What I am about to write will be slightly dripped in self-congratulatory language and somewhat overblown reasoning. Before I get too deep into it, let it be known that one of the reasons why I waited as long as I did had to do with money. Cold, hard cash. Video games require wayyyyyy too much of the stuff. Constantly owning new games for new systems requires a strictly apportioned amount of one’s income, not to mention free time. Further, the massive costs involved in gaming are not simply an obstacle preventing preteens from owning their dreams…the video game industry, like other wish-fulfillment factories, is very “classist” (class-biased). On the whole, the stories and characters it supports directly enforce bourgeois values, stereotypes, and cultural norms to the discredit of others. Owning the game isn’t enough - the internal mechanics and story-world have to teach you that you need to own everything within it, as well.
That said, I recently bought a PS2. I’ve wanted one for at least five years. Sure, I’ve kept up with games over that period of time. My Nintendo DS gets quite a workout. I’ve played many big titles, here and there. But ownership was not possible. The cost and time-investment that accompany one’s getting a new console are immense. I figure that now that I am busier than I’ve ever been in my entire life, there couldn’t be a better time!
Beyond that, I absolutely loathe hype. Can’t stand it. I don’t want to be told that some product or other will change my life. Principled critics, friends, and first-hand experience will tell me that. Advertising blitzes work…but seldom on me. I’d encourage everybody to take an afternoon out of their lives (and yes, this can be done in just one afternoon) to study how advertisements work. Read John Berger’s The Ways of Seeing (this takes less than an afternoon) and flip through a magazine/websites to look at the various strategies being used. Hell, flip through a marketing textbook to corroborate it all. Don’t do this thinking that you’ll become immediately immune to ads, hype, and the seductions of new games. But do it as a means of really looking into yourself and determining which cheap shots, styles, and messages are getting through to you, which ones prove legitimately satisfying and which ones have pulled the wool over your eyes in deceit. Now that hyper-verisimilitude and the Playstation 3 on a 60 inch screen represent the best of the East Egg, I’m fine with slumming back to the previous king of the pile.
That said, I’ve waited five years to buy a PS2 because, suddenly, no one is singing its praises. Its got a huge game library (doubled by its PS1 compatibility), its own IPs, its epics, its red-headed stepchildren, etc. It is no longer on the technological vanguard. It is being redesigned in that endless quest for a few dollars more. It is dying a slow, drawn-out death.
So, with the Gamestop stores swarmed by PS2 titles, flush with PS2 systems, and engorged on PS2 accessories, I decided that it was time. Nobody is feeding me hype any more. No one is visually and aurally assaulting me over my choice of console. I’ve got the wisdom of history and the benefit of considered distance on my side. I’ve got the accumulated knowledge of console-weary enthusiasts ready for my beck and call.
I have been interested in games all my life. I’m old enough to still associate the term “gamer” with somebody who plays tabletop RPGs, board games, and collectible card games (this term has mutated quite a bit in the last 10 years). At this uncertain moment - which comes during each console cycle - I begin to scour through the junk heaps of the Playstation 2, alert for the accumulated refuse of that glorious game system. I start my career in Gran Turismo 3 six years after the fact. I begin my journey in Final Fantasy XII now that nobody cares.
I just bought a PS2 and am proud of it. This is my manifesto. I won’t buy another console for at least another five years.
I’ll tell the world here what I told Kevin when we went out to get his PS2. I’m proud to welcome him into the last console generation. I think the games that came out in the last generation are among the best ever. Sure, there are some classics from the NES/Master system and SNES/Genesis era, some fond memories of Playstation and N64 games, but I will go on the record and say that the PS2 has been the best home console so far in terms of quality and variety. If there was somebody out there who didn’t own any consoles and wanted to know which of the systems for sale to buy, I’d point them not at the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, but rather the PS2.
About half a year ago my friend Jonathan told me he wanted to buy a PS2. Making a list of ‘must-have’ titles was a challenging task. I broke it down into a handful of groups: buy these now to experience some of the best in variety; buy these later, when you have a bit of time; buy these eventually because you should play them, but they’re not imperative. As mentioned in his article above, Kevin asked myself and our friend Andy to help him pick out some games to go with his newly acquired system. The way I was pouring through the racks and bins, you would have thought the purchases were for me. But those initial games are especially important because they justify the purchase. He ended up with three of my top five favorite PS2 games: Gran Turismo 3, Vice City, and FFXII. I’m a bit of a hype machine myself, but only with games I really enjoy and think others will too. When I worked at a video game store, I felt that selling quality was of the utmost importance because I wanted people to enjoy themselves and try new things.
I try not to fall into the ‘hype’ of game marketing, though its inevitable on occasion. I do tend to fall into the ‘recommendation hype’ and the excitement of my gaming peers. But I also pay attention to reviews and my own personal taste. I don’t have the “Good Taste” (collection rating average of 8.5 or above) badge on GameSpot for nothing.
Kevin’s right: gaming is damn expensive and you have to pick your purchases carefully. Everybody was goin’ on and on about BioShock so I decided I had to play it. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, though didn’t think it was amazing as people said. I played it a few months after it had been out, so by the time I was done people have moved onto Rock Band. Looking back, I probably could have waited on it, but I was looking for something new to play and I got a great deal on Amazon–$50 for that game and The Darkness, free shipping. Again: timing, social, and economic factors at play (pun intended).
So kudos to Kevin for sticking to his guns. There’s no need to have the latest and greatest, just desire.