Happy Thanksgiving! With all that 2020 has thrown at us we all could use a day to reflect upon all the goodness we still have in our lives. For me, gaming is just one of the things on my list, though a quick look on the internet would make you wonder why. There is so much anger out there centered around gaming, and it really confuses me. I mean, gaming is a hobby, and hobbies are supposed to be enjoyable, right? I get it, there are times when I find myself getting upset about something going on in the gaming community too. So this Thanksgiving I suggest we all take the day to focus on the good that gaming has brought to our lives. I’m going to take it a step further and try to find the positive in several parts of gaming that usually bring about negative thoughts.
Delayed Games
I’m going to start this off with a tough one – we should all be thankful games are being delayed. Yeah, you heard me, I’m fine with it. There are so many games coming out these days that I can’t keep up. Slowing the release schedule down a bit has allowed me to catch up on my Steam backlog, try out some of the free games I’ve been collecting on the Epic Game Store, and get out and go for some walks with the family. And it may not be a game I play, but all you World of Warcraft players have to admit that delaying Shadowlands means you get to play it nonstop over the extended weekend.
Hard To Find Hardware
It may be hard to get a new video card or find a next-gen console but be thankful we have so many options to choose from. No matter how badly you want the new shiny Xbox Series X or PS5, hardware shortages are a first-world problem. There are a lot of us moaning and groaning as websites break under the stress of so many people trying to get the latest and greatest and, at the same time, there are less fortunate people trying to figure out where their next meal will come from. So stop, take a deep breath, and thank whatever deity you worship for all that you have. Then, take another deep breath, and get back to smashing that F5 button in the hopes of getting past the payment screen before you get that silly reindeer dog page.
Game Prices
While I’m on the topic of next-gen hardware woes, let’s all be thankful that games only cost $60 – $70. I was paying $50-$60 for a game back in the ’80s, and that was for some 8-bit piece of crap that a few guys made in their garage. To put that into perspective, a gallon of milk cost $2.20 back in 1985. At this very second, I can get a gallon of milk for $3.18 (I checked online, yet another thing to be thankful for). A little rough math would show that we should be paying around $90 for a game. Take into account that it takes hundreds of people and years of production to get a game like Cyberpunk 2077 out the door, and we should be very thankful that we are paying what we do for a game these days.
Free To Play Games
Instead of complaining about how free to play games and cash shops have ruined the gaming world, take a moment to be thankful for all of the free games we’ve been able to play. Even if it isn’t a perfect system F2P gives me the chance to play games on another person’s dime. There are a lot of F2P games that get it right – Fortnite, CoD Warzone, Warframe, and Path of Exile to name a few. And just think about how many games got a second chance when they switched from B2P or a subscription model to F2P.
Mobile Games
Along that same line, we should be thankful for mobile games. Sure, some of them are crappy but with thousands of them popping up every day there’s sure to be something that can fill that hour while you are waiting for your kid’s soccer practice to end. Not every game has to be a 10 out of 10 and compared to the portable gaming we had when I was a kid even the worst mobile games look good. Don’t believe me? You can get it on Amazon.
Weekly Episodes
On the non-gaming front, be thankful that The Mandalorian is a weekly series. If it was on Netflix and all the episodes came out at once the season would already be over and you wouldn’t have a new episode to look forward to every week. If COVID has taught me one thing, it’s that I don’t need everything at a moment’s notice. Wal~Mart closing every night at 10 isn’t the end of the world, and limiting us to 30-40 minutes of Baby Yoda each week is probably why we still think he’s so cute; grandparents everywhere understand what I mean, am I right?
A Great Group Of Writers
Last, but definitely not least, I’m thankful for the great group of writers we have here at GameSpace. Each of them has a love for gaming and other assorted geekery, and their passion for our hobby shows through in their writing. Even though most of us have never met in person I consider them more than just work associates – they’re family. And for that, I’m very thankful.
