Yeah, it's been a crazy long time since I"ve been active on Gamespot. By active I mean writing reviews and actually using this thing called a blog. Though I peruse the forums and check up on the latest news and videos, I haven't really contributed much and I thought it'd be nice to say hi the community.

If anyone is up for playing some Halo 3 (old, I know), MarioKart DS (old too) or some InstantAction, hit me up

Add me up! GamerTAG: Infertile Ninja

Yes, I finally have a 360. After half a year toiling and saving, pawning off old junk, and not buying a new game for a long time, I am pleased to say that my Xbox 360 is running very smoothly on my TV with Halo 3. And I got it for a $300 with a coupon in conjunction with a sale. How cool is that?

My only complaint? It gets very hot (so I have to let it take frequent "breaks"), and I don't have an HDTV. Othewise, I'm having a blast on Xbox Live with my friends, who all happened to get one around the time I got one.

Is it just me or am I thinking crazy things? Through my so-far short life, I've seen a lot of the world. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that all things can and will come to an end. No, I'm not trying to be profound or anything, but I think I can put across a valid point here. There is a huge amount of information out in the world, and of all the mediums out there, videogames are growing the fastest, but is it growing a little too quickly? Let me bring you enlightenment.

Videogames have been around since before I was born, and they have grown from a niche to a mạssive industry. Websites like GameSpot and big events like E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) are a testament to this. As gamers, both hardcore and casual, we've experienced two dominant emotions in our hobbies, pastimes, lives (whatever you'd like to call it). I speak of disappointment and happiness.

If I could define a gamer's version of happiness, the first thing that comes to mind is that "feeling". It's the excitement you get while waiting for a game, buying it, and waiting to get home and play it. It's that thrill you experience when you level up, frag the other guy, score that goal or beat that level.

However, I would like to focus on the disappointment, the main point I'm driving at here. The amount of gamers and game developers has grown. In other words, there are more games to play, and more people that play them. But, is quantity better than quality? When gaming was in its infancy, there were few games, but they provided a huge amount of entertainment. Today, when we walk into a store, we have hundreds of games to choose from. Again, is that a good thing? Gaming is still in its "infancy" today, compared to other forms entertainment like books, TV and movies, and like movies, gaming seems to be deteriorating in quality. Let's face it; a lot of the games coming out today are pure crap.

There are exceptions. There are great games out there, Grand Theft Auto, Command and Conquer, and Halo to name a few (feel free to disagree). Besides the few good ones, it seems everyone is jumping into gaming. Developers are just throwing games out there! You have the uninspired movie/TV show-tie ins, boring cash-cow sequels, and many, many others. Is there no originality left? No quality?

Game studios just seem to mash together stuff and try to market it. Why do they do this? Because it works. Hype it up properly, and it's guaranteed to sell. A lot of companies just seem to be in it for the money, making terrible games because they want to make a quick buck. If you've noticed, good games take time, effort and dedication, and they come out the best. It's rare now that a company will want to make a high quality game that they themselves would like to play. There will always be those good games out there, but will there be enough to support the industry? Will videogames one day come to the point where developers make games solely for money and nothing fun or innovative will be released?

I hope it doesn't ever come to this, but you can't help but look at what the industry now, or what it could be. Will money become the driving factor to make a game, instead of quality and the satisfaction of creating something amazing and cool?