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Christmas. The crisp clean air, the sparkling lights, the soft white snow blanketing the ground (or rain soaking you through if you live in Cornwall). For many, this is the best time of the year, a time for family, friends, and food -- and lest we forget, the season when all those game company marketing experts try to shove the latest crop of games into everyone’s stockings.
There are three major release periods in the year for most game companies, and within these there are several sub-periods as well. The Holy Grail, the make or break for many in the business, is the Christmas season. The fact is, most retail businesses earn 33% or more of their annual revenue in the months of November and December, and this goes for nearly every sector of the market. So, the Christmas release is period number one, running from late October through December 24th. The sub-period associated with Christmas is the Boxing week release, which is for games that weren’t quite ready in time for the big rush, but can still count on decent sales as people swarm back to the malls to offload the junk they got from Aunt Gertrude. Baldur’s Gate was a favorite replacement for Auntie’s generous “Twister: Online” gift from last year. This sub-period can actually extend well into January, as was shown by the incredible success of Diablo a couple of years ago. Between Christmas and Boxing week, approximately 30-40% of all games are released. The remainder is spread up between the “Couldn’t make Christmas” period (late January to April); the “We’ll pretend we intended a summer release” sub-period (May-June); the “Damn it’s too late for Christmas, but it’ll be outdated in two months” period (July-August); and the “Games? What games?” sub-period (September-October), during which we rarely see anything that doesn’t have the words Extreme or Hunting somewhere in the title, with the fine exception of a couple of games with “Hockey” in their names.
So, you may be asking yourself (if you haven’t hit the Back button yet), what is his point? Well, I used to look forward to Christmas, just like any one of you. Dreams of gaming goodness flooding my computer system while my family stuffed their faces with turkey kept me awake for long hours of anticipation. Christmas morning would dawn, and inevitably I’d get several new turtlenecks, and a hand knitted pair of slippers. Now, I was stuck. After spending all my money to buy presents for these ingrates, how was I supposed to afford more than one or two of the great games just released? Never mind the fact that my toes were toastie, and my throat protected from the cruel winter chill. No, who needs to go outside if they have reams of gaming goodness to enjoy? Occasionally, I’d get a game under the tree, and it was always a time of great rejoicing. And yet…
Even if every member of our family and every friend we exchange gifts with were to buy us one of the great games coming out around Christmas, there’d still be a truckload’s worth you’d want as well. The real problem of the season is the huge overload dumped on us. So, I learned a while back to stop whining to my loved ones, and instead try to think of ways to deal with the marketing madness. That thought lasted until the next Christmas season was upon me, when I yet again began to slobber for all the great games coming out. So, I’ve come to a conclusion as to the best way to deal with this boon of gaming goodness.
It’s called biting the bullet, friends, deciding which one or two or half dozen games you absolutely cannot, will not do without, and forgetting about the rest. Unless you are an independently wealthy, unmarried person, there’s little time to play everything that’s out there, let alone pay for it. You may, in the months following Christmas, elect to try to catch up via the Bargain Bin or through bundles. In fact, I have tried this route, and have even gotten so far as to open a few of the boxes up; but with a well-spaced bunch of good games at other times of the year (read: really late for Christmas), it is a losing battle trying to find the time. Christmas, my friends, is not really a time of great boon for the avid gamer; it is in fact his or her bane.
