Sometimes, as a 42 year
old man, I wonder if I should still be playing video games. Very few of my
peers still do, and even fewer with the fervent fever I can sometimes display.
I'm still scheduling days off to make sure I get to play an anticipated release
as soon as it drops, despite the industry's penchant for delaying games,
even several times in one year.
Once a decade, or
so, The Big Three seem to get together and decide the time
is ripe once again to reach their hands into our pockets and force us to throw
down another half-a-grand in order to get to play the Next Generation of
Western Time Sinks. And for the last 2 big console releases, I always talk
about how this wasn't necessary for me to be involved in. I am an Adult! I
should stop wasting my time and my life on Vidja Games, and do the other
things adults my age do....like lawn-mowing, and watching Football, and
destroying a 12 pack of Coors Light on the back porch in an effort to avoid my
family. Is that a normal life? "What the fuck is that? Barbecues and Backyards?" as Neil McCauley would say.
I initially balk at the
idea of getting the newest console on release day, but that quickly turns into
mass panic a week or two later when I realize I might actually miss out on the
can’t miss amazing release title, like…Knack. Then I’m scouring my local electronics
retailer, wife and kid in tow, praying one slipped through the crack. (This
happened with the PS4, where I was able to score one a week after release at
the local Hastings. The kid ringing me up wanted to take my picture. I politely
declined.)
Author Jane McGonigal wrote
a few years back that "Reality is Broken"; the reason so many of us retreat
into virtual worlds is that we find the endless grind of the real world
unfulfilling. Video Games offer us attainable goals, clearly defined parameters,
and a fairness that is too often lacking IRL. I don’t know if I agree with her
totally. There’s still a lot real life offers that even Unreal Engine 5 can’t
replicate. But I do think Gaming is still fairly healthy. It’s a hobby, just like
most others, and yeah, it can be expensive,
especially at the beginning of a new console life cycle. But fishing can be costly,
as well.
Anyhoo, this was just supposed
to be a test post anyways. I hope you all are enjoying the Podcast. Now, if you
will excuse me, I have to go get the Platinum Trophy for The Last of Us Part II
before Vacation is over.
Ryan S