An interesting diversity in the gaming world of Britain has become apparent over the last couple of weeks.
Ubisoft’s ‘Just Dance’ has clinched first place as the best selling game in the UK for two weeks now, even triumphing over hugely successful ‘Modern Warfare 2.’
‘Just Dance’, a very active game involving exactly what you would expect from reading the title, came out eight weeks ago and has made its way slowly up the charts. With a cyber-generated dance coach to mimic, the game hopes to transform the player into a real dancer and with sensory technology, is much more advanced than the slightly dated ‘floor sensor’ dance games.
Last week it finally won the top spot over ‘Modern Warfare 2’, even though this endless army gunfight made a massive impact on its first day of release, selling 4.7 million copies worldwide. ‘Just Dance’ is incidentally Ubisoft’s first game to hold the top place for two weeks in a row since the original Assassins Creed.
‘Wii Fit Plus’ and ‘Wii Sports Resort’ also made the top five and this could indicate that there has been a real shift in the market in the video game world. Elsewhere on the chart, new entry ‘Dark Void’ from Capcom, a thrilling sci-fi adventure claims a distinguished 33rd in its first week of sale.
As new technology has emerged, transforming the inactive solitary games to energetic, group activities, it looks like the family is now willing to buy and play them.
Exercise is the fashionable incentive for these new consumers. So, therefore, the previously limited gaming market of teenage males looking for an outlet for their blood-lust has noticeably widened. Active games appeal to a more substantial group, as do ones involving music and dance, which all, crucially, appeal to female gamers.
This change has certainly manifested on the selling charts but the situation on is entirely different.
Hollywood hit ‘Avatar’ has made its way onto both charts, the game version of the film reaching 8th on the selling chart and 16th on the Blockbuster games and DVD rental site.
Gamesfrenzy and Gamesmonster show game charts, however, with a remarkable drift towards classic violence. ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ is at the top of both of these charts and ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ – another zombie-filled horror piece- in second place.
Boomerang rentals also sees these traditional and often violent games topping their ‘most rented’ chart, including ‘Gears of War 2’ and ‘Ghostbusters the Video Game.’
But it is questionable whether this difference means that ‘selling’ and ‘renting’ attract separate groups or whether are not exploiting the new game genres and their respective buyers.
While those that compare games rental websites are usually so-called ‘hardcore gamers’ the Wii widely advertises to these new markets, usually showing scenes of games being played in domestic harmony, so the campaign is definitely being covered from the selling side.
However, it looks like gaming and DVD rental websites have failed so far to pounce on this recent surge, their charts perhaps signifying a gap in their marketing. As the games industry explores new genres and approaches new markets, game rental sites will be forced to adapt themselves to attract these new consumers.