Reviewing Games In 2019 – A Surrender

‘He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.’

You may think it is strange to start 2019 with a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche but it is where I find myself at. For years my dream of games reviewing has been rewarding and challenging being coupled with a full-time job and young family. 2018 was when the tide finally overcame me and many other medium content creators. There are simply too many worthwhile games to play and discuss in any great depth.

It is finally time to stop chasing the latest and begin savouring what you have. The list of games I obtained for great prices over the festive period includes Starlink, WWE 2K19, Hitman 2, Crash Bandicoot, Assassins Creed Odyssey and Civ 6. If you add up the required hours to do a traditional review on these games in the one week period from beginning a game I usually set myself you are talking 160 hrs approx.

I have spent too long in 2018 gazing into the abyss of gaming that it left most of my reviewing hollow and identikit. I looked at the game played it as much as possible but didn’t have time to form a deeper opinion on it. Game reviewing has evolved over the last few years and no longer represents what it once did. Now everything is a hot take, a let’s play or streaming. Everyone is shouting and struggling to be heard meaning the niche market is disappearing. Even I felt pressure to play and write about Fortnite despite me not having any love for the game. It is just wrong and a line has to be drawn in the sand.

2019 will be different. Once again I will try to write on games as I get the chance to play them, I will look for the unusual and quirky in gaming and try to highlight this. The days of chasing the trending topic are over. Google may penalise me, website hits will no doubt fall and relevance may be lost. What will be gained however is what was originally envisaged. The small corner of the internet where gaming and more can be discussed as if it were at a table in a bar over a few drinks. Nostalgia will play as big a part as the latest and greatest and by 2020 hopefully, we will be looking back at some interesting takes rather than another review by numbers site.

Let’s get to work.