SPLICED LIFE /
ISSUE 01
COLUMN
I have this problem: I’m a videogame journalist. Yeah yeah, I hear
you, first world problems right?
Listen.
I get a ton of product, from gaming hardware, to loads
of game titles and this is the root of a major problem
worldwide that’s exaggerated in my little bubble. I
have 10 HDMI cables currently connected to my TV
at the moment, 3 consoles, 1 switcher box and an HD
PVR box. Not to mention the other peripherals that
are littering my TV unit: A headset, Kinect, an array of
controllers and the copy of Hannah Montana: The
Movie The Game I have yet to play.
I should be happy right? I mean, it’s what gaming
journalists and gaming publishers want you to believe:
The more stuff you’ve got, the happier you’ll be.
It’s a lie.
In fact, the opposite is true. I have it all and it
frustrates me. For one I have too many games on
too many consoles to play, too many laptops to
test, too many programs to try out, and it’s honestly
overwhelming. It’s a kind of clutter that extends
past the spiders web of cables adorning my TV unit.
Not to mention I actually have a life to live, hard as
that is to believe.
03
On average in South Africa, casual gamers buy
around 5 - 7 games a year, while core gamers buy
on average 2 titles a month. That’s a reasonable
amount. That’s enough to play, enjoy and have
enough time for a holistic life. Not to mention
more shelf space and less clutter. We’re made to
believe that having ‘things’ will fulfil your life, it’ll
make it better. As a result we want things: consoles
and games that other people have and yet we are
discontent with our own library.
proactively do to get rid of clutter in your own life:
1) Budget
Sounds obvious right? Maybe because it is! If you
have a limited amount of resources to spend on
extra crap, you’re more than likely not going to do it.
2) Limit Your Game Count
When buying games, be strict: Is this a game
really worth buying? I mean like REALLY? Like,
would you sell your soul to an angry gypsy kind
of really? Because if not, practice waiting. Get
the game when it’s on special or borrow it from a
friend when they’re done. Or consider forgoing
playing a game because some things in life are
more important. Like a tea with your wife or an
afternoon in the park with your child.
3) Give Your Games Away
No, I’m not losing my mind. There’s that single
player game that you finished 3 years ago that
you’re saving for a dry-spell or that day when
your child grows up and you can show him what
you played like a granny handing their grandchild
a 1000 year old eaten by the dog Barbie doll
because it’s something they liked. They’ll be
playing on their Playstation 13 by that stage, and
we know what console manufacturers think of
backwards compatibility…
Stop it.
Don’t buy the lie. In fact, don’t buy what you don’t
need. You don’t need stuff that’s not going to add
value to your life. Especially Hannah Montana: The
Movie The Game.
With this in mind, here are a few things you can
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