It was more the wii and DS that shifted this attitude imo, but I'm in France so I can't speak for other countries.
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Who remembers the shift in public attitudes towards gaming with the XBox 360 generation?
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
Don't know about 360, but PS1 and next PS2 were being referenced and used in tv shows and movies, and even started having movies based on their games like resident evil and tomb raider.
Hell, PS2 was the first console to sell over 50 million units in the us during it's life.
360 brought in the whole online stores and market place stuff and friends list.
360 was great for the first 2-3 years, then it all went downhill with Kinect crap and the Japanese games slowed down and went back to Sony.
I will always love the 360 for giving me blue dragon though.
Hell, PS2 was the first console to sell over 50 million units in the us during it's life.
360 brought in the whole online stores and market place stuff and friends list.
360 was great for the first 2-3 years, then it all went downhill with Kinect crap and the Japanese games slowed down and went back to Sony.
I will always love the 360 for giving me blue dragon though.
Those same people who were uninterested in gaming except the Wii are still around, they just either migrated to handhelds aka the DS and 3DS or play games on their phone or Facebook
One could mke a case that they may Also be migrating to the switch aswell, since they didnt know the WiiU existed and so didnt know games like Mario kart 8 and such was out
The OP makes good points but more importantly games in the late 90s sold more than ever before. As the 90s kids went to college, graduated and started families they never stopped playing. I think 360 is just around the time when mainstream marketing caught on that's all
N64/PS1 sold 130M+ combined then PS2/Cube/Xbox sold 195-200M combined. This all higher than the 60-70M combined units of Genesis/SNES before that.
So the market doubled in size and kept growing. I think without that snowballing effect the OP wouldn't have noticed that around 360s time.
For the most part the idea of games being more mature and for adults and teens started in the mid 90s, when those teens became adults they stopped reinforcing the "games are for kids" stereotype and then The people who had been reinforcing that either died out or changed their minds because everyone else had a different attitude
So I don't think we can say it's one thing.
N64/PS1 sold 130M+ combined then PS2/Cube/Xbox sold 195-200M combined. This all higher than the 60-70M combined units of Genesis/SNES before that.
So the market doubled in size and kept growing. I think without that snowballing effect the OP wouldn't have noticed that around 360s time.
For the most part the idea of games being more mature and for adults and teens started in the mid 90s, when those teens became adults they stopped reinforcing the "games are for kids" stereotype and then The people who had been reinforcing that either died out or changed their minds because everyone else had a different attitude
So I don't think we can say it's one thing.
This, for me. In the UK, I remember seeing them installed in clubs (usually with rhythm, fighting and racing games installed) around 1999/2000, there was a huge, perfectly timed link between it and the music/clubbing scene here at the time as students that grew up on 8-bit consoles never left the hobby. Later on Edgar Wright was using Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and co as cultural references in cult sitcom 'Spaced'. It's kind of snowballed since the mid-90s as the kids with 8-bit and 16-bit platforms grew up.
I remember the Wii being the one that started it and then smartphones and Facebook games like farmville
I think a lot of this just has to do with your perception OP.
I'm only 34, so the first big cultural breakthroughs I can remember were Sonic, Street Fighter 2 and Doom. But before that there was stuff like Space Invaders and Pac Man that reached well beyond "nerd" culture.
Popular games have always been pretty mainstream as far as I can tell. These were games appearing on the evening news that even my mum could recognise.
I'm only 34, so the first big cultural breakthroughs I can remember were Sonic, Street Fighter 2 and Doom. But before that there was stuff like Space Invaders and Pac Man that reached well beyond "nerd" culture.
Popular games have always been pretty mainstream as far as I can tell. These were games appearing on the evening news that even my mum could recognise.
None of this happened where I'm from.
Even today, gaming is stigmatized and looked down upon.
People watching hours of reality TV daily will muster up the complete lack of self-awareness needed to put down people playing videogames.
Not much has changed in this regard since I started playing ~30 years ago.
Even today, gaming is stigmatized and looked down upon.
People watching hours of reality TV daily will muster up the complete lack of self-awareness needed to put down people playing videogames.
Not much has changed in this regard since I started playing ~30 years ago.
Not in my social circles. Nobody cared about consoles, WoW was all the rage back then. Now that one got people in and out of relationships, school, work, whatever.
But I think what you actually are referring to is the rise of multiplayer gaming and it becoming more and more mainstream. Same happened with WoW, where an incredible amount of people had never experienced online gaming before, and vanilla was their first taste of it.
But I think what you actually are referring to is the rise of multiplayer gaming and it becoming more and more mainstream. Same happened with WoW, where an incredible amount of people had never experienced online gaming before, and vanilla was their first taste of it.
Once games like tekken, FFVII, gran turismo, MGS, tony hawk, grand theft auto, started coming out, that to me was the shift. You had consoles doubling their usual sales numbers from prior gens and games became this sorta big thing that wasn't just for kids anymore.
