the “entertainment hub” of the household, was doomed to failure.  No Dad is going to allow the main Tele to be overtaken by people jumping around making virtual burgers, not when the footy is on.
No Mum is going to let her young daughter be dragged into the realm of the evil electronic gaming world, heck! Just the other day, wasn’t there a story on Today-Tonight about some kid caught ransacking an entire retirement village of its electric people scooters, and then, as usual, blaming it on playing too much Grand Theft Auto?

Yet, it does seem to be taking hold.  Given the right situation, I find, if you can arrange an impromptu gathering for no reason what so ever, then pay off Thor and the other fickle weather gods early, to ensure a healthy thunderstorm, to keep people indoors. Maybe provide the odd chosen beverage or two.  It doesn’t take much for people to be jumping around in the living room, waving their hands madly, popping virtual bubbles on screen.