The More I Think About It...
The more I begin to think the best New Year's Resolution for me, assuming I can stick to it, is to swear off video games. And for more than one reason.
The most obvious reason of course is that they're a giant waste of time. Yes, they can be relaxing and in moderation they're really not bad. However, for a person like me, I'm way past moderation. I'm not trying to say I'd have actually accomplished anything with my life should I not have spent so much time playing some video game or another; chances are I'd have spent all that extra free time just staring at the wall. However, lately I've begun to feel like even that would be more personally productive than any video game achievement.
However, there's a much bigger reason than that which has been on my mind. And it's that, in my mind, video games these days just plain suck, at least compared to what they could be. Too many developers are putting more money into advertisement and graphics than they are into the actual content of the game (funny how similar this seems to Hollywood). In fact, much of what I feel is wrong with our current capitalist system is mirrored in the video game industry; and that is that it seems more important to these companies to make as much profit as possible than it is to make a quality product.
And don't get me wrong; I believe in capitalism. But there's a point in which it goes too far. Companies should be happy so much as they're making a profit. But these days too many companies are concerned with profit more than anything, to the point that in order to make more profit, they sacrifice product quality. And I think the video game industry has become the epitome of this.
So as much as I like the idea of quitting video games in order to give myself the chance to be a little more productive in life, I know that chance is very slim. (Believe it or not, I'm really good at staring at the wall, in fact I think I could be a world champion if there were ever a contest for it). However, quitting video games because I don't believe current developers in any way deserve my money (in fact, I really think many of them deserve my fist) seems like one of the greatest ideas I've ever had.
When people like Bobby Kotick are in charge of game companies; a man who once said, in regards to video game prices, "...you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further." (http://news.spong.com/article/18838/Activisions-Kotick-Id-Raise-Game-Prices-Even-More - source), there's something wrong with the industry. And for me to keep contributing to that (or anyone for that matter), just seems like a crime.
Anyways, my resolution isn't set in stone. And even if this were to be my resolution, how often are they really kept? And with one like this, I'm pretty sure friends like Girl X and my buddy Matt will do all they could to help me break it. Still, there's that nagging feeling that the best thing I can do for myself might be this.
The most obvious reason of course is that they're a giant waste of time. Yes, they can be relaxing and in moderation they're really not bad. However, for a person like me, I'm way past moderation. I'm not trying to say I'd have actually accomplished anything with my life should I not have spent so much time playing some video game or another; chances are I'd have spent all that extra free time just staring at the wall. However, lately I've begun to feel like even that would be more personally productive than any video game achievement.
However, there's a much bigger reason than that which has been on my mind. And it's that, in my mind, video games these days just plain suck, at least compared to what they could be. Too many developers are putting more money into advertisement and graphics than they are into the actual content of the game (funny how similar this seems to Hollywood). In fact, much of what I feel is wrong with our current capitalist system is mirrored in the video game industry; and that is that it seems more important to these companies to make as much profit as possible than it is to make a quality product.
And don't get me wrong; I believe in capitalism. But there's a point in which it goes too far. Companies should be happy so much as they're making a profit. But these days too many companies are concerned with profit more than anything, to the point that in order to make more profit, they sacrifice product quality. And I think the video game industry has become the epitome of this.
So as much as I like the idea of quitting video games in order to give myself the chance to be a little more productive in life, I know that chance is very slim. (Believe it or not, I'm really good at staring at the wall, in fact I think I could be a world champion if there were ever a contest for it). However, quitting video games because I don't believe current developers in any way deserve my money (in fact, I really think many of them deserve my fist) seems like one of the greatest ideas I've ever had.
When people like Bobby Kotick are in charge of game companies; a man who once said, in regards to video game prices, "...you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further." (http://news.spong.com/article/18838/Activisions-Kotick-Id-Raise-Game-Prices-Even-More - source), there's something wrong with the industry. And for me to keep contributing to that (or anyone for that matter), just seems like a crime.
Anyways, my resolution isn't set in stone. And even if this were to be my resolution, how often are they really kept? And with one like this, I'm pretty sure friends like Girl X and my buddy Matt will do all they could to help me break it. Still, there's that nagging feeling that the best thing I can do for myself might be this.
posted by Paul | 1:33 AM
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