We're all gamers now

What his father calls an “obsession”, Nick Tarr says is a way of life for millions around the world, whether they consider themselves gamers or not. In the final instalment of ITWeb's five-part 'Mind games' series, the 26-year-old project administrator discusses why gaming has become the main form of entertainment for the majority of the developed world.

Tarr started gaming at around eight or nine, moving from an old Nintendo console to a PC. “I think my first game was some ridiculous educational game on an old 386 PC... on floppy disc. My first real games were probably the same as most South African gamers - Super Mario Bros. I tried it because friends at school were playing it. Word of mouth is how a lot of games become popular.”

He went from the Nintendo console to the Sega Megadrive, and finally to the PC, which is where he spends the majority of his game time.

Tarr says this method of gaming is the best suited to the genre of games he prefers to play. An important requirement considering he plays a minimum of 20 hours a week.

A game getting a lot of these hours at the moment is Heroes of Newerth, a global online game, which Tarr says has a fairly strong and involved South African following. “I think the community I'm most involved in would be Heroes of Newerth. Even then the people I play with the most are all my friends in real life.”

It's always more fun to play a human than a computer.

Nick Tarr

Apart from some games being PC-exclusive, Tarr also feels more comfortable playing with a mouse and keyboard. It's also much cheaper to buy games for the PC, says Tarr, but adds this is probably offset by the amount of money needed to keep one's PC up to date, in order to play the newer games.

“Lately, due to the cheaper bandwidth and better connection speeds, online gaming has become my main method of playing games,” he explains.

Other favourites include Fallout: New Vegas, Gran Turismo 5, and God of War 3. “Most games are flavour of the month for me. There is no particular reason why I play a certain game, some games just speak to you; you enjoy them, and want to play them.”

Tarr equates games with the numerous TV series that get shared and downloaded. “You might start playing (watching) it, and love it, but then get bored halfway through and never play (watch) it again.”

According to Tarr, gaming has changed incredibly from its early days to what's available now. “The biggest changes were probably the transition from 2D to 3D gaming. Cheap Internet has also changed the landscape of gaming tremendously. Games basically all come with a multiplayer function now.”

This trend is quickly gaining traction worldwide, with gaming site GamersFirst seeing impressive growth ahead for massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. In its trends predictions for 2011, the site forecasts free-to-play MMOs will overwhelm the video games market in 2011, having gained the largest momentum in the past year. With MMO games growing at 35% per annum, the company predicts more choice and variety ahead. “Overall, there will be an MMO catering to each niche of gamer very soon.”

Tarr adds that many games that were once only bought for their single player features are now selected because of their multiplayer experience. “It's always more fun to play a human than a computer.”

Another change in the gaming market is the perception of 'the typical gamer', as typical could now be anything from a family of Wii addicts to children learning their abc's online. While a few hardcore gamers no doubt fit the bill, the caricature of the unshaven, myopic troglodyte no longer applies to the greater part of the gaming population, says Tarr.

Nonetheless, the stereotypical view of gamers remains entrenched in parts of society. “Especially from the old guard. When my parents were growing up, there was no gaming. Or it was extremely limited. So parents often don't understand games. They will moan that you're sitting at the computer or console all the time, while they sit in front of the TV all the time.

“Also, the whole stereotype that all gamers are male and nerds. I think the majority of people I've met that game, while male, are definitely not the geeky, nerdy stereotype.”

Contrary to the image of anti-social isolation gaming tends to conjure, Tarr says online games are enjoyable because one makes a fairly close-knit group of friends. “Sometimes it's nice to just play by yourself, and immerse yourself in the game world. Other times you feel like playing with other people, sharing the laughs, and the rage. Gaming has become a fairly social activity, gone are the days of the darkened basement dweller.”

Social gaming, once a seeming contradiction, has undergone massive growth, as social networks provide a gateway for users who may not have explored the activity otherwise. Facebook's Farmville game, for example, is played by 82 million people around the world every month, while over 32 million play it each day.

“Gaming has become way more mainstream,” adds Tarr. “Gaming studios gross more money than Hollywood movie studios. Almost everyone plays games now, whether casually, with the Wii and the Sims, to the hardcore online gamers that spend 12 hours a day playing games.”

The rise of the smartphone has also seen an increase in mobile gaming, with the iPad and tablets likely to fuel further growth. GamersFirst predicts mobile applications will reflect a distinct rise in gaming, using it as an additional tool of communication and collaboration between social networks.

Tarr believes it's the interactivity gaming offers that's made it such a phenomenon worldwide. “It makes it a lot less boring than TV. Also, lots of social communities have sprung up around gaming. It's no longer nerdy to play games, so more people try it due to the loss of this stigma.

“For the most part, once you try gaming, and you find the kind of games you like. You are hooked.”

Tarr touches on what many consider the dual-appeal of gaming: its capacity to be at once relaxing and engaging. “I get home from work, take off my shoes and sit in front of my computer to play a game. I guess it's just like what everyone does, although most people come home and sit in front of the TV.

“I prefer games to TV because they are interactive. I am involved; I can communicate with other people. With TV and movies... well, it's a passive experience for the most part.”

In future, Tarr sees full-body, immersive gaming becoming a reality. “I think once we get games to look as realistic as possible (somehow dealing with the uncanny valley effect); once we can get people to be fully immersed in the game world, so outside stimuli will not effect you in the game, then we will have seen the future of gaming.”

Tarr points to body-sensitive devices such as the Wii, Xbox Kinect and Sony Move, which are drawing new audiences. “Casual gaming using consoles and peripheries is bringing so many more people into gaming then would normally be interested. I think this is an awesome development - the more gamers, the more games.”

According to Tarr, gaming is no longer a niche form of entertainment. “It has in fact become the main form of entertainment for the majority of the developed world. And it's only getting bigger.”

He adds that gaming is also no longer targeting children, or even teens, with many games aimed at adults. “This is probably because the 25- to 40-year-olds of today were the kids that first grew up with games. We will continue seeing this trend of adult-themed games as the target market is growing up with the industry.”

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