You know, the idea of giving up video games has begun to creep into my mind

[Crickett]

This has been for a couple of reasons.

1. Other than Diablo 3, there is no currently announced game that I have much interest in going forward. I have difficulty seeing Halo 4 as anything other than separate and distinct from the rest of the Halo franchise and simply put, I gave up on Halo multiplayer back in the days of Halo 3. And any interest I have in Dead or Alive 5 stems not from it's game quality, but rather simply from T & A.

2. The Mass Effect ending has had a more widespread impact on me than most (I think). No, I haven't gone to complain or sign a petition or join a movement. What I have done is decided Bioware no longer deserves any more of my money. But it goes further than that. Ever since I found out what the ending of Mass Effect 3 was, I find I generally don't enjoy playing games IN GENERAL as much as I used to. I still play them, but I don't feel like I get as much out of them anymore. Perhaps this will pass, but I find the ending has had a negative effect on my interest in games in general.

3. On disc DLC. Remember in the ME3 discussion when Isard was talking about how Day 1 DLC begins development after the rest of the game? Well, it's gone a step further and there have apparently been instances (especially in Capcom games) where supposed DLC (didn't that stand for "DownLoadable Content"?) has been found on the disc itself. I have no intention of buying a single player video game that I am required to pay extra for on disc content. Given the current price and/or quality of video games, I can't support any game company that engages in this practice. Having spoken to a friend of mine who is an avid Xbox Live Arcade player and literally owns a copy of every XBLA game in existence, I have learned that Capcom is not the lone company doing this that I thought they were.

4. Rumors of measures to be taken in the next console cycle to eliminate the used games market. Allegedly, the PS4 and/or Xbox 720 (assumed names) are going to have DRM to prevent you from playing the games you have purchased on any other console than your own. Now, in my life, I have only ever sold one video game to a game retailer. That being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. But to lose that option, to lose the ability to rent or borrow games from friends, or to even play console games you own at a friends house because they don't reduces the value of the products being purchased. It also reduces the outlets I have to discover games. After Modern Warfare 2, I had no impetus to buy the third. Until someone lent me the game and I got to see the horde mode in Modern Warfare 3. If I hadn't had the opportunity to rent Sonic: Generations, I wouldn't have made the decision to buy a copy. The same goes for lets say Burnout: Revenge.


Last year with the increase of price of Marvel comics combined with the DC reboot, I stopped buying comic books altogether. I still read the old ones, but the closest I get to buying them are free previews on a phone app I have. I'm worried 2012 or 2013 will be the year I do the same with video games.



Sorry if this seemed like rambling, but I had to get it off of my chest. Thank you for reading.