The anxiety of trying to stay current in video games

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Tuesday, June 05, 2012

I wasn't sure what to say even in the headline for this article, so hopefully "anxiety" is the, not "ideal", but more appropriate word. 

Video games have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember; I remember that Christmas in '97, where I was maybe 6 or 7 and I got my first console, a Nintendo 64 with a copy of Diddy Kong Racing. I played that game for hours at a time and that experience then molded my interest in videogames for the rest of my life. 

As a child, of course, I was so bright eyed and bushy tailed about the world, and definitely not a seer who can tap into what the future holds. For me, at the time it was just pester mom long enough until I get another game I wanted to play. Simple. And easy to keep track of.

Well, It's the present now, and things aren't as easy. The once seemingly simple hobby of videogames is now a lifestyle, and an expensive one. Games now clock up to $60.00 by themselves, not including any DLC, Expansion Packs or whatever re-released/Collectors Edition they come up with later on. There are now three separate home consoles as well as handheld systems and games that are exclusive to the PC/Mac; all of them individually will cost a few arms and legs. And then there's the rumors and whispers saying that we are at the end of this generation and about make way into another one, meaning new and more expensive hardware.

Let's not of course forget the games. The dozens, if hundreds of games being released every year, some exclusive for a certain console, some mulitplatform. And I tell myself that I want to at least play most of them. But video games now aren't these simple little toys that can be finished in a lunch break, they're massive and are design to be played for as long as possible, taking up hours in the day in order to reach the final area and win. And that's maybe, what, just one game of the hundreds, if thousands of games I said that I wanted to play. Let's not forget any old last generation (and some going even further back than that) games I wanted to play that everyone else played but couldn't for whatever reason (money, class work, etc.)

Of course, I'd have to squeeze all of that into my already hectic life of school and part time job. Not to mention my free time efforts of becoming a video game journalism. And definitively not to mention trying to get enough hours of sleep a day and three meals a day. 

...In other words, I'm a little terrified!

 
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Comments (3)
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June 09, 2012

I certainly agree.  It's the same problem with any form of media.  New books, movies, television shows, and video games come out every week and it is impossible to keep on top of all of them.  Even for someone like me who only attends school and has no job, it is an inexorable tide of new content to consume.  Ridiculous but kind of unavoidable.

It becomes this odd game of playing what you feel is important to you for whatever reasons (because they are meaningful, they are from franchises you like, etc.).  When a free period finally comes up, you spend all your time trying to catch up on your backlog, just in time for new games to come out again.

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June 10, 2012

I would follow Justin's advice and only play those games which are important to you. All the hours and cash you spend playing games could be better invested elsewhere. I'd rather read a good book from the library than spend 30-60$ on a game that will cost me dozens of hours of my life. You need to get something out of the game that truly makes it worth it, not just the pleasure of saying "oh, I've played this!"

I honestly refuse to pay more than 20$ for games. Thus far, its worked great for me! There are so many old games to play, by the time you get around to that brand spanking new 60$ game that "just came out" it will have had a major price drop. Also, all the patches and dlc will have probably also been released. It's just a more intelligent practice.

Now, I have a couple of exceptions. Absolutely HUGE juggernauts like Bioshock Infinite are games I really feel the need to purchase day 1. Also, the market for collecting classic games online doesn't allow for such modest pricing.

Bmob
June 18, 2012

I think it's easy to forget that you are one person in a world of billions. You just can't read everything, or watch everything, or play everything. A portion of those billions will always be creating new things for yo to consume.

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