New Year’s Gaming Resolutions

With a new year comes new goals and a list of things to accomplish during the present 365-day cycle. The previous year is now past and a part of history. It can not be relived or revisited. The main function of the past year is now to either build on it or to learn from it. But it is the things we do now in the present that affect both the present and future. The year 2021 will consist of new beginnings, the continuation of things from the prior year, and also a challenge to leave behind those things that have brought about turmoil and suffering.

This is my first time thinking about what I actually would want to accomplish in a year with regard to gaming. Yet I thought it would make for an interesting post. While I take kind of a moderately conservative approach to life in general, when it comes to gaming, I would very much be classified as a “free spirit.” I’m not one to get caught up in what the masses think or put myself in a box. Ultimately, gaming is supposed to be fun. So “my” fun is the priority as I go about this interest. It’s a form of entertainment that is meant to be enjoyable.

So I’ve come up with five gaming resolutions in 2021 that I wanted to share. They are:

FUN IS EVERYTHING

Continue to emphasize fun as the priority and most important consideration as I play games and search out new ones to purchase. This will always be the standard that guides my decisions and should never be compromised. By sticking to this principle, I am guaranteed to remain a happy gamer.

LIMIT DAY ONE PURCHASES

Wait a least a month or two to purchased newly released games unless I have been able to play a demo/early access version of the game, as well as closely follow the game’s development. Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t the only game of 2020 that was overwhelmed by bugs. It was just the most anticipated. Many mainstream releases suffered significant bug-related issues from Madden NFL 21, Marvel’s Avengers, NBA 2K21, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, etc. Many would blame COVID-19 as the result of more buggy releases in 2020, but if a game isn’t truly ready, then it shouldn’t be released. And if smaller companies such as Supergiant Games can have Hades playable with minimal bugs, there is no excuse for other companies to not have the same capability. But I am scaling back on my Day One purchases.

MORE ONLINE MULTIPLAYER

Participate in more competitive and co-op online play. This is an area I have mostly avoided for a long time in gaming due to bad experiences. Yet in 2020, I began expanding my horizons and dabbled in online multiplayer. The games I did this in were Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, Planetside 2, Fall Guys, and Call of Duty WWII. I’ve even engaged in co-op play featured in Rainbow Six Siege, Paladins, The Division 2, and Destiny 2. This was a big step for me and one I will expand upon in 2021. But I will still primarily prefer single-player gaming.

INDULGE THE PAST

Continue to appreciate gaming’s past. Most of my gaming purchases in 2020 were of titles that were at least a year old or older. What’s even better is that they are offered for prices much less expensive than brand new games. With the ridiculous amount of games that have amassed over the years through gaming history, there is so much that I’ve missed out on. And while many gamers are focused on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, I’m able to get Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition and God of War for my PS4 Pro for $10 each. Xbox 360 and PS3 games are a steal at this point. Furthermore, not many of my all-time favorite games (Battlefield 2, original Star Wars Battlefront II, Chrono Trigger) come from the present era so why not further explore the gaming libraries from the eras that do?

SHOW INDIE GAMING LOVE

Support indie gaming the best way I can. A huge chunk of games I bought in 2020 were games created and published by indie developers. I own all four titles developed and published by Supergiant Games. Flow Fire Game’s Synthetik Legion Rising is one of the most action-packed shooters I’ve played in a long time. Soldat 2 by Transhuman Design was a pleasant surprise that delights in an old school way. Tannenburg and Verdun are excellent World War I shooters. I’ve never been interested in Pokemon games, but Monster Sanctuary is a monster collecting game that I’m enjoying. Last Epoch by Eleventh Hour Games is an action role-playing game I prefer over the Diablo series and Path of Exile. Lastly, I can’t wait to see how the full release of Bright Memory Infinite turns out after playing the demo on Steam. And there is so much more.

These are my resolutions for 2021 along with making this site the best gaming portal it can be. What are your resolutions?

-TVGA
admin@videogamersadvocate.com