TITLE: Gaming Slump AUTHOR: KyoshoBallard DATE: 12/15/2005 06:13:00 ip. ----- BODY:

I appologize in advance for this. I'm mostly going to be rambling in a whiny sort of way. Blame Jim if you don't like it. Heh. As stated at the beginning of my previous article, I am in a gaming slump. These happen a lot, and many times I don't know what causes them. But this time I do. It's a few things. I'm going through an annoying time in my life, and that's one factor. The main problem, though, is a lack of money. I don't have the money to buy any of the games I want to play. Even if I did, I don't have a computer up-to-date enough to run them. Nor a console. The newest console I have is a N64. Even then, I don't have a TV of my own on which to play them anyways. There's emulation, sure. I've done some N64 emulating, but that's not the point. The games I want to play are not on the N64 or PSX. They're on the PC. And a few on the current generation consoles. I'm not a console gamer in general, but right now I'd kill for a Gamecube or Xbox or PS2. Perhaps if I get enough money for Christmas (fat chance), I could buy a used Gamecube and perhaps a VGA adaptor. Even if I could, I wouldn't have enough for games. Bleh. I have quite a few completely unplayed games sitting around. I have no interest in playing them, though. They're games I got in trades, or ones I bought on impulse. It seems if I go to a store with an intention of buying a game, and there's nothing that looks interesting in my price range (which usually means $10 jewel case games), I cannot leave the store without buying a game. So I'll buy one that I have just a tiny bit of interest in. But when I get home, I know I won't play it. Take Stronghold for instance. When it first came out, I had a small interest in it and wanted to try it, but never did at the time. When I made one of those trips to the store for a game (which I do perhaps once every 3 months), I bought it simply because there was nothing else. I don't even like RTSes. At all. Why did I buy it? Even with games I'm interested in playing, I sometimes end up not playing them because by the time I get them, I've lost interest. I have a limited attention span when it comes to new games. What I mean is... Well, let me give you an example. At one point, I really really wanted to play MechCommander Gold. This was when I was involved in the MechCommander 2 preview beta. Everyone was talking about how great the first one was, so I badly wanted to play it. Well, it was no longer sold in stores, so I had to buy it on ebay. The transaction and shipment took about two weeks. By the time it arrived at my house, I was no longer interested in playing it. I believe I've installed it once since then, but it stayed on my harddrive for less than 24 hours because I just didn't want to play that sort of game. And maybe never will. I guess part of the reason I lost interest in MechCommander Gold was that those people in the MC2 private newsgroup had stopped talking about it so much. For some reason, when I know a lot of other people are playing the same game as me, it makes me want to play it more. I suppose it's because I know there are people who are willing to discuss the game. Want to discuss the game. And I want to take part in those discussions. That's kind of stupid, but it's true. I think that's the reason why most people buy new releases. If they were smart, they'd wait for some reviews, and for the hype-factor to wear off, and if it did, then they'd buy it. But by then people might not be talking about it. Discussing a game I've recently played, or am playing at the moment, always seems to make it more fun. It's not the trend-factor. I wouldn't play a game only because other people are playing it. It has to sound like something I'd enjoy, too. I guess that describes my slump. I don't have the money to play those games that other people are discussing, or that I just really want to play in general. Like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. People aren't talking about it so much anymore, but that's one I'd want to play regardless. But I don't have a PS2. Bleh. Thus concludes my ramblings.

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:  Anonyymi EMAIL: URL: DATE: 18:59 Get a job, you slacker. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:  Tom Carrick EMAIL: URL: DATE: 19:08 I don't have a job, and I can afford games :D ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:  Anonyymi EMAIL: URL: DATE: 17:12 I think your problem is overabundance, which often manifests in unplayed computer games, but points at a larger sociological phenomenon. As Attila the Stockbroker puts it in one of his songs:

"A hundred thousand garden gnomes
Outside a hundred thousand home
Are standing on their own two feet today."

Think about the wisdom of those words. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:  Anonyymi EMAIL: URL: DATE: 10:24 Herd-thought + hedonism ('overabundance' as said in the last comment) ?

It's part of today's culture, I guess. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:  Anonyymi EMAIL: URL: DATE: 12:08 Game discussion is alright, if it serves some end. But if the game is good, I'd rather play it. I'd rather have sex than talk about it, etc. Although I'll read reviews from time to time, I like to try a game without proconceptions. Nevertheless, I will not play anything that is universally considered bad or poor.

I use to download and then buy anything when it came to games. But I find striking a reasonable balance is really important (as it is, with anything). Keep in mind what you intend to play and avoid "loading up" on stuff you probably aren't going to touch. In this way, you won't waste your time or money.

Nevermind what other people like, play what you like. It's good to try new things, but if every RTS game falls flat on you, it may be wise to stay away from them all. ----- --------