This not to say that I do not enjoy the Christmas season. I’m right there with the rest of you, walking the aisles of my local SR, drool dripping off my chin. The feeling of anticipation that builds is something I wouldn’t want to live without. And yet at times, the butterflies creep up into my chest and end up feeling like a low-grade coronary. Ah, the joy and the pain that is the holiday season…
So I am left with one final recourse, a down-on-my-knees plea to the great gaming gods in the sky: Please, oh please, space those great games out! Give me a chance to experience all of those unforgettable moments you’ve worked so hard to bring to my screen. Oh, and Mom, if you happen to be reading this, I’d like Twisted Metal: Black, and Empire Earth, Ecks vs Sever, and……
Thanks for Reading,
o(^_^)o
There are three major release periods in the year for most game companies, and within these there are several sub-periods as well. The Holy Grail, the make or break for many in the business, is the Christmas season. The fact is, most retail businesses earn 33% or more of their annual revenue in the months of November and December, and this goes for nearly every sector of the market. So, the Christmas release is period number one, running from late October through December 24th. The sub-period associated with Christmas is the Boxing week release, which is for games that weren’t quite ready in time for the big rush, but can still count on decent sales as people swarm back to the malls to offload the junk they got from Aunt Gertrude. Baldur’s Gate was a favorite replacement for Auntie’s generous “Twister: Online” gift from last year. This sub-period can actually extend well into January, as was shown by the incredible success of Diablo a couple of years ago. Between Christmas and Boxing week, approximately 30-40% of all games are released. The remainder is spread up between the “Couldn’t make Christmas” period (late January to April); the “We’ll pretend we intended a summer release” sub-period (May-June); the “Damn it’s too late for Christmas, but it’ll be outdated in two months” period (July-August); and the “Games? What games?” sub-period (September-October), during which we rarely see anything that doesn’t have the words Extreme or Hunting somewhere in the title, with the fine exception of a couple of games with “Hockey” in their names.
So, you may be asking yourself (if you haven’t hit the Back button yet), what is his point? Well, I used to look forward to Christmas, just like any one of you. Dreams of gaming goodness flooding my computer system while my family stuffed their faces with turkey kept me awake for long hours of anticipation. Christmas morning would dawn, and inevitably I’d get several new turtlenecks, and a hand knitted pair of slippers. Now, I was stuck. After spending all my money to buy presents for these ingrates, how was I supposed to afford more than one or two of the great games just released? Never mind the fact that my toes were toastie, and my throat protected from the cruel winter chill. No, who needs to go outside if they have reams of gaming goodness to enjoy? Occasionally, I’d get a game under the tree, and it was always a time of great rejoicing. And yet…
Even if every member of our family and every friend we exchange gifts with were to buy us one of the great games coming out around Christmas, there’d still be a truckload’s worth you’d want as well. The real problem of the season is the huge overload dumped on us. So, I learned a while back to stop whining to my loved ones, and instead try to think of ways to deal with the marketing madness. That thought lasted until the next Christmas season was upon me, when I yet again began to slobber for all the great games coming out. So, I’ve come to a conclusion as to the best way to deal with this boon of gaming goodness.
It’s called biting the bullet, friends, deciding which one or two or half dozen games you absolutely cannot, will not do without, and forgetting about the rest. Unless you are an independently wealthy, unmarried person, there’s little time to play everything that’s out there, let alone pay for it. You may, in the months following Christmas, elect to try to catch up via the Bargain Bin or through bundles. In fact, I have tried this route, and have even gotten so far as to open a few of the boxes up; but with a well-spaced bunch of good games at other times of the year (read: really late for Christmas), it is a losing battle trying to find the time. Christmas, my friends, is not really a time of great boon for the avid gamer; it is in fact his or her bane.
This not to say that I do not enjoy the Christmas season. I’m right there with the rest of you, walking the aisles of my local SR, drool dripping off my chin. The feeling of anticipation that builds is something I wouldn’t want to live without. And yet at times, the butterflies creep up into my chest and end up feeling like a low-grade coronary. Ah, the joy and the pain that is the holiday season…
So I am left with one final recourse, a down-on-my-knees plea to the great gaming gods in the sky: Please, oh please, space those great games out! Give me a chance to experience all of those unforgettable moments you’ve worked so hard to bring to my screen. Oh, and Mom, if you happen to be reading this, I’d like Twisted Metal: Black, and Empire Earth, Ecks vs Sever, and……
Thanks for Reading,
o(^_^)o
hmmm *scratches chin*
"Boon, Bane or Bust" - I don't know why, but that makes me laugh.
Stryke wrote:
> Boon? Bane? When were you born, 1932?
I'm sure I saw those words when I was studying 1642 I think it was, in my immature days.
