There are numerous options for gamers these days. The list of devices with exclusive, either permanent or temporary, titles alone is daunting. Let alone how many titles are coming out for each. Let’s not forget the exploding indie scene either. Being in the industry over the years in a variety of ways – journalist, blogger, marketer and PR – I’ve dedicated obscene amounts of time to this hobby/job. Building an impressive rolodex of contacts over the years has earned me early access and other perks. But it’s also put me on plenty of lists I’d never expected (or wanted) to be on. Genres I’ve never covered, devices I don’t own, and so on. The amount of material I’ve to trudge through daily is obscene.
And necessary. After all there’s income involved. That isn’t the case for the average gamer. The one that’s looking for an entertainment. Attempting to bond with other like-minded individual or simply escape their current predicament to join a sci-fi/fantasy/superhero quest. Or puzzle. Or sandbox. Character adventure, simulator, sports franchise. The list goes on. My point is simple. We all have options. In fact, I firmly believe that every single person has a game – video or otherwise – that would addict them. The issue at hand is finding it in the noise. It doesn’t matter if you label yourself as a gamer or not.
You may have realized from the Lore Hound Twitch channel that I bounce all over the place, rarely focusing on one title. I’m constantly afraid that I’m missing something incredibly engaging. My brother has the uncanny ability to throw on horse blinders and go all in on a title for years. How did he do it?
That’s past tense because he’s drifted aimlessly since disengaging from Diablo III. It made me think that perhaps something has changed. The market has passed him by. I don’t believe it’s because video games are broken or that they’re less interesting than “back in my day.” Not at all. I really think it may be the noise that’s burned him out. At least at the moment. For me I simply have a psychological issue to keep tramping around. To get my mitts in every jar of honey. Do you?
Or, perhaps, the industry is saturated. Whatever, let’s stick with the honey. It’s sweeter.