I used to be a former (hardcore) video gamer - the one who used to play Resident Evil, Zelda, FPS'. But got fed up with hardcore gaming, personal choice. The Palm OS and its applications (I currently have a TX) inspired me to go into the Realm of "nongaming" - as Nintendo would put it in their marketing buzzword. Programs on the Palm OS like McRazor, Digipet, Tealpaint, PicMemo, and many countless others have brought me to the Nintendo DS. I'm now a hardcore Palm OS user and at the same time, became a reincarnated gamer: now a Nongamer.
The DS' games and its apps (nongaming apps - DS Browser, as I've read in the net') have this similarity to Palms applications.
The current console I own (last one I'll ever own is a Gamecube). I only have one game: Animal Crossing, my favorite game (its a sim), but it is also in the nongaming genre. The Wii looks cool, I realized because of genres like nongaming: e.g. Cooking Mama. I used to be a Wii hater, but I'm realizing what is all about.
So I'm thinking of collecting games based on the level of "Nongaming" inclusion they provide. I'm gonna call it project "Kawaii". Kawaii means cute in Japanese. My intention is to collect girly cute games, simple, fun, and loads of innovation on the DS. I'm not gay or anything like that (which is fine),
but these types of games are built for use with the DS and they work naturally on the DS.
Yes, I did get a Pink DS, haha. But that adds experiene to the whole nongaming thing. My goal for project "Kawaii" is to move away from hardcore
gaming and into the mysterious realm of everyday mundaness, the world of the nongamer and see it through their eyes.
I'm planning to get my first game on the DS: Animal Crossing Wild World.
Since I have Animal Crossing on the Gamecube, I'll add Wild World as a companion to AC. Then I'm gonna buy Electroplankton, Nintendogs, Cooking Mama, Picross DS, Catz, Dogz, Brain Age 1 & 2, Wario ware twisted, etc.
I'm planning to collect these nongaming artifacts as time goes on and review them and write about them.
Astraware games like Bejeweled did inspire me to become a nongamer.
I like Bejeweled and play it often. I'm planning to get Starpop on my Palm TX soon.
BTW, anyone can do project Kawaii (I'm putting this as Open-Source),
you don't need a Pink DS. Any DS will do fine. I'm thinking of blogging this and even possibly doing a future podcast on nongaming and the Nintendo DS.
Try googling: Nongamer and you will see alot of articles on Ludology, the study of gameplay. It's really cool. I personally think that I like short and simple games now compared to games like Twilight Princess or Doom.
Just my opinion. As a gamer in 2007, we have more choices now compared to before the Wii and the DS were introduced.
I want to thank Nintendo if they are reading this...
Thank you for reincarnating me as a nongamer.
I also want to thank Palm Inc, Access, and the 3rd Party Devs. for providing those cool apps I mentioned on top of this post.
Anyone have recommendations and ideas for Project Kawaii or if you don't like it, please join me and we'll talk about it on this thread.
NO HARDCORE GAMING ALLOWED.
Please share your ideas.