I hate watching movie trailers. With different teasers, multiple trailers, sneak peaks and promotional clips, I often feel like you see all the best bits from a film before it’s even released. I often think this is the same with video games too. The best immersive experiences, whether that be video games, books or movies, come from being surprised by the plot, or the world that the production is trying to portray.
Which is why, in my opinion, the best games are often the ones you don’t see coming. My brother often says that games that release their teasers too early feel like they always flunk, because by the time the game is actually out, the excitement for it has been and gone. I agree.
Gaming releases are a big deal right now. Everyone has seen Renee Gittins crying on TikTok because the indie game she’s been producing for ten years, Potions: A Curious Tale, got almost immediately bumped off the Steam list by 11 EA games that were released on the same day. This has sparked a lot of debate in the gaming community, especially because she finishes her video by saying “happy international women’s day, I guess.” A lot of comments explain that this is just what the industry is like, and it's not as if EA planned this to cause her problems. Other comments say she’d likely receive more sympathy if she was a man. Nonetheless, it does bring about the question: how can a developer juggle the length of time it takes to make a game, with how patient gamers will actually be?
Constant releases can mean poorer quality content and a gradual loss of interest as people begin to associate this poor quality with their productions. I won’t name any names, but I’ve definitely found this with a few online first person shooters that don’t seem to make any changes to their slightly less popular game modes. But I also understand that it’s tricky to produce good quality releases quickly, and some game developers notoriously overwork their employees to speed up production.
On top of this, less frequent releases means people might move on to a new game and lose interest in the brand or product, or worse, competitors could make something in between your updates so that when you finally do drop your release, people are too caught up in a different game to care. If this isn’t the case and gamers are still waiting in building anticipation for your release, then disappointment may be even more likely, because of how long people have had to wait.
I won’t pretend to know the answer on how companies can find this balance, I’m not a game developer, but I do think that as a gamer, maybe not listening to streamers as much is the way to go. This sounds pretty pessimistic, so here me out.
Influencers are entertaining, sure, but letting them dictate the games you play means that you feeling disappointed by a game that they and their thousands of followers like, makes you feel isolated in your opinion. Maybe you feel like you’re missing something, especially if you’re new to gaming. Equally, games that streamers don’t like but that you love, may result in you feeling less adequate, childish, or unwelcome in the gaming community.
Trying games you’re not sure about, that streamers say are bad, or that you think may not be your cup of tea, are all great ways to surprise yourself. I can practically guarantee that at least one game you think you won’t enjoy, is one that you actually will.
Something I’ve Learnt:
Sometimes avoiding the hype on the internet is the best way to enjoy a game.
What I’m playing now:
The chill game: Rayman Legends
The intense game: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies
The solo game: Red Dead Redemption 2
What I’m looking forward to playing:
Sea of Thieves