By Frank Ling, GN Senior Writer
Overall reaction to Nintendo’s new motion sensing controller has been favorable. Peter Molyneux, co-founder of Lionhead Studios, on the other hand, sees something that may not have been considered in the equation—the physical conditioning of gamers when utilizing the Wii controller in combat games.
Molyneux made his observations in a speech at the Games Convention held in Leipzig, Germany. He said, "I’ve realized I’m an incredibly lazy person when I play games, and actually slouching back on the sofa, playing on my beer belly, is my most comfortable position. When I have to get up, it’s painful. I make noises and start grunting."
“I think motion-sensitivity is very, very useful, but I think the obvious way of doing it – unless you’re dealing with a 15 to 20 minute experience at most, of actually being hugely physical – is not where the opportunity lies here. I think it’s a more creative medium. It’s not turning a controller into a sword… You cannot do it for 20 hours."
He also thought the image of him flailing away in empty air with an imaginary sword or weapon was rather silly. He remarked, “But then I realized, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I actually looked really stupid.” Whether this image problem will affect sales of the Wii remains to be seen.
His assertion that extended physical battles will fatigue gamers may have some merit, whether a gamer is in good physical shape or not. A game that requires the constant motion of hacking and slashing for hours on end could tire almost anyone out.