Gaming's journey into mainstream acceptability has been a very long journey, with major milestones along the way that provided noticeable boosts.
Yes, I would say Xbox Live making the dudebro shooter culture possible was a very significant milestone. But even that 'arc' had a long journey to it. Those gamers mostly started on Goldeneye (maybe even Doom), then moved to Halo, then Halo 2 and its online push happened, then Halo 3's massive marketing push advanced the journey, and then finally the Call of Duty phenomenon happened as Halo receded.
Gaming moves in these arcs, I've noticed. It's almost like a repeat of history, really. The moral panic that Mortal Kombat and Night Trap started happened again with Grand Theft Auto III. The Playstation 1's much-heralded introduction of gaming to the mainstream was really just Sega's playbook with the Genesis done all over again, except the little kids who were playing 16-bit systems became teenagers and this allowed for more mature and diverse content. Something always came before and facilitated a bigger development down the line.
Yes, I would say Xbox Live making the dudebro shooter culture possible was a very significant milestone. But even that 'arc' had a long journey to it. Those gamers mostly started on Goldeneye (maybe even Doom), then moved to Halo, then Halo 2 and its online push happened, then Halo 3's massive marketing push advanced the journey, and then finally the Call of Duty phenomenon happened as Halo receded.
Gaming moves in these arcs, I've noticed. It's almost like a repeat of history, really. The moral panic that Mortal Kombat and Night Trap started happened again with Grand Theft Auto III. The Playstation 1's much-heralded introduction of gaming to the mainstream was really just Sega's playbook with the Genesis done all over again, except the little kids who were playing 16-bit systems became teenagers and this allowed for more mature and diverse content. Something always came before and facilitated a bigger development down the line.
Halo 2 was he first game I remember seeing marketing for outside of the usual gaming magazines.
It was advertised on bus stops, buses, billboards etc. Even in the relatively small town I was living in at the time.
My job sees me going into peoples homes to troubleshoot their broadband connection. The amount of Wii's I see still setup is pretty crazy, some still on the TV stand others fallen off at the back and just left collecting dust. I see more Wii's than any other console.
I only know one person who owned an Xbox 360, and he didn't get it until Kinect came out.
Everyone I knew around that era were into PC gaming.
Everyone I knew around that era were into PC gaming.
That's incredibly unusual to be fair.
Unless it was the WoW kind of group.
I remember it most with the PS2 of all things. I remember going to parties where Buzz and Singstar would get brought out, and there wouldn't be any comments on it being nerdy. Wii took it further for sure, but at the time it just felt like expanding the audience. The shock of non gaming people playing games had already happened.
Echoing everyone else's statements here, I feel the Wii was more responsible for this shift than the 360. As much as internet forum bubbles like Era like to pretend how much of a "Fad" it was, the Wii completely re-wrote the book on how a consumer electronics device should be designed and marketed, and it helped making gaming and game development as ubiquitous as it is today. Without the Wii, there probably would be no Switch, no VR, and games like Fortnite, Rocket League, or Celeste wouldn't be anywhere near as popular now had it not shown that you don't need cutting edge graphics to make a hit.
Yeah, I am from the UK and those early ps1 adds and the ps2 ones really did more than anything I can think of to make gaming mainstream and popular.
I think the whole "360 made gaming accepted" is a super American thing?
Around the early 2010s, I noticed far less non-gamers whining about games being a waste of time or causing violence. It could also be thanks to the recent court case that protected games as speech.
gaming wasn´t "niche" before the 360...mainstream gaming started already with the SNES, with the first Playstation it became a phenomenon
Start of 360 and that gen is also the start of AAA business and hype cycle.
Development costs and time improved alot so every somewhat decent release had to be treated like a celebration by the publishers and PR departments.
Social media usage also increased alot during that time - so bigger releases that more people talked and hyped up.
Development costs and time improved alot so every somewhat decent release had to be treated like a celebration by the publishers and PR departments.
Social media usage also increased alot during that time - so bigger releases that more people talked and hyped up.
Pretty sure it was the same in the rest of the world except US and maybe UK.
360 was where PC games (and previously PC focused developers) shifted towards consoles; and consoles basically became mid range PCs (both technically and in terms of library).
Of course this is all statistical noise compared to the Wii, but as far as the traditional sector goes? That generation is where Japanese dominance died and PC gaming took over completely in the console realm.
The current gen was nothing more than a direct continuation of the last; and also where consoles completed the transformation process and literally became low-mid range PCs in a box.
Of course this is all statistical noise compared to the Wii, but as far as the traditional sector goes? That generation is where Japanese dominance died and PC gaming took over completely in the console realm.
The current gen was nothing more than a direct continuation of the last; and also where consoles completed the transformation process and literally became low-mid range PCs in a box.
When a popular German news magazine reported about Grand Theft Auto IV in April 2008 and spoke about the cultural impact and not the violence I noticed that shift.
I see what the OP is saying, but I noticed the change much more gradually. From Doom to Goldeneye to Halo to COD4. The FPS genre's growth correlates to the growth of the gaming industry.
