My brother used to ask us not to buy his sons any video games, well... now that it costs about as much (or more) to take the whole family to one movie as it does to buy one new game he has now changed his mind.

I bought my nephews a Wii for christmas, the whole family is now addicted. Every single one of them including my sister-in-law's parents have their own games and accessories.

luckily, we have a 2nd run theatre down the road - $4 tickets, $2 popcorn/drink. you just have to wait a couple months for something to come out.

i always had more fun at the museum anyway...

of course, i had that problem even without consoles or computer games. we used to have a wicked arcade downtown when i was in college - there were a few times i walked in there after my 9:00am class, lost track of time & by the time i walked out, the dining halls were serving dinner. :{

Completely agree.

@Ash78: Drinking beer all day is what makes video games fun :)

@quagmire0: Spot on. That's exactly the same reasons I got one for my husband for Christmas. Also made it easy for me to tell my and his family of what to get him for Christmas, lots of xbox 360 games. Should keep him occupied for a good while.

Well, people do need their escape outlets, and games seem to be better made than movies these days. Dead Space, for example, was scarier and more fascinating than any sci fi horror film I've seen in 20 years.

It's also a no-brainer that decent portable entertainment will always have and audience. If I go shopping with my wife, I have two choices while I wait with the sleeping baby in the car: redo the sudoku puzzle on the newsrag that I find in the trunk or whip out a little Gurumin or Super Stardust on my PSP. Heck, I can even watch movies or surf the web on it. Ahhhhh.

This despite my husband's part-time job at a game store, with pretty good discounts available to him.

No cable/satellite plan. I miss out on live sports which sucks, but I can catch most of any tv program I wan to watch through various means.

I did not add to the Nintendo numbers because I am in the "hardcore" crowd Nintendo has abandoned (I do have a DS though) and my PS360 combo does wonders for me.

January will be a little slow but February will be filled with HADOKEN! (Street Fighter IV.)

Most video games really do provide good value for the money, though, when you consider how many hours of entertainment you can get out of a good one. For us at least, games last many hours longer than a book does, and we often wait to buy our games until they cost about as much as a hardcover does anyway.

Never mind that many libraries now have huge selections of dvd's - including recent titles in many cases. A couple years ago, I lived in a town of 20,000 people and not only could you take out books and movies, but they had computer software and games and had an in-house video game setup with PS2 and XBox (both top generation at the time).

Libraries rock.

I've spent more time on the Wii playing downloaded ports of NES/SNES games than I've spent playing the Wii games. Playing MegaMan all over again brought back memories of angrily throwing my NES controller at the TV screen. Ha.

Anyways, my point is that games of any kind are a crazy good value.

i am the only person my age (i'm 26) i know who does not like video games. i don't really like any games, to be honest. board games, drinking games, even crossword puzzles...ugh.

i don't know if it's that i lack patience or what, but i get frustrated very easily with games and i don't enjoy them.

"Because I Must. Beat. This. Level ......"

I just want to state my distaste for it.

Nintendo has not forgotten the people who started with them and then left to go to the playstation, they just realize that they need to appeal to a large group to grow.

Until Zelda/Mario become "MY FIRST PLATFORMER" I don't see anything wrong.

Also, if any trolls bring up that patent on video help, I must point out that it would be -optional- and not required to beat the game. It would be even nicer, since they can cut down on the braindead helper squads.

I sure hope their sales numbers are good.

Sorry, but if Nintendo wants to have children and non-gamers playing their system, it's not as if that market ever dries up. There's always going to be children. Look at Disney, they have the kids and they can keep them there with complete crap, and they know it.

Your argument is pointless, as the entire argument seems to be: "Nintendo stopped making games I like, they suck now".

I have had a Wii and a DS and didn't really think they worked for me. Sold the DS, still have the Wii for when friends and family come over. I don't hate Nintendo for not making Bioshock; I just realize that they're moving on. I know it's an ugly break up but it'll be better for all of us if we realize it's over.

@katiat325: I'd recommend usenet.

But um, you didn't hear that from me.

@opsomath: Yes, by never buying cutting edge you can do it cheap plus have all the tips and tricks available.

My friends and I have a hard time getting together with competing schedules, wives and children, and at times (like this week) cold weather. Now that I have [finally] joined the Xbox 360 community I can partake in Live gaming with them. The only thing I don't like is that I'm many years removed from my more competitive gaming days. Kids half my age are running circles around me and trash talking to levels I never reached until the end of high school.

I'm glad, too, that I opted for the 360 over the Wii because of Netflix. As that application matures and more films are offered in HD.....wow. $8.99 a month is wonderful for that.

There have been articles around about Wii shovelware and how it's going the way of Atari. Nintendo's biggest success could be its downfall. If they keep following the path Atari took, which they currently are, then they just might collapse completely. Mark my words, there will be an ET for Wii. If there hasn't been already.

