Video Gaming Questionnaire

[Darren Grey]

I'm sorry if this seems like spamming, but it is for some serious research and it may promote discussion too. A friend of mine is doing an MSc in Management of Science, Technology and Innovation and is doing his dissertation on the factors which lead to the success of video game consoles. It's quite an interesting subject as I'm sure you know, but from a business point of view is extremely hard to quantatively analyse. Anyway, as part of his dissertation he's conducting a survey on what people like and don't like in consoles, mostly looking at individual experiences. As a semi-lurker I know that there are a wide variety of usually quite well-informed opinions here, so I thought it might be helpful if some of you could please post answers to the questionnaire here so that they might be used. The questionnaire sheets can be found here:

http://www.geocities.com/darrenjohngrey/questionnaire1.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/darrenjohngrey/questionnaire2.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/darrenjohngrey/questionnaire3.jpg

Just provide what details you can or are willing to provide (if you want to keep DOB hidden or restricted to just year that's fine). Either post here or PM me your answers and I'll make sure they get through. The questionnaire is somewhat restricted in scope as you can see - there are limits as to how much detail it can go into. I'll give an example in the next post of how I completed it.

Of course feel free to engage in general discussion of the topics raised... without too much flaming

 

[Darren Grey]

And as an example my own response:

Q1. Male
Q2. 4/4/1983
Q3. Master System, Mega Drive, SNES, Playstation, N64, Wii, PS3

Q4.
Master System: Best - fun games. Worst - limited specs and lifespan.
Mega Drive: Best - Excellent library of games. Worst - missed some top SNES titles.
SNES: Best - many good games. Worst - Nintendo cencorship and limits on EU releases.
Playstation: Best - CD media allowed movie-esque games. Worst - lots of shovelware.
N64: Best - some high quality games. Worst - very small software library.
Wii: Best - fun multiplayer games. Worst - gimmicky controller that works poorly on many games.
PS3: Best - high definition graphics. Worst - many games are buggy and slower than the 360 versions due to bad porting.

Q5.
1) Good games
2) Low price
3) Ability to hack/pirate/customise

Q6.
3rd: Favourite is Master System - reason is that I had one... and they were cheaper. // Least favourite NES - reason is I knew no one with one, and EU releases were up to two years behind American releases (if they got here at all).
4th: Favourite is Mega Drive - reason is favourite games like Sonic, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, etc. // Least favourite SNES - reason is less favourite games and censorship on titles like Mortal Kombat.
5th: Favourite is Playstation - reason is lots of games and good graphics. // Least favourite is Saturn - reason is so few games and such short lifespan.
6th: Favourite is PS2 - reason is loads of good games. // Least favourite is Dreamcast - it was a failure, same as Saturn.
7th: Favourite is Wii - reason is it's cheap and has plenty of old games available on it. // Least favourite is PS3 - reason is it's expensive and has a very small library at present (though this may change).

Q7. Not very important.

 

[Johnn Johnston]

Q1) Male
Q2) Left blank, I'll keep that info to myself if y'all don't mind
Q3) Generation 5: PlayStation, N64.
Generation 6: PS2 and Gamecube.
Generation 7: Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Q4) PlayStation and N64 - They were my first video game consoles, so they were simply brilliant. I had never seen anything like it. However, when I got them, they were already nearing the end of their lifespan.
PS2 and Gamecube - This brought me into the next generation. The graphics were a vast improvement, and the overall gameplay was smoother. However, I was longing for a multiplayer feature like the ones I had seen on PC servers (and that Xbox Live would offer later on)
Xbox 360 - Xbox Live gave me the online multiplayer, there were brilliant exclusive games and the graphics were again better. However, there were some software bugs that needed to be ironed out.
PS3 - The graphics were superb. There were good exclusive releases, and I loved the SixAxis controller. Losing vibration was a step backwards, and I found the online multiplayer to be below Live's standards.
Wii - Motion control brought me closer to the virtual reality I've craved for a while, and the online services were good. Internet was a good addition, although a little surplus to requirement. Not enough exclusive releases were bagged for the Wii.

Q5) i. Good graphic capabilities.
ii. An online service.
iii. A good reputation and a long lifespan.

Q6) Generation 5: N64, it just has the best games for me at the time. PlayStation came last, because I found the graphics to be sub-par to Nintendo.
Generation 6: The PS2 won this round due to a wider variety of releases. The GameCube had no real flaws, it was just that the PS2 was better.
Generation 7: The 360 triumphed here, due to Xbox Live and good exclusive games. The PS3, for me, had a small amount of good games (exclusive or not), a high price and an online service that I would have expected more from.

Q7) Not very important.


Hope that's a help.

 

[MagnetoHydroDynamics]

Q1. Male

Q2. 11/27/1992

Q3. Only Nintendo64

Q4. N64 - Good: Very nice and interesting games, Very good durabillity. Bad: Few good games, few console owners among my friends (only 2), the analog stick got easily worn down.

