Gonzo

Leprosy

Asked what his take on the reaction to Microsoft’s E3 shizzle was, Peter Moore replied that he thought the reaction was that “there weren't a lot of announcements per se”. He then sought to excuse Microsoft’s decision to feature only games coming out this year.

The defensive tone of his response is a symptom- of the festering pustules that affect the tied-in games consumer- the consumer who’s associated himself with the games industry to the extent that he (or she, lol) stays up all night to catch industry trade-show announcements from the American west coast. All that person does is look forward, to more announcements, to more hype- a screenshot here, a rumour there, leaked footage elsewhere… It’s a perpetual state of fantasy, of imagining what will happen tomorrow, at the detriment of the reality of today.

Kudos to Microsoft for focussing on this year’s releases, whatever its motivation. Because this continual state of daydreaming about future releases really ought to stop. It’s very natural to speculate about future advances, or look out for genuinely new and exciting developments in how we might play (I’m excited by The Crossing, though I still know fuck-all about it). But you can take that too far. The objects of fans’ drooling anticipation at E3 2006 have returned this year in more concrete and elaborate form. But the thirst for hype was not satiated. It’s old news. "Gamers" want new exclusives, new announcements, new games with ridiculously tarted-up teaser trailers, wonderful, shiny, gloriously unreal nebulous pieces of code.

I suspect there’s something pathological about this state of mind, hence the title. Instead of focussing on the merits (and many demerits) of the “next-generation” titles which are with us now, we choose to look past to an idealised game we know nothing about, and hence can attribute all sorts of exciting prospects to. This being my opening blog as a Player, it seemed proper to highlight this nonsensical feature about the tied-in gamer. Particularly given The Player's strict no-hype, live in the now (and live it best) mission statement.

Never has the chasm between reality and fantasy been so pronounced than in today's games industry. The comedown from the extravagant promises made by developers, and implicitly made by touched-up trailers, and the finished code, rivals even the lewdest night on the charlie. Sure, the looks, or a close approximation thereto, are by and large delivered- but it’s what the game does with them that counts. Whether it’s uninspired linear shooting (Resistance), ridiculously implemented gimmicks (The Darkness), this Player won’t be fooled again. Just say no, kids.