EA's collaboration with Steven Spielberg has been unveiled. Called Boom Blox, the Wii game features "brain twisting challenges" and "thirty wacky characters". Oh, and an apparently easy to use in-game editor. Not quite the Close Encounters music title I'd personally hoped for but it does sound amusing enough, especially for parents. Spielberg seems keen. "From the initial concept to what the game is today, it's always been built around the innovations the Wii brings to playing games. Boom Blox plays on the enjoyment of building and knocking down blocks, something that can appeal innately to kids and adults of all ages."
I'm convinced the parents-playing-games-with-their-kids market is set to become huge. Back in the 80s games, generally, were designed solely for kids. Parents at the time had little or no experience with gaming - anyone else tell their dad that the C64 would be "good for homework"? Things have obviously changed over the last 20 years and most new parents now - and certainly in the near future - are likely to have had at least some gaming experience. A Wii game that involves moving blocks seems a perfect fit for this audience. So yes, bring on Alan Wake, Fallout 3 and the other triple AAA's but don't discount the potential impact of the likes of Boom Blox.
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