Q5.
1: Games available
2: Controller
3: What's different from the last generations.

Q6.
Generation 3 & 4: No opinion
Generation 5: Favourite: N64 Reason: LoZ:OoT. Dislike: None.
Generation 6: Favourite: PS2 Reason: God of war mainly. (It's a close call between PS2 and NGC though) Dislike: None
Generation 7: Favourite: Wii Reason: "Low" budget, good games, good gameplay. Dislike: PS3 Reason: It's a vulgar console (It's faster than my gaming PC!) and there are only few games.

Q7. Not very important, I've got a PC for that.

 

[shatnershaman]

1. Its the internet there is only one answer.
2. Go leafs Go!
3. N64,PS2,Cube,Xbox,360
4. N64 Best: Best games of the generation Best loads and Graphics
N64 worst: Only 10 games that were awesome and what little is left (no third party support) sucked.
PS2 Best: It played movies
PS2 worst: I hated the games and it broke
Cube Best: it sorta worked
Cube Worst: Everything else
5. (i) Does it have a Halo/Mario/MGS type of game (must have)
(ii) Graphics
(iii)Controller
6. 3rd (going by emulators) Best NES because of mario Worst SEGA no games I like
4th best Snes (mario again) worst Sega (again no games)
5th Best N64 for having games PS1 for not having games I like (I hate FF)
6th Best Xbox (something about a ring and a space marine) worst Cube beaten in every way by the others
7th Best Xbox 360 (wee little game for it came out september 25 2007) Worst PS3 I can understand the appeal of the wii but less so for the PS3 (as a game console)
7. You mean features that are not gaming? Not at all

 

[Darren Grey]

Cheers for the replies, guys - I'll make sure it all gets in.

 

[OurGloriousLeader]

Q1: Male
Q2: 05/07/1988
Q3: Sega Master System II

SNES

Playstation

Dreamcast, Playstation 2

Xbox360

Q4: Playstation 1 + 2 - Wide collection of interesting games, often in series. Expensive.

Dreamcast - got it for free, not very many games.

Xbox360 - got it for free with good games, cheaply made and very casual.

Q5: 1 - Excellent quality games
2 - Value for money
3 - Lifespan of console

Q6: Since I've generally only had one per generation, I'm not sure how relevant this is to me. The only one I've ever chosen is the Playstation 2, because I had a Playstation and the games quality and sequels were going on here. My favourite of this generation is still the Playstation 3.

Q7: Quite important.

 

[TheIceface]

1. Heterosexual Studmuffin-Beefcake (Hairy, disgusting male)
2. 7-31-89 (Proof that I'm old enough to use the word "ass")
3. NES, Genesis, SNES, N64, PS2, GCN (...and I still own them all, even some handheld ones.)
4. NES - Lots of cheap, fun, old games | Unfortunately the console often froze up when bumped, and wasn't the best at saving data

Genesis- Decent graphics and a reliable system | Not very many games though, a lot of sonic, but only a few really great games.

SNES - Excellent games, cheap games, lots of games, and reliable system | Only 2 controllers, and no decent 3d capability

N64- Some of the best games ever made , no load time and great reliability in reference to performance and memory management | Had to buy a bunch of add-ons, the expansion pack, memory cards, rumble pack, microphone for "Hey you Pikachu!" (Still a great game.)

PS2 - Tons of games, many high quality games, great performance and such | Only 2 controllers, unless you buy some add-ons. Also, internet was irritating to work out on the earlier versions of the hardware.

GCN - 4 controllers, a few decent multiplayer games, decent graphics a couple of great games (Metroid Prime, Timesplitters 2)| Not enough good games, and stupid gimmicks: FF crystal chronicles with the "plug in your gameboy" requirement.

5. - Lots of good titles to choose from
- Reliability (none of that red ring of death crap)
- Multiplayability (possibly not a word, but it means the ability to play a bunch of games with friends easily... for free)

6. 3rd - Best = NES: I played and thoroughly enjoyed many of the games released for it, I sometimes play them still.
Worst = Master System: I do remember playing this a bit at a friend's house, but no games stick in my memory as something I would ever play again.

4th - Best = SNES: A wide variety of excellent games and classics that I still dig out of the closet today: Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Secret of Mana, etc.
Worst = Genesis: While Golden Axe was an awesome game, and there were a few other great ones, there just weren't enough releases to keep this one alive.

5th - Best = N64: Goldeneye 007, Zelda, Mario, Mario Cart, Mario Party, tons of games to play with my friends or by myself.
Worst = Sega Saturn: Once again, Sega fails at releasing a decent amount of good games.

