Microsoft Belittling Gamers at Kinect Launch Event?

Fat GamerAs both Sony and Microsoft follow the lead of Nintendo in the motion control front, there has been a question over which is more suitable to either hardcore or casual audiences. In my mind, there are bigger concerns about Kinect’s target audience. After the showing at E3, I’ve maintained that Kinect isn’t for gamers – it’s for their spouses, girlfriends, moms, etc. Microsoft is going after a new audience altogether, it seems.

Well, as of last week there’s perhaps more fuel to add to the fire. At a Kinect launch event, Microsoft made some rather objectionable comments about gamers, in what appears to be an attempt to connect (get it?) with a casual and non-gaming consumer. Here is what Microsoft’s regional entertainment guru, David McLean, had to say:

Gaming’s not just for sweaty thirty year olds in Metallica t-shirts…

Um, alright? I’m all for going after a new target audience. I can at least wrap my head around that. But this is an entirely different level, here.

For years, people criticized Nintendo for taking the same maneuver with the Wii. But as much as they might have arguably “forsaken” the hardcore crowd, they’ve never shown active disdain the way this quote displays. It’s crazy to think that after years of building profits from this audience, Microsoft is willing to throw them under the bus as they seek new users.

I know that many gamers out there, like myself, hate the stereotypes mentioned in the above quote. As much as many people will no doubt say that this only confirms all of their long held suspicions of Microsoft, it’s still hard to believe that any company would go this far. What do you guys think of this quote? Fair or foul by the big Em Ess?

Source- Atomic

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10 thoughts on “Microsoft Belittling Gamers at Kinect Launch Event?”

  1. I wouldn’t say foul by MS, I would say foul by that fool. That’s biting the hand that feeds you right there.

  2. I think we shouldn’t read to much into the quote itself, after all its most likely a misquoted joke(at least I hope it is). Although Sony are doing a much better job with marketing I feel.

  3. Boy, I’d love to say that making foot-in-mouth comments isn’t just for Microsoft executives, but…

    Look, here’s the truth. Kinect is going to bomb. It’s too low-tech for the hardcore, and too high-tech for the casuals. The Move may be made fun of for being a Wii knock-off, but at least it’s intuitive enough to use whether you’ve been gaming for years or the PS3 is your first system.

    It’s kind of worrisome how much MS is staking on Kinect. I bet the next X-Box lives or dies based on its performance.

    As an aside, I love that episode of South Park. Probably one of their best.

  4. I’ve yet to see that episode of South Park.
    Foul on his part. He’s implying we’re all fat, lazy slobs who do nothing and it didn’t read like a joke. Bad execution on his part? Maybe, but even if it had come out better he’d still have made a comment many would have taken poorly (joke or not) so unwise choice of words David McLean.

    On the bright side Kevin Butler may parody this. Also Metallica is very much win IMHO.

  5. Hmm…so far I’ve been a fan of the 360 over PS3 (even though PS3 wasn’t launched then) since the launch in ’05. I do feel that the 360 is more for the hardcore gamers than the PS3, but that doesn’t mean they all fit the description listed here. So far, I haven’t been impressed with any game showings for Kinect, nor the 150 dollar price tag itself. For 50 dollars more you could buy a Wii where basically all the games are based on motion control.

    I was already leaning toward the Move, especially after that epic-ness trailer from our favorite Kevin Butler that Eddy posted a few days ago. I know that you will need to buy more controllers whereas the Kinect doesn’t need them, which could save money in the long run. I don’t know, I still think it’s too early to tell which will be the one to go for. Perhaps I’ll just wait for the good ol’ Gamersushi review and then decide!

  6. Hmm, The appeal of wii was that us sweaty dudes could play WITH our girlfriends/wives/moms/elders… not to let them totally take over the living room…

    Besides, without us, who’s going to hook it up, turn it on, and navigate the menus for them? lol!

  7. @Anthony
    He was only saying what we were all thinking. 😀
    I for one, endorse the idea of actually smashing my boyfriend in a game that aids his… “gaming impediment” and I’m tired of doing that on the bitchass Wii. Upgrade, much?

  8. [quote comment=”13350″]Hmm, The appeal of wii was that us sweaty dudes could play WITH our girlfriends/wives/moms/elders… not to let them totally take over the living room…

    Besides, without us, who’s going to hook it up, turn it on, and navigate the menus for them? lol![/quote]

    Haha, I laughed at this. My parents still don’t really know how to switch inputs on the TV. Now that they have HDMI, hoo boy.

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