Will Wii Fit signal an end to 'hardcore' games?

The Wii has taken the gaming industry by storm, there's no doubt about that.

With over 20 million Wii consoles sold worldwide, there is certainly a wide market that needs to be catered for with a variety of products.

However, arguably the Wii has taken the gaming industry to novel places where new gamers are discovered but perhaps hardcore fans are alienated.

Recently released on the 25th of April, Wii Fit carries on this trend with a Wii balance board marketed as a peripheral attachment that will increase the health of the 'gamer'.

However, has the gaming industry really changed that much to facilitate such unconventional breakthroughs of gaming into the health industry?

More pressing to the gamers who've been supporting the industry for years; does this signal the beginning of the end for 'hardcore' games?

Wii Fit first released in Japan with over 250,000 units sold within the first week.

However, the Japanese gaming market usually represents a niche in itself and the preferences of the other side of the world often differ markedly.

Yet with the release in Europe, out-of-stock signs have also been witnessed across the country, despite doubts over the hefty £70 price tag.

With exercises such as yoga, push-ups and step aerobics, all possible without a Wii balance board, it poses the argument that Nintendo are simply milking their current cash cow for all its worth, with the present day market permeated with many self-help games such as Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training.

Clearly, getting involved with 'exergaming' is the new Mario.

With Wii Fit outselling long-standing series such of Mario Kart, some hardcore gamers will clearly be nervous about where gaming is heading.

The forums have been inundated with less than complimentary remarks such as 'the Wii's for me, not my mum'.

Clearly, 'hardcore' gamers are feeling threatened by the new wave of gamers and it's understandable.

These types of games, aimed at the newer gaming audience, make money whereas more traditional gaming genres such as racing, platforming and adventure games are selling less well.

Admittedly, games like Mario Galaxy have still sold well but not relative to the merit of the title.

Furthermore, when the likes of Zack and Wiki fail to sell well despite critical acclaim, doubts about whether the future will see fewer 'traditional' styled games can be justified.

Has the gaming industry really changed that much to facilitate such unconventional breakthroughs of gaming into the health industry? More pressing to the gamers

Edison Huynh

However perhaps Wii Fit is a step in the right direction and Nintendo is simply moving with the times.

After all, the production of games is still an industry and like any other enterprise, it is dictating by where the market goes.

Whereas 'gamers' had previously fixed connotations of lazy, couch-hugging boys, the modern gaming industry has expanded to include a wide variety of different ages and from both genders.

Hence perhaps gamers feel territorial when their mums start hogging their games consoles and so their views on 'casual' games stem from a reduction in their own gaming time.

So what does the industry say about all this? Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of many of Nintendo's franchises such as Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong explains the company's trend towards 'non-games'. "What I want core gamers to understand is that these new types of games are giving them a chance to experience something new, too". Miyamoto continues by saying that "as the people around you who haven't been playing video games start to try them", a "better environment" is created whereby gamers glued to their games can be more 'accepted' by other people.

So what do I think? I believe that if there are disillusioned gamers, then perhaps they should try out the more 'traditional' games on the Xbox360 and the PS3.

After all, with the recent release of Grand Theft Auto IV with massive pre-orders, the gaming industry as a whole is still churning out 'hardcore' games with great successes.

However, I believe that gamers will then be missing the boat as Nintendo is trying something new and innovation should always be accredited.

Furthermore, what is a 'hardcore' gamer nowadays?

Can we really differentiate between a person who spends two hours a day doing yoga on Wii Fit and a person who spends that time playing the type of sandbox game that GTA IV represents? I sincerely believe that we can't.

With Nintendo raking in £16.9 million from its launch of Wii Fit, I for one am congratulating Nintendo for taking a risk that has evidently paid off.

Let's just hope that Nintendo uses this money for future developments geared towards many different genres and types of games and hopefully this will ease the qualms of the older gamers.

Yet with Super Smash Bros. Brawl just round the corner, I'm pretty confident that the older gamers will be satisfied soon enough.