Games Change but Play Is Eternal

When I look back over the decade and a half that we have been running GameTruck parties, I am often shocked at the rate of change in video games and how our little company not only survived but thrived through it all.

It is hard to believe but I started putting down the first ideas for GameTruck in 2005. I assembled a prototype in my garage using an Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. I knew the Xbox 360 was coming thanks to my work in the video game industry. In fact, the graphics on some of the early prototypes for the Xbox 360 were so impressive – they crushed anything in the arcade. With the success of Halo as a local area network play game, I knew people would want to have that experience.

It’s Hard to Believe We Loved Those Old Consoles So Much

I happen to have this sort of “collection” of old gaming systems in my house. I have fond memories of playing “Zelda Ocarina of Time” with the kids when they were young. When I set up the garage prototype of GameTruck, we played, “Jack & Disaster” (Jack and Daxter on the PS2). 

So many people worried that GameTruck would not last because the games would change so often. I have to admit, it was a concern I had as well. But when I look back at those old games – and this is hard to do – do you still have a CRT television with an S-Video cable input? Remember those old RGB connectors? You had to plug in a bundle of them to get… gasp, 480i in rich color. 480 vertical rows of pixels interleaved. 

The jump to “HD” with 720P was amazing… until you look at it today.

The Games We Launched With

When we started the first GameTruck business, we used: 

• Halo
• Mario Kart Double Dash
• Smash Bros Melee
• Madden
• FIFA
• Call of Duty

And that was pretty much it. The world was obsessed with Grand Theft Auto at the time and parents were paranoid we would bring that game out. Of course, we never did because GTA was a single player game and we only wanted to bring out games that kids could play together.

Looking back on those old games it is hard to believe that we started before the launch of the Wii, before the Guitar Hero, Rock Band Craze, and before anyone used the words “esports”.

Not too long ago I fired up a copy of a video game I had worked on. ATV Offroad Fury. That game was fun to play, however by todays graphics standards it is hard to look at. It is also hard to recall how groundbreaking that game was at the time. Or how excited everyone was to see Zelda in 3D, or even Mario in his first all 3D adventure. Looking back it seems like it is hard to see what all the fuss was about – and yet those games hold a special place in my heart and the hearts of millions of children that grew up with them.

The Evergreens

A few of those games have evolved through to today, and remain as popular as they were when they were first introduced. While some entire genres of games have faded away (remember racing games? You hardly see those any more), a few games have become industries in their own right.

If you were to walk into a GameTruck Party today, I think it is interesting how some games have become nearly timeless in their appeal. These are games that kids just love to play together. While some games did in fact change our business (Fortnite cough cough), most games were fads that lasted for a while then faded away. (Remember Tony Hawk? How huge was that game?)

Even in 2021 you are still likely to see when you step into a GameTruck Party :

• Smash Bros Ultimate
• Minecraft (the new kid on the block)
• NBA2K (has muscled its way onto the sports scene) sometimes displacing Madden or FIFA, sometimes right alongside of it.
• Dance-Dance Revolution

And depending upon the game of the child, you could see:

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Call of Duty
• Fortnite

What we have learned

Over the years, what we have seen is that what really makes a party experience work, is a combination of key elements. The first is that we have the multiplayer games kids tend to be very interested in playing. Most kids in the 8-12 year old range are poly-gamers. They play the most popular games on a range of gaming systems. They can easily switch between building in Minecraft, battling it out in Smash Bros, or teaming up for a competitive game of Madden or NBA2K.

The Lure of playing together in person, and have a wide selection of the most popular games, updated and ready to go gives the players choice. The game itself is not nearly as important as the game a group is interested today is interested, up to date, and ready to play. This ready-to-play phenomenon is what I like to call Zero Friction Gaming.

Zero Friction Gaming

I believe that one of the reasons GameTruck has persisted all of these years is that our amazing staff take care of all the annoying details required for a dozen or more people to play together. Pre-COVID parties were much bugger, but in the beginning 8 – 10 kids was not uncommon. And that number – more than any one console can support – is the threshold problem. If you split even 8 players into groups of 2, this requires four systems, four screens, 8 controllers, sometimes we need to have multiple copies of the most popular games.

Most families just do not have the time, energy and resources to gather all of this equipment, let alone hook it up. (When is the last time you sync’d up a controller? – now imagine doing that for half a dozen of them in just a few minutes). The magic of GameTruck is that we show up ready to play. The players can step inside and share.

I guess what I’m getting at is that when there is no barrier to play – it is the friends that can make the magic happen. This is why we work so hard to keep the equipment update to date, updated, and well maintained. Availability is the number one factor in removing friction to game. The fast kids can play, the more fun they have, the less stressful it is for parents, and the more memories are made.

Specific games become less important than having access to lots of popular options that are ready to go. We have definitely seen this in our GameTruck @Home program. Every player gets a console. Every console has every game. Anyone can play anything at any time. Now that is Zero Friction Gaming.

Conclusion

Despite the many ups and downs and twists and turns of the video game industry, playing your favorite games with your best friends is as strong as ever. Maybe today we need to be a little more selective in who comes over, but the desire to play and make new memories has not abated. I am humbled that this crazy idea that started in my garage 15 years ago, is loved by kids, trusted by parents, and has delivered fun since 2006.

If I think about it, what makes GameTruck special? We make the best of gaming available to the most important people in your lives.

And that has not changed.