My humble greetings to all GameSpot members who come upon this page and this here blog entry. The topic of this particular entry stems from a couple of things I've bumped into recently and the discoveries I've made from them. I just thought I would take the time to put down a few thought from what I've gathered and place them in a medium where not only myself, but perhaps others can find them. Without further ado, let me get right to it. 
Today, the NPD released data featuring the ten top-selling games of this decade thus far. It is with this that inspired me to come up with my first point of who I am as a gamer. In what should come as a surprise to no one, the ten games listed are what one would probably consider the most mainstream titles in the industry, and all of the games either cater to what is considered the 18-30-something year old demographic, THE key demographic prior to this gen, as part of the expanded audience that has been created in large part to Nintendo's marketing plan this gen, or a combination of the two. What I found kinda shocking is that while all of those games and the names that they carry are extremely popular and have obviously done very well, yours truly doesn't own a SINGLE ONE of them!
That's right; you can look up and down my list of games, which is close to 170 (minus some NES games I haven't added due to the fact that a cousin of mine has had my system for YEARS, and I've been unable to get it back...), and you won't find any of the top-selling games for an age that has technically spanned three gaming gens on it. What's more is that I have a combined 2 games in two of the series represented; Wii Sports I got with my Wii, obviously, and a Madden game that I got when I bought with a Sega Genesis, along with other games. Call it what you will, but I find this to be somewhat incredible for a gamer that has seen, played, and purchased so many games over the years. Now, chances are that as that list of games move downward, I've probably purchased a few games here and there, but I'm starting to come to a conclusion that I am not what one would call a typical gamer from a business and marketing standpoint.
This is not something I've discovered simply from this recently list, though; the top ten selling games of this gen only merely re-enforces a few things I've discovered about myself from knowing the video game industry and being on this very site, exploring the many different lists of gamers, and knowing the kind of gamer I am. For instance, the majority of gamer lists I've come across with a significant amount of games on them tend to have either one of two systems dominating their collection: PS2 and PC. I, on the other hand, have amassed a collection of video games without having a massive collection of games for the best-selling console ever or a platform that probably the majority of people reading this are using. Even in the case of my PS2 games, my collection isn't that which has the most popular or successful games on the system, meaning I've managed to get something out of the system without relying on its bonafide system sellers. The same can be said for any system that isn't made by Nintendo or is the Sega Genesis.
Not only have I considered my pre-existing game collection when concerning this subject, I've also thought a lot about my future console and game purchases, as well. While I'm still juggling the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 when it comes to my next system purchases (lately, it's looking like I'll be leaning towards the latter, if anyone was curious about that), I'm already pretty sure that most of the games I'll be getting aren't going to be those that will be topping sales charts. In other words, games like Modern Warfare 1&2, Final Fantasy XIII, GTAIV, or Madden 2010, all major releases for both systems, have next to no chance of being bought by me anytime soon, if ever. My collection for either of the HD systems will probably consist of niche RPGs, a fighting game or two (or more), maybe an action/adventure/platforming game, and/or somekind of off-the-wall idea that manages to appeal to me.
Even the way I approach a lot of gaming's evolutions aren't probably what you would expect from one of my gaming background. I don't own an HDTV, and I'm perfectly fine with gaming without it at the moment, despite playing HD games on HD sets before. My online gaming background consists of a couple of Dead or Alive games, a couple of Mario Karts, a bit of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and a Pokemon game; with the exception of the fighting games, I don't play a lot of games that provide the most online friendly environments, and even then, I still don't game online that often. Also, while I embrace more powerful systems in general, I don't find myself doing backflips in favor of the whole "better graphics" point; I still believe last gen's systems, especially the GameCube and Xbox, should have been pushed a bit more. I credit part of my ways on this subject due to the fact that I typically find myself at least a year behind when a new gen comes around, but even when I make the jump, I still can't help but think about what could have been for what I'm leaving behind every now and then.
