There was a time in my life when I became addicted to playing MMORPGs or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. Back in the day, it was cool to sit in front of your computer screen for long hours without thinking about your meal or how you should be spending your time wisely. It was the start of the MMORPG era, baby! Resistance was futile and logging on to your favorite game and creating characters with your preferred class was inevitable. The online gaming world opened up new possibilities for me. It was like discovering a whole new world and I relished it. Finally, the video gaming industry has evolved into something better broadening its audience by linking them in playing games that can make them interact with other players not only nationwide but around the world.
For anyone who is a gaming enthusiast, it will probably come as no surprise to you that console sales have been down lately. Xbox 360 sales have totalled 1.4 million units in the third quarter, which ended March 31. This is a staggering 48% drop year on year.
The blame probably rests with mobile and online gaming, which has taken a steady increase in the last few years. Apps are easily downloadable, and mobile internet access means users can play a cheeky game of bingo or wrap their head around a Sudoku puzzle to pass the time. It is certainly cheaper to buy an app than a console game.
However, the console market is not out of the race. In fact Xbox sales are still on target with last year. Despite dismal sales in the third quarter, the amazing sales of the first two quarters mean that the console has still managed to sell 11.9 million units in the first nine months. A similar number to 2011.
Microsoft were also keen to point out that the Xbox has been the top-selling console in the US for 15 consecutive months. They have blamed the 'soft gaming market' for the 16% drop in revenue in the third quarter.
The third quarter has always been notoriously slow though. It is just after Christmas, so a lot of parents etc will have bought the console for their children in the second quarter. Not to mention PlayStation Vita was released in this quarter, so it was bound to eat away at someone's profits.
We'll have to see how the fourth quarter pans out, before we know if consoles are losing popularity indefinitely.
Who doesn't love Pokemon? It's pretty much a rhetorical question, I don't need your answer, because I am going to answer it myself. Everyone loves Pokemon. It's by far one of the most addicting games to ever existed.
Remember back in the day with the Red and Blue Pokemon games for the gameboy handheld system. The true beauty of playing an masterful game in black and white in true 8-bit graphics. Even now with the 8-bit graphics of Pokemon Red and Blue I would still prefer playing it over the newly repetitive games on our next gen systems.
Nothing beats an old school game. Here in tribute to Pokemon are some great pictures I found online. Enjoy!