I hate my Wii, I never play it. I hate Nintendo for jumping the bandwagon to casual games and just leaving gamers behind. If it weren't for people like me, the Gamecube would have been their downfall. Nintendo is on a rollercoaster to hell... they just haven't hit the freefall yet. Consumers are getting turned off one by one by all the horribly bad games. I'll stick with my 360, even after two RRoD... I still love it way more than my Wii or DS. I loved the Wii for a few months but crap release after release of mini-games and Petz and Imagine: Stupid Things... I don't like it anymore.

@HIV 2 Elway Resurrected: how about that one where he has to run around on luigi to collect the coins and the star, and the squares disappear or start turning over. That was annoying...

However, if you have a 2nd person there with you, the game becomes much easier since that 2nd person can use the 2nd controller to stop some of the bad guys, make Mario jump higher, and collect starbits for you.

Lastly, those Hungry Lumas are the cutest things I've seen!!! I want a plush toy of one, too bad they don't make them.

This thinking also has spilled over a bit in the other systems as well. 'Little Big Planet' for the PS3 is a bit of an obstacle course/puzzle game. People who never liked video games (eg. my wife) find that they love it. Best yet, there's no special combos to remember and you can build your own levels and share them online.

@Blaaaah: I'd recommend ebay. Just got a game that would cost me normally $30 at the store (and the store was out of it anyways) for about $11 on ebay for my Wii. But yeah, renting before owning is a must for me, since I'm super picky.

@Ash78: Yeah, I'm not much of a gamer since my patience level is small when it comes to doing something over and over again since I keep dying in the games...but there are some games that are worth it, it's just better to rent them first to see if you like them. That way you get to play a bunch of games, and the ones you really like, you can get for cheap on ebay.

@TinkishDelight: My bf and I bought a Wii last summer, and since then got some games. It's also really great to first go to places like Hollywood Videos or Blockbuster to rent the games and see if you like them before you spend $50 on them. Then, if you like them, go on ebay and buy them. That's how I got Elebits for the Wii, super cute game. For friends coming over, it'd be great if one of them owned a Wii and can bring 2 more controllers while you take out Mario Party 8 to play.

None of the poll options really fit me, but it's a good value per hour and doesn't require leaving the house. It's -26 with windchill over here! I'll take any good excuse to stay inside.

This is largely because I don't insist on having the Latest Thing (tm) being very content with my playstation II. I recently got NCAA Football '05 and Enter the Matrix for a grand total of $3. Hours of entertainment there.

The key to happiness in life is to not let your standards for luxuries drift too high.

Most games now let you save between levels or even during levels, so you rarely have to play through something long and repetitive that you have mastered a hundred times because you can't beat a boss (Damn you, Jaquio). Some do force you to sit through long, boring cut-scenes, though. Also, modern games in general just tend to be easier in general than what you played as a child.

@HIV 2 Elway Resurrected: YES!! Although the level where that giant baby flower suddenly wakes up screaming and starts chasing you made me literally jump out of my seat. I thought I would have nightmares.

@Troy F.: I also learned the hard way about something called the "Final Fantasy Timewarp"

9am: "Hold on, I'll come have breakfast in a minute"
10am: "Why do I have a beard now? And why haven't I eaten in over 25 hours?"

Talk to me during the bee level and hear a strongly worded rebuttal! :-)

Plus we're not sitting in the dark.

Thankfully we also live in the greatest free museum city in the world so that keeps us busy, too. Add to that an inexpensive partial season tix plan for baseball... and kids athletics... and family trips... etc... etc... We hardly have time to see movies! What we want to see we usually see later on DVD, HBO, etc.

Let's see: Movie = $40 -v- Wii game (like the incredible Williams Pinball) =$20-$40. Which one will provide more hours of entertainment?

No bar can compete with the awesomeness that is Mario Galaxy.

@Ash78: I am in much the same boat. As an adult now I choose games very carefully to find ones that are not frustrating. I got tired of spending 2 hours playing only to find myself more irritated and un-relaxed than I was when I started!

It adds up when you start drinking there!

Instead of going to bars and watching movies in theaters, we're drinking PBR in the living room and playing Guitar Hero.

I'd have to say no. Video games taught me a level of rage and frustration as a young kid that nothing else could match. As an adult, I can see the allure, but it's the same allure as drinking beer all day. I'd love it, but I'd ultimately hate myself.

I'll admit I added to those figures. I bought myself a Wii and a few games this holiday season and it was my first video game purchase since my parents got me a Super Nintendo. BUT! I think it's a great economical answer for cold, cheap weekends. Friends can get together and be entertained for hours basically for free. It pays for itself rather quickly. I'd also like to see the sales for $1 Redbox. I think they're probably not too bad off either.