So, in closing to this discussion, while I may go out and get a popular game here and there, I don't think I fit the 'average gamer' agenda that most companies within the industry aim for. Not that I'm upset or concerned about this, as there are oftentimes games that do appeal to me, but I think I'm one that can say my gaming tastes are really my own. As long as there are those who are willing to go outside the box, I'm sure I will have a place in the gaming universe, so I'm not worried. Still, I just thought I would take the time to address myself. If anyone has anything to say here, disagrees with me, or anything else, please feel free to share your thoughts. In any case, thanks for reading this blog entry.
Until next time, boom. Outta here!
Comments
Oh no, I don't feel bad about it; most of those games really don't appeal to me, so it's not a big deal. I just find it funny that I've never even been close to getting any of them.
Reading this article was spooky. It's everything I've been thinking for ages. I'm not interested in games like Madden, Call of Duty or Guitar Hero. I consider heavy online modes to be a flaw, as it makes the game useless in the longrun. And I plan on getting a PS3, but not because of FFXIII, but for Katamari Forever and 3D Dot Game Heroes.
So yeah, non-mainstream gamers ftw.
LOL, yeah, it's really tough to be a gamer and not have AT least one of those games on that list. I'm not sure how I've exactly pulled it off, but I have.
Sorry about the spookiness, but it is nice to know that I'm not alone of this island of non-mainstream gaming. The funny thing about me is that when I was thinking about this topic, I didn't really come to the point where I would call myself completely niche, either. I think I'm at the point where I'm in-between the sleeper hits of the world and the must-buys. I just get what I get and I'm oftentimes happy with that.
Thanks for the comment.
I find myself avoiding a lot of the more popular titles, but as I mentioned in a past blog, my overuse of Gamefly kind of contradicts that. I managed to play a lot of big name titles this year through Gamefly, but I often queue up games that are hyped or review well because they're the attention getters. I was lucky to stumble onto such niche titles like Cross Edge and DJ Max Fever. At the same time, popular, well-reviewed games like Red Faction: Guerrilla and Metal Gear Solid 4 end up boring me.
I was actually about to purchase Demon's Souls when I asked myself "why". It's brutally hard, not truly multiplayer (no voice chat option), allows other players to jump into your game and attack you during an already difficult campaign...and for what? The only reason I was looking into it is because it's an exclusive title to PS3 and got a high score. I shook myself back to reality and changed my mind...bought Wii Sports Resort instead. Games are supposed to be fun, not status symbols.
That first sentence sums it up rather nicely. While I will admit that I would like to broaden my horizons a bit every now and then and I will take a risk here and there if my gaming mood and budget allows it, I definitely lean towards experiences I know I'll like beforehand. It just so happens that the majority of popular games and genres in this day and age aren't what I look for in video games for the most part. It has made me look like an oddball on more than a handful of occasions, but I've come to embrace that, actually.
I'd like to think that those who know me respects what I get, and regardless, I can't say I care about it that greatly. My gamer's intuition isn't something that fails me often, so even if feels a tad uncomfortable investing into a more niche game here and there, I almost always get something out of it if it was a game I'm really looking forward to playing. On the other hand, the few times I've put my faith solely in reviews or impression of other gamers, I've ended up getting rid of those games in record-time, as they just didn't pull me in. I've definitely learned over the years that the hobby is playing games, not playing popularity, sales, reviews, or anything else.
I can only say I feel that EVERY generation should be pushed a bit more. People (and industry) rush after some new technology just when a system is about to reach its apex. It's weird and dumb - in fact it's all about money.
Better late than never. Thanks for complimenting the post.
While I do think it's important to move onto a new system after a while, I can't say I like the direction the industry has been trying to head in regarding pushing technology so hard. The cool thing about the early eras of gaming, IMO, was that developers had to work on a system for so long and technologically limited, they were practically forced to making the best game possible in order for their products to stand out. While I think there are developers now who have enough pride to push a system, no matter how powerful it is, I think going too far too soon with power only hurts gaming in the end, as it becomes a hassle for developers and perhaps even more for consumers.
Let me be honest here; I'm glad we're out of the 8-bit era and all. Still, at times, I kinda wish developers were being challenged in the same way it was when the NES was the top-dog. I also would have liked to seen a year or two more where some serious effort was being put into Xbox/GCN titles last gen, especially after seeing games like RE4 take off. Still, what can you do?
Didn't expect the conversation to lean in this direction, but it's cool that it did.
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