Why I buy the games I do: A look inside the head of a demented gamer

I’m a list sort of guy. I have a list for my top 10 favorite video games of all time, top 5 dream jobs, I even have a list of my best-loved breakfast foods. It’s a pretty unhealthy habit, I must admit, I am often late for school because my “things to do before school” checklist weren’t all completed. This problem extends to making purchase decisions as well, making buying a game a more complicated process than it needs to be. Here’s is my quality assurance checklist for video game shopping.

As with many demented people, I argue with myself relentlessly before and after deciding to buy a video game. Are real time strategy games really my thing? Is this just a hack and slash game? Do I really want to dedicate that much time to reading codecs? These are all arguments I’ve had over recent purchases. Here’s how I ensure I’m happy with my purchase.

1. Replay value doesn’t matter
This is one that I struggle with a lot. On one hand I feel the need to justify my $60 purchase with tons of additional content that will keep me busy until I pick up my next game. On the other hand, additional modes end up being the “Bonus Disc” found in special edition DVDs, sure there is tons of interesting stuff on there, but who actually ever gets around to watching all of it. Not me. With the exception of online multiplayer in FPS games, I hardly do more than try out the co-op and online modes. I know myself well enough to know that re-playability should not be a big factor in my purchase decision.

2. Own the original, buy the sequel
I tend to follow this rule fairly regularly, even when I didn’t particularly enjoy the original. For instance, I enjoyed Lost Planet, the Mech sequences were fun and the storyline was alright, but it lacked that something special, for me at least. But for some unknown reason I feel obligated to purchasing Lost Planet 2 and not just because I think it looks better than the original, but because I will have to look at it on my gaming shelf everyday and know that a sequel was released that should be sitting next to it. I guess you could call me a completionist, but I don’t think that is a real word. Geeks are so pathetic that we need to invent new words for how insane we are.

3. There has to be hype surround the game
I know, I know, call me what you will, but I enjoy being excited about a purchase. Looking up information on a product and getting myself hyped up for a release is half the fun in my eyes. I thrive on anticipation. Getting a game that is not hyped is sort of like watching LOST after everyone has already seen it. Sure it is still enjoyable, but now you’re out of sync with the rest of the internet and missed out on reading all of the non-sensical theories. The hype is half the game for me. Of course, not every game is as good as it was expected to be, I’m looking at you MAG, but at that point I already have invested months reading blogs, watching previews, and following it extensively that I don’t feel all that gipped when it doesn’t meet my expectations, because I enjoy the excitement and anticipation that hype brings.

You probably are wondering why my checklist doesn’t include any specific criteria about the games themselves and that is because I really don’t have any. Sure I love first person shooters, but I’m down for a little Mass Effect or LEGO Batman every once in a while. Gaming is more of a life consuming experience than just the games themselves. I enjoy the culture of gaming: the rabid faboy-ism, the firmware updates, the press events, and even the cutthroat putdowns thrown across every online multiplayer match. To me that is everything that gaming is about, the games are only a platform, a place where we can hang out, have fun, and get called a n00b.