Designing Games for Couples and Families
I was reading another article from one of my excellent Bright Hub writers and it got me thinking about this topic:
Aside from the Wii, is there any platform at all that really makes an effort to develop gaming content specifically for couples? And I am not referring to sexual related games. I’m talking about just games that a couple can play together and have fun. Even on the Wii, couples-oriented games are rare.
Instead of couples having “movie night”, wouldn’t it be great for our industry if it couple started having a “gaming night” instead? My wife and I already do this, but we are pretty unique I think. The gaming industry is already trouncing the movie industry in overall revenue ($22 billion for games, $9 billion for movies). Why not finish the job and encroach on “movie night” too?
I’ve been playing a lot of LotRO with my better half. One thing I noticed is that there’s not a whole lot of content for a duo; most of the content is intended for soloers or for large groups. There are a few “small group” quests, but they aren’t always appropriate for just the two of us. Our two characters are pretty powerful, so we can tackle some group content, but we have to be higher level than it is. But, overall, our choices are either to breeze through solo or figure out how to do group content. Doing a PUG on a “couple’s gaming night” isn’t quite what I have in mind….
It’s definitely something that the VGI should look into. I tried doing the ‘couples night’ think with my Ex, and well, unfortunately I am much more of a game player. I was often, unintetionally, causing her to feel inferior and thus the magic of the ‘gaming night’ was lost. It’s tougher to do with games than it is with movies for some people, especially since not all systems are created equal in this regard. The Wii may have made a difference in our experience too. Who knows?
[...] Originally posted here: Designing Games for Couples and Families | Muckbeast [...]
[...] for a single person or a full group, without much in the middle. This kind of sucks for people who want to game as a couple. While mowing through solo content can be somewhat fun, it'd be nice to have some interesting [...]
[...] for a single person or a full group, without much in the middle. This kind of sucks for people who want to game as a couple. While mowing through solo content can be somewhat fun, it’d be nice to have some interesting [...]
Mario party or the Rayman party (I forget the real name) kick the PANTS off movies for sit-in-and-chill nights. Too bad I’ve only got a 360.
Anyone know any games of a similar vein (Kung Fu Panda’s minigames were promising, but got boring after about 30 minutes of yet-another-brawl/duckhunt clone) for the 360? Me and the Girlfriend would love to trade movie night for game night, to be perfectly honest, as movie night usually results in one of us falling asleep!
My wife tolerates my gaming. She was once a game loving teenager, too, but life beats it out of some people. We did try Guild Wars together, and she just doesn’t like games where the main component of play is killing stuff.
These days, we do more to play with our kids. Games where she and I could play with a toddler would be more fun for us. Our little one loves the Wii at Grandma’s place, but she just doesn’t do all that well with it. She’d rather sit on Daddy’s lap and direct her Wizard 101 character… but what fun is that for Mommy?
My wife isn’t much of a gamer, and the few games that interest her are usually single-player or uninteresting to me. In those rare instances where our interests intersect, it’s fantastic! We played through Grim Fandango together and had a great time. She even got into Monkey Island, which means I don’t have to pawn my wedding ring and move out. Sweet.
Brian: the lack of duo content in MMOs makes me sad. Everything is solo, full group, or raid. That’s it.
“our choices are either to breeze through solo or figure out how to do group content. Doing a PUG on a “couple’s gaming night” isn’t quite what I have in mind….”
That’s my experience in MMOs lately. Breezing through solo stuff gets boring. And PuGing…. well….. yeah…. no thanks.
Jeff: That’s why we need more co-op games. Then the significant other who is not as hardcore doesn’t feel worthless. Mario Kart Double Dash was great for this, because the person shooting missles had an easier task.
Tesh: I play the Wii with my 7 and 3 year old pretty often. It is great. Lately though, I have been playing some Sims 3 and my 3 year old loves telling me when to have the characters go to the bathroom, take a shower, make food, etc.