6th - Best = PS2: An unparalleled amount of games to choose from, I still buy games for this console.
Worst = Dreamcast: While Xbox was inferior in terms of reliable technology, they had the games to back up their system. Phantasy Star Online, and Sega Swirl are not enough to keep this console afloat either.

7th - Best = Wii: While there aren't very many games, the ones that are out are different enough to keep my interest. Gimmicky as it may be, the controller is a big help to the system, the low cost and backwards compatibility for controllers and games is also a big deciding factor.
Worst = Ps3 - I may like Sony more than Microsoft, but Sony's system is way more expensive up-front, there are not very many new titles, and the Sixaxis is a step down from the Dualshock 2.

7. Not very important. If I wanted to watch a movie in HD, I'd play it on my computer.

 

[Gooble]

1. Male
2. 31/08/90
3. Xbox/Xbox 360
4. Xbox: Decent graphics, had games I liked (Halo), friends had it, Xbox Live
Xbox 360: Out before PS3, had become loyal to Xbox brand, Xbox 360-only games I wanted, Xbox Live

5. Graphics, reliable/good multiplayer, price

6. Cannot answer, as I've only played Xbox and Xbox 360
7. Quite important

 

[slowpoke219]

1. male

2. 02/19/1980

3. NES,PS1,Dreamcast,Gamecube,PS2,Xbox,Xbox360,PS3

4. NES - Was very expensive for its time, so I wasn't able to get one till a couple years after it was released. Great variety of games, something for everyone.
PS1 - First time I started seeing games as capable of real narrative and artistic styles comparable to film and books. (i.e. FF7, MGS1, Vandal Hearts). Even more financially difficult to obtain, being that second controllers, memory features, and a 1st game were now separate purchase rather than included as was the case with the previous gen systems.
Dreamcast. - Awesome games, 1st taste of online console game via Phantasy Star Online. Huge bulky controller. :-( Whole system went belly up pretty quick.
PS2 - Amazing true next gen graphics, and my first dvd player!! Sadly, for the first 6 months I owned my ps2 it served as a dvd player and platform on which to play ps1 games as there was NOTHING worth paying money for for almost a year after launch.
Xbox - Halo and xbox live!! having to replace my xbox twice during its lifecycle due to hardware failure. Same thing with ps2.
Xbox 360 - Xbox live still offers the best online experience, barnone. Tons of excellant and exclusive games. I love downloading and watching HD movies to HDD. The bad. I am now on my 3rd xbox 360 in two years again due to hardware failures.
PS3 - A powerhouse of a machine. Great for networking with my PC, gives the impression of having real staying power for the current gen life cycle. Very few exclusive titles that I can't also get on my 360. I want more of the whole PS3 experience like what I received with MGS4 and hope to get from PS Home.

5. 1. What must have games are available to each platform.
2. What else am I able to do with it, other than gaming.
3. How many times will I have to replace it.

6. 3rd Gen - NES. Made gaming mainstream again. Loved the Mario Games. You were ready to play right out of the box. The master system had many games that were actually superior graphics wise, especially early on, but it seemed aimed at older gamers, and being 8 or 9 at the time I was more interested in Mario than Rocky.
4th Gen. SNES. I always felt the graphics were slightly better on the SNES than the Genesis. Plus the Mario games again were pure bliss, and the controller was perfect for gaming. It made the Genesis controller seem primitive by comparison with its 3 button scheme.
Was a big plus when SF2 came out.
5th Gen. As much as I liked the PS1, I have to say the Saturn was far superior. The controller was perfect and sublime in its design and the Saturn had perfect and beautiful arcade ports of all my favorite Capcom fighting games. I gave myself thumb blisters playing SF Alpha with my friend on his Saturn.
6th Gen. PS2 had the better titles, the exclusive titles, and just all around more variety for whatever your gaming taste. The xbox was tailor perfect for FPS, but nothing much else.
7th Gen. I love the PS3 and have high hopes for it in the very near future, but to date the xbox 360 has taken up the majority of my gaming time, mainly because thats where the games are. True the same ones are also available on the PS3, but I am a very recent adopter to the PS3 mainly because price had kept me away.

7. I consider the inclusion of these peripherals to be very important and a critical selling point for me. Currently my consoles are the center of my entertainment and media experience. My TV and surround sound are there to support my consoles. My hope for the future is that my console of the future will replace my computer in terms of storage for my media and web surfing (which both current consoles have started to do slightly) and also replace my need for a seperate cable or satelite dish. My dream feature would be to be able to stream Live cable and dish programming type services from my consoles. The 360's video on demand has replaced my need for cable on demand or renting movies, now how bout offering me cable tv service aimed towards my demographic (i.e. No 40 cooking and lifetime channels that Im forced to pay for.) as well as a more robust web surfing experience. PS3, your coming close to this. In a perfect world, the only thing I would need in my living room would be my TV and my console to satisfy ALL my entertainment and media needs.