“Come on kids. It’s time to get interactive with the Kinect!”
To most of you, that is what Microsoft must have been thinking when the Kinect was released to the public in 2010. Many gamers debated whether the motion control fad was about to influence the Xbox in the way in which the sensor bar had revolutionised the Nintendo Wii. With sales of the Kinect booming around Christmas 2010, many thought that Microsoft would capitalise on this popularity and bring all genres of games to the latest evolution is console gaming. With few games failing to capture the innovation and competitiveness which has seen game franchises become successful in recent years. So, who is the Kinect aimed at then? Again, most of you would say it would be kids or young teenagers. But why can’t it be for everyone? In the world of Kinect, are there such things as Casual and Hardcore gamers?
Games which were released in conjunction with the Kinects release included Kinect Sports, Fighters Uncaged, Motion Sports: Play for Real, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and Kinect Adventures which was included in the Kinect. Straight from the word go, the public and the media seemed to have decided that the Kinect was aimed at children who love to jump around and are always active instead of sitting perfectly still on the couch while creeping through a war-torn city trying to save the world from World War 3. Why can’t these types of interactive games be for everyone? (Unless of course you have a disability or find it hard to move) I’m certain that everyone, at some point in their lives have played sport and enjoyed running around and playing football, tennis or golf. Once I had received my Kinect on Christmas morning I was ecstatic! (I was 21 at the time!) I couldn’t wait to see what the technology was like and how well the sensor would pick up my movements in front of the camera.
I was very impressed indeed. The voice commands as well which could be performed impressed me also especially because of my nationality, Scottish, and my hard to understand accent. It was the overall excitement of the technology which was in front of my very eyes. It was far more impressive than the Wii’s sensor bar and far more impressive than Sony’s Move. Even at first glance, the Kinect titles looked to be for the younger gamers.
However, many gamers turned their back on this revolution for Xbox and went back to playing Call of Duty, Halo and Need for Speed. I feel as if the Kinect brings in all sorts of gaming stereotypes, Children of all ages (well, 3 and upwards), middle aged people who aren’t gamers and the older generation. Most people can jump, dodge, kick and punch mid-air so why not bring the enjoyment factor that the whole family can interact with in game challenges. Dinner with the family on a Sunday could turn into a games night…
But no, most gamers would rather be left on their own in a dark room with yesterday’s dinner still on their shirts. This is not a dig at the current stereotypical gamers who wish to play the same game all day and all night. We all have our likes and dislikes. I don’t see how people can play Call of Duty and only Call of Duty for days on end. Kinect changed the typical gaming set up (slightly more advanced than Nintendo’s and Sony’s versions) for the better in my opinion.
The Kinect has not only been used for gaming but as the following advert from Microsoft shows, it can be tweaked and altered to be used for several assignments and activities:
As much as the Nintendo Wii was a success, the technology involved in the motion capturing system was basic and cannot compare to the Kinect’s power. I believe that Playstation merely released the Move just to try and keep up with its rivals and it was a huge failure. Lacklustre games were released immediately after the Move was released and not followed up with any further releases. Meanwhile, games for the Xbox continue to back their “technological experiment” with support in hardcore games and games which use the Kinect’s powers entirely. Games such as Gunstringer, Kinect: Star Wars, Rise of Nightmares, Dance Central 1 & 2 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. All of these titles have been developed by utilising the Kinect’s technology and motion capturing system so that every body movement is captured and displayed in the game as accurately as possible. Of course there are the childrens titles including Sesame Street and Disneyland Adventures which appeal to children of all ages.
As I have mentioned, several developers have used Kinect functions in their games, some of the more hardcore titles including Forza Motorsport 4, Mass Effect 3, Virtua Tennis 4 and Tiger Woods 13. I believe that developers are finally taking notice of the Kinect and taking it serious. The inclusion in Forza and Mass Effect 3 especially show how much the Kinect has been accepted. The voice command’s in Mass Effect 3 work extremely well in the game (the demo anyway) and fully immerses you into the role of Shepherd.
It is rumoured that the Kinect was an experiment on the 360 to use with the next generation which I’m sure Microsoft are in the middle of developing. I believe that the Kinect has been somewhat of a success without impressing every gamer out there. Some of the titles are lacklustre and the same rubbish that keeps appearing (Kinect Sports or Motion Sports) but all in all, I believe that the Kinect has been a success and needs to be accepted for the great piece of technology that it is.
@SimonMarshall6
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