April Blues … May’s Obscurity

April sure was a down month for the blog – only three days of posts. Hopefully May will be a little better, but the last few weeks have been pretty challenging with the usual suspects of work, family life, work, trying to buy and renovate my grandmother’s 102 year-old house. Still, life is good.

Some of Chris’ comments yesterday (see Bah Humbug!) really hit home. I bet if Kevin reads this he will start laughing because we frequently had this same sort of conversation.

The funny thing for me is that in the end, I think my love for videogames is being passed by my love for the good old days. The bigger issue is that I no longer feel inspired to write about games because I have less time to play them these days. When I do have time to play them, I do not want to worry about spending my free time writing, and I certainly do not want to spend my free time looking for issues (i.e. game flaws and bugs) that I have yet to discover.

So much has changed, but as I recently said in a previous post, and as Chris hinted at yesterday, maybe this has a lot to do with finally growing up. Maybe we are at the point where our innocence is long gone. Internet life and the gaming scene in general were so different in the mid to late 90s. It is almost impossible to explain if you were not “into” it back then, but if you were, you almost surely know what I am referring to and you almost certainly are feeling the same jaded frustrations.

The independent gamer of the past has faded away into obscurity; just look at this site’s history for an example, and look at what Chris is saying to understand that something extremely important and significant is going on in the gaming community. Many of us old bastards are becoming mainstream. The CG staff laughed at me a couple of years ago when I said as much about myself, but it is all too true, and Chris’ comments just confirm my belief that many of the stalwarts (if I can be so bold as to lump myself into that category) are passing the baton on to a new generation of gamers. What sort of nitch will they carve out? What will be their legacy? What will happen when the gaming community no longer gives a flying crap? Scary stuff; the torch really is passing … to where, I know not.

I am not saying that the mega sites do not have their place (I use them for video and images and the like), but the days of the individual contributor seem long gone. Who do you turn to when you want to find relevant gaming info? As guys like Chris fade out of gaming world (i.e. no longer covering games) so much is lost. It is really a damn shame, and from a selfish standpoint, I hate to see Chris and others get so jaded that they no longer feel passionate writing about games. I guess it is inevitable. Hopefully as Chris hinted, the world of the blog will open new doors and avenues so that the old bastards will continue to contribute in meaningful ways.

As for me, I will just try to keep on keeping on, but obviously the days of 4000+ word reviews are so far gone that no one seems to remember why we did that sort of stuff in the first place. The glory days of Usenet seem so far away …

To all you old bastards reading this blog, to past and current contributors, thanks for all the memories. You guys made (and hopefully will continue to make) gaming an entertaining endeavor.

Share

9 thoughts on “April Blues … May’s Obscurity”

  1. LOL, JC… Kevin did read it, Kevin laughed out loud, and Kevin’s feeling the same way! Ye old blog has only seen about 3 posts in April from me as well. I think it may go by the wayside, too…

    Ironically, the lack of updates corresponds directly with the commencement of running the soccer league. Busy at home equals no time for hobbies; not busy at home, equals renewed interest in gaming in writing. I guess I finally figured out my "cycle!"

    I still enjoying reading what the other old farts out there have to say on a regular basis, though!!

    It’s time to pass the torch, and pass around a "cold one," my friend! :-)

  2. Kevin – glad you finally figured out your cycle … must be the woman in you or something.

    I can always set you up here if you just want a place to post the occasional post or two.

  3. Hey – I’m secure in my masculinity!

    Nah, I’m done "retiring" and "unretiring." I’ll just leave the blog alone for now. Who knows what I’ll feel like in a month or two, when soccer’s done!

    By the way, my son’s team got their first win tonight! It’s been a tough year, but they are a "developmental" squad, made up of half U8 and half U9 players, playing against U9 teams. My son’s getting about 16-20 minutes a game (out of 50), playing mostly midfielder or defender on one of the sides. He’s learning a lot and getting much better as a player, but it doesn’t always show against the older boys. He’s fearless, though – always sticking his nose in their to get a foot on the ball. He’s had a hand in 4 goals this year, at least indirectly (the pass before the assist, if you will). I’m proud of him, obviously! :-)

  4. LOL, Ted… He’s already better than me at soccer. Plus, he’s much farther than I was in any sport at 8 years old, and he understands sports and competing much more than I did at that age. I guess I’ve been able to pass a few lessons-learned on down to him!

    Kevin

  5. "The bigger issue is that I no longer feel inspired to write about games because I have less time to play them these days. When I do have time to play them, I do not want to worry about spending my free time writing, and I certainly do not want to spend my free time looking for issues (i.e. game flaws and bugs) that I have yet to discover."

    This quote could not be any more true for me.

    While I’m sad to hear that some of you are less than excited about writing, I do feel good in the fact that I’m not the only one feeling this way. While I do have the desire to write, I don’t have the time to put into playing games or to write an in-depth review.

    When I do have the time to play games, I’m not concerned with finding gameplay flaws – life’s too short and gaming should be fun and that’s what I really feel that most people have forgotten. To be honest, most of my games don’t get enough playtime for me to personally find any major flaws.

    The warm weather and my busy schedule have also played a big part in the way I feel right now. Plus, I tend to move in cycles – sometimes I’m really into video games and other times I have no desire to play them at all.

  6. LOL, Jason… You just described must of us family-gamers to a tee! :-)

    At times, I really get geared up to commit to gaming and writing, but it *always* fades when I get other priorities. Yet, I can’t seem to completely let go of wanting to game and write. I have "issues," I guess!

    Kevin

  7. Jason – I have taken too long to send you a reply; sorry … "While I’m sad to hear that some of you are less than excited about writing, I do feel good in the fact that I’m not the only one feeling this way. While I do have the desire to write, I don’t have the time to put into playing games or to write an in-depth review.

    When I do have the time to play games, I’m not concerned with finding gameplay flaws – life’s too short and gaming should be fun and that’s what I really feel that most people have forgotten. To be honest, most of my games don’t get enough playtime for me to personally find any major flaws."

    I think I am feeling refreshed after my vacation, and actually want to write again … about damn time. I love video games, and I love to write about gaming. With that said, I doubt I will ever have the time again to write those 5K word reviews. Another place, another time.

Leave a Reply