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New Year, New Game’s, New Expectations.
A new year boasts the promise of new expectations. Opportunities to promote and impart new persuasive directions in our lives, culture and society as a whole. We seek the rejuvenating infancy of a new year to energize our collective lethargy, speculating as to its potential as well as its uncertain conclusion. Every year we dismiss the previous 12 months as hideous blemish on our ever kinetic lives, reflecting on the salient points of contention as turbulent examinations we have endeavoured to conquer. Retribution lies in the omissions of last years beleaguered pursuits and looking forward to the hedonistic pleasures of the year to come. With fresh perspectives that can imbue us with a new sense of purpose, deriving a great sense of freedom from a year brimming with potential.
Now ordinarily by this point, having established a positive context from which to build on I would interject with some sardonic cynicism that refutes the sentiments divulged above. Chortling insufferably at my own manipulative wit. “Ha, fools! I don’t really believe this year is going to be any good!” As I chuckle, guffaw and inhale my own fart with satisfying conviction. But I’m not going to do that. For one that’s gross and not funny, just irritating. But more importantly I don’t feel as though pessimism is doing me much good anyway.
All year I grunt and grown, lamenting the castration of gaming content that’s carved up and portioned off in expensive monetized segments, or debilitated by aggressive micro transactions to boost a company’s revenue. These things still irritate me, as they do most people, but let’s take comfort in fact that thanks to the incessant greed of “Star Wars Battlefront 2” loot crates and other surplus exploitations are finally being met with notable concern and perhaps even legal repercussions. There’s a feeling of positive transition that will take time to mediate with any significant effect to the way in which the industry conducts its business for sure. But let’s no forget the encouraging advancements of 2017 that can fortify the year ahead.
From a personal perspective 2017 provided an assuage of irresistible content, that has not only profited from financial dividends and eulogized acclaim, but revitalised my dwindling affinity for gaming itself. The likes of “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy”, “Zelda Breath Of The Wild” and “Horizon Zero Dawn” have been enormously encouraging to the preservation of the seemingly disdainful intimacy of the single player format. Warframe’s continued progression as a transparent and highly congenial partisan for the free to play concept, that relies on the frequent, liberating collusion of its players, as well as the communities generous contributions to sustain it, as opposed to demanding financial restitution or locking content behind pay walls has elevated it beyond the inflated audacity of other contrived, space orientated shooters. Not to mention 2017’s most confounding success story: The Nintendo Switch. An astounding hybrid device that seemed to startle industry analysts with its unconventional proposals, such as producing quality projects like Zelda and “Super Mario Odyssey”, while permitting access to these games entire content with the mere purchase of the game, rather than comprising its quality with invasive obstructions? What a novel idea!
Listen, I’m trying to remain positive here, instilled with that kind of new year purpose that provokes new diets or career changes in many. But I feel last year gave us such a compelling incentive to be positive with the quality of both software and hardware benefitting consumers. This newfound sense of affirmative ideology won’t deter my acerbic and sceptical apprehensions that linger like an unwanted Christmas gift, but if 2018 can emulate that same momentum carried from last year then I think we have every reason to feel positive for the year ahead.
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