Bored of Games? EA Feels Your Pain

Won't someone please think of the casual gamers.

For most of the last 25 years EA has pinned much of its hopes on a handful of series, each faithfully updated as the times required. But we're in a different world now, one that needs to cater not just to hardcore gamers but everyone else too, and the old ways need to change. So says EA.

"We're boring people to death and making games that are harder and harder to play," the company's incoming boss, John Riccitiello, told the Wall Street Journal this week.

According to the article, Riccitiello doesn't have it in for all games - just those that don't address the needs of less ardent gamers.

He singled out Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft as games that were getting it right and took a second to get a positive word in for his own Guitar Hero-inspired game Rock Band.

The comments from Riccitiello echo moves by EA to stray from its own well-trodden path in recent months. The company recently acknowledged that it had failed to put enough emphasis on making games for the Wii, a decision that came back to haunt the company when Nintendo's system started to make inroads into the mainstream.

Not specifically mentioned by obviously part of EA's plan is the recent announcement of a new initiative called Family Play in EA's sports games. This is a feature that makes it easier for less confident players to get busy having fun in games such Madden, NBA Live and FIFA without having to spend hours learning complicated controls.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo