When I was young, I was officially brought into the world of video games (by officially, I refer to when I first became addicted to them) when a friend got an 8-bit NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). My friend and I spent a lot of time playing Mario bros games, especially when SMB 3 came out. That was a turning point where I knew I wanted one of these systems and was lucky enough to get it that Christmas.
Now there were two of us that had an NES with plenty of games between us to play. Of course, “plenty” back then could be as simple as 6-8 games. That was more than enough to keep kids entertained for many months on end.
This is something that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. We seem to live in a world where we can quickly find ourselves buried in media content to have to catch up on. From TV series, to movies, to video games. For some, this is due to services like Xbox Game Pass. While many others it is due to the many sources of free games we could acquire on top of the ones we are already purchasing.
From time to time, I will find a great deal on a game I’ve thought was interesting that results in my buying it. $5 here, $10 there–the next thing you know, you keep finding really good deals you can’t pass up and the stack of games grows. Of course, I live a busy life so I don’t quite find the same time to play them like I was able to as a child.
So now, I have games building up while these before-mentioned free sources surround me from every angle. Options like monthly freebies that Xbox Live Gold, Amazon Prime, and/or PlayStation Plus members receive monthly. Then there are the many free games that you can get for free throughout the year from sources like Epic Games, Steam, GOG, and more.
I look at the collection of games that I have access to now and start to question how badly I really need “that new” Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, or God of War game (just to randomly name a few). If I can’t find the time to play the dozens and dozens of games I already own, how can I justify buying those? Not to mention the hundreds of games I have available to me through things like Xbox Game Pass.
Life is so much different than it was back in the 8-bit NES days. Back then, things were simple and the few games meant the world to us. Games like Mario Bros could last years before anyone got bored of the them. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I beat those Mario games.
Now, we quickly become overwhelmed by too many games to choose from. Too many TV series, movies, books, and other forms of media. It becomes to feel like we are a part of a system that profits from constant regurgitation in the hopes that consumer obsession is going to result in collecting it all like Pokemon, regardless of someone having the time to actually sit down and enjoy any of it or not.
I can see this as being an added ingredient of anxiety in someone’s life. Just another something to obsess about and stress over things like when you’ll actually get around to playing any of it. Personally, I just turn it all off and forget about most of the games until I have time to sit down and remind myself about how many I still haven’t played. Then I determine if I want to bother with any of it or climb a mountain with friends instead. Not everyone works that way though.
What do you think? Are we being overwhelmed with content? Buried in content that we will never find the time to catch up on? And if we do, will it take us away from the important tasks in life we should be focused on? Is it meant to keep us docile and ignorant to our general awareness and responsibilities? Or am I just exaggerating the situation a bit with my words? Maybe it’s nothing to even concern ourselves over. I mean, access to so many good free games or solid discounts is a great thing too, right? Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comment section below. I’d be interested to hear what you have to say on the topic.
