my-new-years-challenge-to-gamers-around

But I’d also like to do my small bit to challenge gamers around the world to also make some New Year’s resolutions around the hobby that we all love. One of the things that frustrates me about this industry is that all too often people get pulled into a negative mindset where glasses everywhere are half empty and no one seems to be able to do right by the consumers.

So I’d like to challenge gamers to shift their mindsets around a little to a more positive and productive view of the games industry;

• Judge games based on quality, not arbitrary factors like price or length. Some of the greatest games I’ve ever played have lasted four hours. I’ve also played 100+ hour long RPGs that were like pulling teeth. Length is no measure of quality. Nor is price; a terrible game isn’t worth $1, but a classic game that you’ll replay, discuss on forums and social networks, and keep around to pull out for a hit of nostalgia in ten years after everyone else has moved on to new consoles is well worth $60. For a great example – Angry Birds on the consoles it’s a $20-$30 game, but it’s free on Facebook or $0.99 on iOS. I would challenge gamers to, as a New Year’s resolution, realise that if you’re looking for a quality casual game, and don’t want to play it on Facebook and don’t have an iPad or iPhone, then you’re still getting a heck of a game for $20-$30. So what if someone else got it cheaper? If you enjoy it, it was a worthwhile purchase.
• Don’t take games so personally. We all love games, of course, and when it’s a game that we’ve really connected with, it’s easy to take things out of proportion. There are thankfully very few people out there that will send death threats to a developer for rebalancing the multiplayer component of the game (though it did happen to the Call of Duty people for changing the power of a few favourite guns), but many of us are guilty of lesser examples of taking games too seriously. If you’ve ever slammed a critic for giving a game you liked a poor score, or taken to Twitter because your favourite Japanese game was released in the west lacking the Japanese voice track (I admit I was guilty of this in the past), then you’ve probably become a little too attached to a game. Don’t forget – if something doesn’t appeal to you then there is always the option of either not buying it, or to stop playing it. No need to get angry!
• Be more tolerant of other people’s tastes. I’ve been around gaming forums and on the social networks for many, many years, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen people attacked for simply liking a game that other people don’t. In fact, as a fan of a game like Love Plus, I’ve often been the target myself. You may well mean it as a joke, but it’s unnecessary. And in fact this applies to consoles as well. Console wars are a completely unnecessary fight that so many gamers insist on having. If you don’t like playing games on an iPad, then fine, don’t buy one. If you don’t see the value in the Wii U, then great. But leave other people to enjoy their iPad or Wii U games in their own way. Point is, enjoy your games, but don’t attack people who don’t enjoy what you do.