Richard of York lost battle in 'Bane' :)
> Boon? Bane? When were you born, 1932?
I'm sure I saw those words when I was studying 1642 I think it was, in my immature days.
Richard of York lost battle in 'Bane' :)
Boon? Bane? When were you born, 1932?
Christmas. The crisp clean air, the sparkling lights, the soft white snow blanketing the ground (or rain soaking you through if you live in Cornwall). For many, this is the best time of the year, a time for family, friends, and food -- and lest we forget, the season when all those game company marketing experts try to shove the latest crop of games into everyone’s stockings.
There are three major release periods in the year for most game companies, and within these there are several sub-periods as well. The Holy Grail, the make or break for many in the business, is the Christmas season. The fact is, most retail businesses earn 33% or more of their annual revenue in the months of November and December, and this goes for nearly every sector of the market. So, the Christmas release is period number one, running from late October through December 24th. The sub-period associated with Christmas is the Boxing week release, which is for games that weren’t quite ready in time for the big rush, but can still count on decent sales as people swarm back to the malls to offload the junk they got from Aunt Gertrude. Baldur’s Gate was a favorite replacement for Auntie’s generous “Twister: Online” gift from last year. This sub-period can actually extend well into January, as was shown by the incredible success of Diablo a couple of years ago. Between Christmas and Boxing week, approximately 30-40% of all games are released. The remainder is spread up between the “Couldn’t make Christmas” period (late January to April); the “We’ll pretend we intended a summer release” sub-period (May-June); the “Damn it’s too late for Christmas, but it’ll be outdated in two months” period (July-August); and the “Games? What games?” sub-period (September-October), during which we rarely see anything that doesn’t have the words Extreme or Hunting somewhere in the title, with the fine exception of a couple of games with “Hockey” in their names.
So, you may be asking yourself (if you haven’t hit the Back button yet), what is his point? Well, I used to look forward to Christmas, just like any one of you. Dreams of gaming goodness flooding my computer system while my family stuffed their faces with turkey kept me awake for long hours of anticipation. Christmas morning would dawn, and inevitably I’d get several new turtlenecks, and a hand knitted pair of slippers. Now, I was stuck. After spending all my money to buy presents for these ingrates, how was I supposed to afford more than one or two of the great games just released? Never mind the fact that my toes were toastie, and my throat protected from the cruel winter chill. No, who needs to go outside if they have reams of gaming goodness to enjoy? Occasionally, I’d get a game under the tree, and it was always a time of great rejoicing. And yet…
Even if every member of our family and every friend we exchange gifts with were to buy us one of the great games coming out around Christmas, there’d still be a truckload’s worth you’d want as well. The real problem of the season is the huge overload dumped on us. So, I learned a while back to stop whining to my loved ones, and instead try to think of ways to deal with the marketing madness. That thought lasted until the next Christmas season was upon me, when I yet again began to slobber for all the great games coming out. So, I’ve come to a conclusion as to the best way to deal with this boon of gaming goodness.
It’s called biting the bullet, friends, deciding which one or two or half dozen games you absolutely cannot, will not do without, and forgetting about the rest. Unless you are an independently wealthy, unmarried person, there’s little time to play everything that’s out there, let alone pay for it. You may, in the months following Christmas, elect to try to catch up via the Bargain Bin or through bundles. In fact, I have tried this route, and have even gotten so far as to open a few of the boxes up; but with a well-spaced bunch of good games at other times of the year (read: really late for Christmas), it is a losing battle trying to find the time. Christmas, my friends, is not really a time of great boon for the avid gamer; it is in fact his or her bane.
