It’s hard to believe that 2016 is less than 50 hours away. The older I get, the faster the time goes, and this year was no different. I could swear I was just flipping the proverbial calendar from 2014 to 2015, and here I am, about to repeat the activity.
So let’s all assume that with age comes wisdom (something I’m rarely certain of), and in that vein, I think it’s about time I make some realistic gaming resolutions for the new year. They are few, but, for me, important.
.
#1: Play
Too often I psych myself out of playing a game for any numbers of reasons. It might be a potentially huge time investment. I might be terrible at it. I might, I might, I might. What a bunch of potential garbage.
Play is such a wonderful activity. Play in “reality” and play in the video game sense are both rewarding. Having the practice of play is a glorious thing, one I all too often restrict myself from. And is there any reason for it? I mean any reason other than all the potential negatives (which, incidentally, almost never come to fruition)?
Nope.
I vow to play this year. To really go back to that place of video game joy and simply…play.
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#2: Experience
Experiences matter more to me than almost anything else in life. This also encapsulates games. With more games than ever at our disposal, we (the gaming community) are not left wanting for experiences.
Again, this is something I all too often psych myself out of. Will the game take too long? Will I be terrible at it? What if I miss out on all the other games I want to play?
I ask myself these questions and end up in some sort of holding pattern of playing either absolutely nothing (ew) or of playing the same game/s over and over (nice, but not much better on the productivity scale). There is something to be said for the enjoyable repetition of Destiny. I never have to be dragged back to the Borderlands of Pandora. Exterminating adorable viruses in Dr. Mario never gets old.
Yet I am yearning for the freshness of new gaming experiences. I intend to have those experiences starting not in the year to come, but right now, today.
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#3: Explore
Too often I worry (in general, but also about this specifically) about how long I am taking to complete a game. And mostly that boils down to one thing: I like to explore.
Exploring takes time.
I love spending time exploring. I love looking in every little area for any secrets that might be there. But then, when hours have passed and I’ve made no real progress because of all my exploring, I feel bad about it.
Games are maybe the safest possible environment to explore; why am I giving myself a hard time about it?
I want to allow myself the freedom of time in the coming year to explore within games in any way I see fit. Why should I put restrictions on how I enjoy myself?
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I think these three fundamental areas of altering how I game will yield positive results all over the place. I feel hopeful, yet reasonable. And that’s a nice place to be.
Do you have any gaming resolutions for 2016? If so, what are they? How do you want to shape the future of your gaming landscape?
Categories: games
Rebekah Lang 
Those are some great gaming resolutions.
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Thank you! I mean them all sincerely.
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I wish you good luck.
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Thank you! I will most certainly need it!
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Well, not exactly resolutions. But you did trigger me with the resolution to actually play. I’ve found that all kinds of other things come first: reading blogs, writing blogs myself, tinkering with the website. And that’s not counting real life and work. And after all of that, I hope to find time to play..
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Play is so basically wonderful. I hope you find time to simply play this year.
:)
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Interesting resolutions. I plan to do more of play & experience in 2016. For me, experience will be difficult in some genres because I know how I am. Are there games you’re excited for? One you think you will get delayed again? For me, The Division, ME: Andromeda, & SFV are high on my playlist. As well as For Honor. What about you? I’m not sure what game(s) may get delayed that I’d like to play. Will know more once the game release calendar is more concrete. Thoughts?
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Oh man, I think the year is so new, it’s hard to say what may get timed out of 2016 and in to 2017. I do think Zelda Wii U will be delayed until at least 2017. If it comes out in 2016 I will be surprised.
I actually just wrote a piece the other day on which games I was most looking forward to in 2016, but at the top of my list of games with a release date is Firewatch, and for a game without a release date, Dishonored 2.
But I’m almost equally excited for all the games we haven’t even heard about yet.
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I think Mass Effect: Andromeda will be pushed into 2017 because we know so little about it. Here’s looking at you E3. Also, I have been playing Tomb Raider, which speak both play & experience. For me, I have shied(sp.) away from games like this because of their use of stealth. This game has piqued my interest in the new Uncharted game due to the stealth factor that is in both games. That speaks to the experience part of my commentary.
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I also think Mass Effect will be pushed to 2017. It’s just been too elusive.
In theory I always love that stealth is an option…until I fail and end up going in, guns blazing. Which reminds me of my hilarious Dishonored run.
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Gaming resolutions are hard, mainly because the two I make are in direct opposition to each other:
#1 – Finish more games
#2 – Enjoy more games
I can’t seem to do one without feeling the pressure of the other.
Good stuff, as always!
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Ha! I definitely understand that conundrum! You can do it!
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