Social Play: Touch Golf

We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. However because we're nice people we aren't restricting which forums you can see. However you might not be able to see posted images and user signatures/avatars. If you join our community, you'll be able to see everything there is to see, and use many member-only features such as customising your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Social Play: Touch Golf; Or how to become a golf fanboy...
Topic Started: Tuesday Mar 28 2006, 11:46 PM (316 Views)
e-DS	Tuesday Mar 28 2006, 11:46 PM Post #1
Gentlemen of stealth Posts: 602 Group: Members Member #182 Joined: August 17, 2005	Originally posted at 4CR ... Sometimes things just don’t go to plan. You may have originally intended to write a review of Nintendo Touch Golf (or True Swing Golf as it’s called in the States), but instead you find the game’s impact on your personal life far more intriguing. So how did a once oblivious novice become an avid golf fan? The blame falls squarely on Nintendo and its addictive Touch Golf. Won’t you join me on the green and learn how an innocuous video game became an obsession? Plaid pants and ridiculous hats are optional. Origin of obsession As with any addiction, it all started with a little experimenting. Let’s venture back a few weeks to the middle of January, to where it all began – the Nintendo Connect Tour. As the Nintendo Connect Tour began to wind down, I decided it was a good time to leave. I had experienced everything the tour had to offer, but before I left I wanted to leave with a free game demo. Only three games were on offer: Mario Kart DS, Meteos and Nintendo Touch Golf. Since I was familiar with the first two games, I decided to try something new. I wanted to explore the unknown terrain of virtual golf. With the game safely loaded into the DS, I decided to try it out on the long trip home. From start to finish the game had me completely hooked. The deceptively simple ‘swing mechanism’ with the stylus was easy to learn and intuitive. Golf gradually became less mysterious and more accessible as the game went on. My first round was a horrendous twelve over par (+12). Even my virtual avatar looked embarrassed, he was covering his face with his hands! But it didn’t really matter, as it was pure fun. In less than an hour, Touch Golf had me convinced – Golf was indeed the best sport ever created. With time I began to learn the deeper nuances and possibilities within the game. Hitting the ball at an angle meant the ability to hook it left or right, allowing for greater control. Reading the green became easier and I even gained greater confidence in my club selection. In essence, golf moved passed whacking a ball around a course into an intricate science. The transition was a startling occurrence. The initial fun had transformed itself into enjoyment derived from forethought and careful strategy. It got me wondering, did all hobbies start like this? Was there a predictable path, where curiosity moved into deeper involvement? Golf balls and male bonding If anything helps develop an interest, it’s social interaction. A viable game culture would be unsustainable unless there were active fans. Passion is often infectious and when shared between people the effects are often positive. “What are you playing?” Asks Dave. “It’s this cool golf game I picked up – here give it a go” My boss picks up the game and mimics my actions with the stylus. “So you pull it back and then forward?” he asks. “Yes, you control the speed, power and movement depending on your line.” I reply. “Cool” Dave continues to practice his stroke and seems to grasp the mechanics. After considering his shot Dave let’s out a small cheer. He’s managed to birdie a hole and it was only his first go! After congratulating Dave, I put the DS to sleep and started my shift. But during my shift, the subject of golf was the only thing we could talk about. We discussed other video games, such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour (a game which Dave has mastered) and how they worked in their swing mechanism. I asked questions about the real game and Dave related some of his own experience. The conversation must have been annoying to others, but for me it was both exciting and illuminating. In fact, these sorts of conversations must be routine for gamers. How many times have you been embroiled in a conversation about video games to the annoyance of those around you? How many times have you debated whether Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo were ruining the industry? How many times have you tried to explain and demonstrate the ‘magic’ of video games to significant people in your life only to get a flat response? The answer for most gamers is probably almost always. Passion for something is inescapable and often you’ll share it with others whether you mean to or not. But what did it all mean? Possibly it meant that the entertainment value of the object (Touch Golf) had been transcended. Golf had suddenly spilled over into social importance, at least within my own perspective. Converging interests As time moved on, my interest in golf blossomed. I began to watch and become interested in actual Golf Tournaments. The first tournament I watched was the ANZ Ladies Masters. In this tournament, Amy Yang a 16-year-old schoolgirl achieved history by being the first amateur to win a professional tournament in Australia. Amy Yang’s quiet determination and unquestionable skill on the green was fascinating to watch and earned her adulation in the press and from her peers. What occurred to me after watching the tournament was how connected the world of golf was to video games. In both areas, skillfulness takes pride over brute power and force. While most people will gush over a powerful drive, it means nothing if you can’t putt. Likewise, video games are nothing except a show of skill. No one ever uploaded a video about how hard they could press a button on a controller. Instead, you see videos of unbelievable Mario Kart times and insane Street Fighter pros who fight back only to win the match and the respect of so many gamers. It’s not if you win that matters, it’s how you do it. The two disparate worlds of golf and video games converged suddenly within my brain. The line of distinction between these two worlds became less and less obvious. For instance, several millions of players enjoyed golf or video games on a regular basis and probably engaged in some form of social communication about their hobby with like-minded people. Both shared their fantastic moments as well as their frustrating ones. And many wives thought it was a complete waste of time. Golfers and video gamers might use different methods to play their respective ‘games’, but in reality, their cultures were so alike. Conclusion It seemed eerily appropriate that the handheld that reinvigorated my interest in video games would lead me to a wholly different hobby. The DS felt like a passport into gaming, and with that passport I was limited only by the imagination of game developers. In fact, it felt less and less like what we used to call ‘gaming’ and more about ‘experiencing’. I wasn’t just playing golf for the first time; I felt like I was experiencing it also. With that in mind there are only two goals for me this year when it comes to golf and gaming. The first is to take up the real game of golf and the second is to be more adventurous when choosing my video games. Who knows where the next video game may lead me?



e-DS	Sunday Apr 16 2006, 12:19 AM Post #2
Gentlemen of stealth Posts: 602 Group: Members Member #182 Joined: August 17, 2005	Over sixty views and NO comments! Come on, someone has to hate it! :)



Eagle Boy	Sunday Apr 16 2006, 11:28 PM Post #3
Unregistered	I dont' think people can be stuffed reading all that stuff (me).
Unregistered


glitchey	Sunday Apr 16 2006, 11:38 PM Post #4
happy chanukah, biatch Posts: 509 Group: Members Member #635 Joined: February 12, 2006	well then you shouldn't be in the review section, come on wall of texts are a sign a review is good
	you sunk my jangerjam! friend codes: mph- glit©hey 3050 1413 2274 steam id: zdez I got a Wii, but my internet is being a tard, so no codes just yet "if at first you dont suceed, you fail"


spazmatron	Thursday May 11 2006, 04:47 PM Post #5
Posts: 109 Group: Members Member #576 Joined: January 13, 2006	hahaha i liked your review :) it took me all the way back to the days of Leaderboard on the c64... i also quite enjoyed touch golf challenge birdie thing or whatever they call it here... it's very satisfying making good shots, and much more entertaining then pressing buttons while watching a meter go up and down.



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)


« Previous Topic · General Gaming, Hardware & News · Next Topic »