I think credit should be given to other giants like GTA3, GTA5, Wii Sports, Minecraft, Fortinite and Angry Birds/Clash of Clans for expanding the industry and general mindshare of video games.
I think credit should be given to other giants like GTA3, GTA5, Wii Sports, Minecraft, Fortinite and Angry Birds/Clash of Clans for expanding the industry and general mindshare of video games.
Nobody cared about Xbox, 360 or Xbox one in Spain. I remember asking for a 360 game at a place and the guy went like "pffff, 360 games? But I wanna eat, nobody buys those" .
Halo wasn't this sociocultural phenomenon they made it be in the US either. Some people knew about it, that's it.
Wii on the other hand, Jesus Christ, they talked about it on the tv non stop from the beginning
Halo wasn't this sociocultural phenomenon they made it be in the US either. Some people knew about it, that's it.
Wii on the other hand, Jesus Christ, they talked about it on the tv non stop from the beginning
Yes I'm sure it was actually the Wii with it's lack of robust online infrastructure and general focus on couch based games vs. online based games that sparked the revolution of online multiplayer gaming in the console space. The 360 had nothing to do with it because Microsoft has never made anything good. You got me.
Some people on here are ridiculous with the veiled console wars lol. The 360 absolutely helped to propel online community based gaming as a concept, and the PS3 helped to solidify it as Sony copied it and that system got more popular with time. The Wii was a fine system too that was very culturally relevant to gaming today, but the crux of the OP here is that online games made gaming popular for normal high school-ish and college aged kids by incorporating gaming into their social time away from each other , something which the Wii wasn't really trying to accomplish.
It has more to do with the prominence of smart phones. That is what shifted gaming into the mainstream. It just happened durring the 360s lifetime.
Here in Australia I'd say it was the PS1/PS2 more than anything. I think the PS1 did a lot to lift the perceived age of gamers; it's the first console I remember my friends' parents getting into, thanks to games like GT, FIFA and Resident Evil.
I think the PS2 did a lot to shift things more into the mainstream. It was the first console that looked decent alongside your home entertainment/hifi gear and could play DVDs. Consoles before the PS2 largely looked like toys, and had limited utility outside of gaming.
360 definitely gets the trophy for making online consoles a thing. No doubt.
I think the PS2 did a lot to shift things more into the mainstream. It was the first console that looked decent alongside your home entertainment/hifi gear and could play DVDs. Consoles before the PS2 largely looked like toys, and had limited utility outside of gaming.
360 definitely gets the trophy for making online consoles a thing. No doubt.
OP, I would wager it was because most of the folks around that time were adults, and were if not hitting their 20's, were already 30 or over 30 at that point.
Quality of games helped yes, but I feel that the cultural shift is more so because most of us kids grew into adults and also had kids of our own. Thus it just became more accepted,
Quality of games helped yes, but I feel that the cultural shift is more so because most of us kids grew into adults and also had kids of our own. Thus it just became more accepted,
This, we have entire parties at university with wii's. Wii was everywhere, talk shows, entertainment, tv shows, kids and adults played wii.
x360 was non existed in europe.
The shift was that people stopped viewing game as a activity for little kids, and started seeing as a addictive behavior for those who avoid social interactions.
But Wii was all over soccer mom's
But Wii was all over soccer mom's
The 360 was an amazing console and it had its own impact - I remember the Gears of War ad in cinemas here in the UK - but to say it shifted public attitudes in any special way... I think is just the OP's perception. Maybe it was more a USA thing. MegaDrive, PS1, PS2, Wii were all a much bigger deal in the UK.
I agree. Last gen was definitely where gaming got more accepted as a hobby for adults. Prior to that, with the PS1 and 2, OG Xbox and all the Nintendos it was seen as a toy for kids and teenagers. You couldn't go on a date back in the PS2 gen and say that you liked playing games without it being awkward. If you said the same thing last gen no one would care at all.
The online multiplayer part was definitely the reason why it got accepted...
Yep it think it was the emergence of easy online multiplayer that really allowed this shift among populations that were previously resistant to games. Now everyone was playing them.
Where in Europe? Because here in Denmark last gen was definitely more influenced by PS3 and Xbox 360 an online multiplayer. It also helped online multiplayer on PC to take a huge step towards what we see today. Before last gen online multiplayer was pretty much just joining a random server in counterstrike on PC.
But the PS3, Xbox 360 had way bigger cultural impact than the Wii.
Feels like gaming has been fairly mainstream since the 5th gen home consoles and the release of Pokémon in the West.
As an European, more precisely a Finn, I don't remember this happening at that time.
Edit: Well to be fair, with Nintendo Wii I got to see video games talked about in new contexts. Because of how it enticed people who don't necessarily normally play games.
Edit: Well to be fair, with Nintendo Wii I got to see video games talked about in new contexts. Because of how it enticed people who don't necessarily normally play games.