Does the success of the Wii mean the death of the hardcore gamer?

Is it just me or did anyone else find this years E3 disturbing? There is no doubt now that the Wii is a mainstream success. Nintendo rammed that down our throats at the recent E3 press conference with little fanfare, but it was what Nintendo didn't say and what other game developers were announcing that began to worry me. From Microsoft's Scene it or to EA's Wii Play, the casual gamer seems to have become the new "target" audience for game developers. This makes sense as game developers try to broaden their marketbase, but how is this going to affect the hardcore base that has supported thse companies since their inceptions? Are we going to see less Halos or Call of Duties? Are game developers going to focus on more Jenga for Wii titles with little development costs, or are they going to continue the costly development of 360 or PS3 titles?

As the Wii's success continues, so will the shift of game development to the casual gamer. After all this industry with all it's fun is still about money and Nintendo has tapped into an audience once thought untouchable just a couple of years ago. Example, the other day my old man came over and actually wanted to play Wii Sports. It's was the first time I had seen him play a video game since baseball for the intellevision. He said, "I heard this Wii thing is for people like me." I was shocked but also amazed at what Nintendo has been able to accomplish. They got my dad to play video games. I'm sure he is not the only one and now I'm sure game developers are creating titles to keep him playing. My dad and my wife have always turned away to video games due to their preconcieved complex nature. They both think game controllers have too many buttons, but don't hesitate to pick up a Wii remote. Although it's cool to see them play Wii, do I really want them to keep playing if a future Halo title will be sacraficed to make Bungie's Halo: Master Chief's Party Games? I'm torn about this.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but even Nintendo made it loud and clear this E3 that they are moving away from the hardcore base. What I thought was their biggest title of the year Super Mario Galaxy was now second fiddle to the 15 minutes I saw of Wii Fit. Oh well. It looks like everyone is going to be playing it. Game developers just don't forget about guys like me. I'd rather shoot an BR55 rifle in Halo 2 than swing around a Wii remote anyday.