Are you like a puppet, tangled in your own strings, as Ultron would suggest?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve read video game reviews. Back before the internet eventually permeated every facet of our lives as it does today, the only direct line Joe-blow gamers such as myself had to the industry were the monthly mags. Electronic Gaming Monthly, Tips & Tricks , and GamePro were just some of my old favorites, and I’m sure simply mentioning their names brings back a rush of nostalgia for many former readers out there.
Eventually, we shifted away from physical magazines to websites and blogs dominating the journalistic landscape. Unfortunately, with that came a mindset I feel has become a detrimental and commonplace. It seems gamers are completely incapable of, or perhaps their just unwilling to, make up their own minds. I can’t tell you how many social media posts and forum threads I’ve read over the last few years where people specifically state they won’t drop a single dime on a new title (even if the developer has a proven track record) until the official reviews come on.
Ubisoft’s open-world racer The Crew is the most recent title to generate this type of fervor, but ultimately for all the wrong reasons. Its technical woes and server problems have plagued the beta for weeks now, with some worried the engine would be less than fully-functional come launch. As a result, most major media outlets were not provided pre-release copies to review. Many saw this as a ploy to keep a lid on just how broken the game was until the support team had a chance to rollout the day-one patch (which was all primed and ready to go).
Several sites felt the need to post notices and explanations regarding why readers would find no reviews going live. GameSpot offered up a pseudo-apology, telling fans they “won’t be seeing our review for another few days. GameSpot only received its copies of The Crew yesterday, which of course is not enough time to adequately review the game. With The Crew having extensive online functionality…we’re also keen to run the game in live conditions, testing it in the same environment as consumers will experience it in.” IGN and a handful of others also released similar meā culpās.
However, the real problem in my mind has very little to do with the lack of pre-release copies and delayed reviews. I ask all of you this very important question: What is the point of awaiting these oh-so coveted reports with such bated breath? Why the hell are you allowing others to make up your mind for you? Naturally, CheatCC has a review of our own, but that’s not to say our opinions or anyone else’s should automatically become yours by default. None of us are Moses bringing the Ten Commandments down from the mountain top, you know.
Free thinking is the only real freedom we have which can’t be stripped away (unless of course you allow it to be). This notion that people can’t form a thought in their own head until they’re first steered in one direction or another is a toxic habit that needs to stop. I encourage each of you to take time for introspection and look back at the games you’ve passed on playing in the last couple years. Question whether you did so on your own accord or were you influenced by some reviewer’s bias whom you’ve never met. Did you obey like a good little lap dog? Take me for example. Just because I don’t like a particular movie, game, or musician doesn’t mean you wouldn’t fall head over heels in love, given the chance. I have no trepidations admitting my opinions are not for everyone.
That’s the beauty of our crazy old world isn’t it? No two snowflakes (or in this case gamers) are exactly alike. At least, that’s the way it used to be. Free your mind, my gaming brethren. Free your mind!