PS3 gamers appreciate art more than Xbox 360, Wii users

[Crouton]

PlayStation 3 gamers have a deeper proclivity for artistic games than Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii users, according to Journey developer and thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen. Speaking to VentureBeat, Chen plainly stated, "The player who owns a PlayStation 3 is more likely to be interested in artistic games compared to Wii and Xbox 360."

URL: PS3 gamers appreciate art more than Xbox 360, Wii users - Journey dev - GameSpot.com

I found this article to be pretty interesting. I don't necessarily agree that PS3 gamers appreciate art more, that's really just his opinion. But when it comes down to it I think that each console does have a certain type of person who prefers it.

I know there are people who own all three consoles, but in general from my own gaming experience I've noticed a few things. To me it's not about art like this guy is suggesting, but I believe that 360 and Wii gamers are more social gamers. Preferring to play online with friends, shooters etc. While PS3 gamers are more inclined to sink themselves into a single-player game and focus on the story rather than seeking out multiplayer experiences.

What are you're thoughts on this? Do you think different consoles attract a certain type of gamer?

 

[Altanzitarron]

It's difficult to say. I think if Team Ico wasn't tied in exclusively to Sony then there'd be a lot people on 360 joining me in eagerly awaiting The Last Guardian (if it's ever going to be released). I didn't pick a PS3 because the games seemed more artistic although I did pick it because of certain exclusive titles and the blu-ray drive.

 

[Taliesin]

I don't think I fit the mould of Wii gamer that you may be suggesting, Cru. I'm not a social gamer by any stretch of the imagination, and the Wii's the only home console I currently own and play games on. I also have a few single player titles with a heavy emphasis on story that I've lost myself in. I've invested hundreds of hours in such titles over the last few years.

I think you're right that Jenova Chen's opinion is just that - his opinion. He's perfectly entitled to it too. My own opinion (which is no more or less important than Chen's) is that different people flock to different consoles for very many different reasons... reasons that can't be neatly summed up in marketing rhetoric and its like.

And I do think Alt has a valid point about people choosing the console they feel will give them the kinds of gaming experiences they'll enjoy most. Depending on the player, their choices aren't always necessarily based on things like artistic merit.

 

[Crouton]

Yeah, maybe Wii isn't the best example for the social thing, but I feel like almost every 360 gamer I've met plays mostly for online games. Multiplayer shooters, sports games etc. All really interactive social games. Where as more PS3 users are more inclined to go for single-player games. The Wii is probably it's own category.

I'd like the opinion of some gamers who are primarily 360 users, and see whether they like to play through games online with friends, or by themselves as a single player. I might be completely inaccurate, but it's just something I've noticed in a few people.

 

[BigBob]

I've only bought a handful of games saying "man, I can't wait to play the single player". Whenever I buy a game, it's to play online, whether it's my PS3 or 360. I still play games that came out in 2004 and 2005 because of the Gameplay. You can make the greatest looking game ever, but if you don't have good Gameplay, then it's going to suck.

I do most people buy the Wii for Social Gaming whenever you have people coming over. I never played an online game for the Wii, ever. Almost all the games we've got for it though are meant for 4 players in the same household.

 

[KSpiceFantastic]

I pride myself as a single player gamer who rarely plays any MP games, but I only have a 360 and Wii in my possession. I do see myself as one that appreciate art in gaming or other media, even. I guess that puts me in the minority, according to this study. Regardless, I don't quite believe this article, solely because they are probably looking at Team Ico's products as a benchmark.

 

[dDave]

Maybe I would like a PS3, I always liked a good single player title.

I've played all three of the 7th gen consoles.

The main 7th gen console that I play is definitely the Wii. I, like Eph, don't fit the mold of the stereotypical Wii gamer. The only multiplayer games I ever touch are Smash and Mario Kart, but overwhelmingly I play single player titles. If you were to look at my library of games it'd quickly become apparent that I'm not the stereotypical social gamer. I do see that mold fitting quite a few Wii and 360 users though.

I have both a 360 and a Wii.

Wii - The king of creativity and art in my opinion. Nintendo began in 1889 as an art company. Art is a very important aspect of every Wii game (at least the ones I play). If you play Zelda (Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword), Mario Galaxy, Smash, Mario Kart, etc. you can just tell that there's something that makes those games special. One thing that has always been important to me in games is the atmosphere, take one play session on either Zelda title on the Wii and you'll know what I'm talking about (more so with Twilight Princess though). It's clear to me why a lot of people are attracted to the Wii, what I don't get is why so many people are resistant to it.

360 - I'm not really sure what to say about this one. The graphics simply aren't as good as people say they are, I've thought for years that they were overrated. From what I've seen on the 360 they tend to focus a lot on graphics and not enough on everything else. I can see this being a social console though, many times have I been drawn in to play some multiplayer. All of the games seem the same to me though for the most part, it seems as if almost all of the popular titles are FPS games, and while this is fine for a lot of people, it's not my cup of tea. I can understand why the 360 attracts the FPS crowd, everybody I know with a 360 basically worships Halo and Call of Duty, it's ridiculous.

PS3 - This console almost has a Pixar feel to it, a lot of the titles are reminiscent of that special Pixar style. I would definitely be in agreement that the PS3 is very artistic and I would imagine that it's users could be as well. PlayStation is something that I never really got into, maybe someday I'll get into Sony a lot more. From the time I've spent playing PS3 I've been continuously reminded for N64 for some reason, obviously the graphics, controls, etc. are drastically improved over that. I can see the attraction that a lot of people like this console.

 

[Crouton]

Nice response Dave, I like how you said the PS3 has a 'Pixar' feel to it.

I hardly ever play multiplayer games on the PS3. I tried out the multiplayer on a couple of games every now and then after I finished the campaign, but I would often go back and play the single-player campaign again rather than keep playing the multiplayer.

The only time I really play multiplayer games is on PC, via Steam etc. I think PC is also considered really social gaming now. As much as the 360 etc. I think many PC gamers like to play online with friends, especially in the advancements of MMORPG's and how popular shooters are on PC.

 

[Ziggy]

I appreciate gameplay over "art".

I don't really see the difference between the two consoles when it comes to multiplayer or single player but I also believe it is region based. The xbox 360 is huge in North America where it seems to be a lot more competitive multiplayer whilst I believe the PS3 is huge in Japan where they are more solitary gamers.

Also it comes down to preference of game genre. I love the Final Fantasy games and they are 40+ hour single player experiences but I also love Halo 3 which was all about the multiplayer.

As for who appreciates art more well I don't think it is console based is it? It is more likely to be genre based.

Someone who likes FPSs is probably not thinking about the art as much as someone who plays RPGs.

 

[Crouton]

That's interesting about the regions Ziggy, I hadn't thought of that. It's true that PS3 is huge in Japan and some European countries, while the 360 is huge in North America. I'm not sure what it would be here in Australia. Probably about half/half. You never really hear of that many Japanese 360 gamers now that I think about it.