This not to say that I do not enjoy the Christmas season. I’m right there with the rest of you, walking the aisles of my local SR, drool dripping off my chin. The feeling of anticipation that builds is something I wouldn’t want to live without. And yet at times, the butterflies creep up into my chest and end up feeling like a low-grade coronary. Ah, the joy and the pain that is the holiday season…
So I am left with one final recourse, a down-on-my-knees plea to the great gaming gods in the sky: Please, oh please, space those great games out! Give me a chance to experience all of those unforgettable moments you’ve worked so hard to bring to my screen. Oh, and Mom, if you happen to be reading this, I’d like Twisted Metal: Black, and Empire Earth, Ecks vs Sever, and……
Thanks for Reading,
o(^_^)o
There are three major release periods in the year for most game companies, and within these there are several sub-periods as well. The Holy Grail, the make or break for many in the business, is the Christmas season. The fact is, most retail businesses earn 33% or more of their annual revenue in the months of November and December, and this goes for nearly every sector of the market. So, the Christmas release is period number one, running from late October through December 24th. The sub-period associated with Christmas is the Boxing week release, which is for games that weren’t quite ready in time for the big rush, but can still count on decent sales as people swarm back to the malls to offload the junk they got from Aunt Gertrude. Baldur’s Gate was a favorite replacement for Auntie’s generous “Twister: Online” gift from last year. This sub-period can actually extend well into January, as was shown by the incredible success of Diablo a couple of years ago. Between Christmas and Boxing week, approximately 30-40% of all games are released. The remainder is spread up between the “Couldn’t make Christmas” period (late January to April); the “We’ll pretend we intended a summer release” sub-period (May-June); the “Damn it’s too late for Christmas, but it’ll be outdated in two months” period (July-August); and the “Games? What games?” sub-period (September-October), during which we rarely see anything that doesn’t have the words Extreme or Hunting somewhere in the title, with the fine exception of a couple of games with “Hockey” in their names.
So, you may be asking yourself (if you haven’t hit the Back button yet), what is his point? Well, I used to look forward to Christmas, just like any one of you. Dreams of gaming goodness flooding my computer system while my family stuffed their faces with turkey kept me awake for long hours of anticipation. Christmas morning would dawn, and inevitably I’d get several new turtlenecks, and a hand knitted pair of slippers. Now, I was stuck. After spending all my money to buy presents for these ingrates, how was I supposed to afford more than one or two of the great games just released? Never mind the fact that my toes were toastie, and my throat protected from the cruel winter chill. No, who needs to go outside if they have reams of gaming goodness to enjoy? Occasionally, I’d get a game under the tree, and it was always a time of great rejoicing. And yet…
Even if every member of our family and every friend we exchange gifts with were to buy us one of the great games coming out around Christmas, there’d still be a truckload’s worth you’d want as well. The real problem of the season is the huge overload dumped on us. So, I learned a while back to stop whining to my loved ones, and instead try to think of ways to deal with the marketing madness. That thought lasted until the next Christmas season was upon me, when I yet again began to slobber for all the great games coming out. So, I’ve come to a conclusion as to the best way to deal with this boon of gaming goodness.
It’s called biting the bullet, friends, deciding which one or two or half dozen games you absolutely cannot, will not do without, and forgetting about the rest. Unless you are an independently wealthy, unmarried person, there’s little time to play everything that’s out there, let alone pay for it. You may, in the months following Christmas, elect to try to catch up via the Bargain Bin or through bundles. In fact, I have tried this route, and have even gotten so far as to open a few of the boxes up; but with a well-spaced bunch of good games at other times of the year (read: really late for Christmas), it is a losing battle trying to find the time. Christmas, my friends, is not really a time of great boon for the avid gamer; it is in fact his or her bane.
This not to say that I do not enjoy the Christmas season. I’m right there with the rest of you, walking the aisles of my local SR, drool dripping off my chin. The feeling of anticipation that builds is something I wouldn’t want to live without. And yet at times, the butterflies creep up into my chest and end up feeling like a low-grade coronary. Ah, the joy and the pain that is the holiday season…
So I am left with one final recourse, a down-on-my-knees plea to the great gaming gods in the sky: Please, oh please, space those great games out! Give me a chance to experience all of those unforgettable moments you’ve worked so hard to bring to my screen. Oh, and Mom, if you happen to be reading this, I’d like Twisted Metal: Black, and Empire Earth, Ecks vs Sever, and……
Thanks for Reading,
o(^_^)o