This was one of the articles I had published for a contest. I edited out link I originally had in this article because the links lose a bit of value when mentioned on my blog rather than the website the article originally was entered.

Article was published here.

Video Games: Better Played Later Than Sooner?

I think I might be in the minority, but I seem to very rarely play a game when it first comes out. Usually, money is the issue that keeps me from buying new games, but sometimes, I am just not ready to get the game. 

One reason is sometimes life just gets in the way of playing the games bought previously, or another game garnered attention. For instance, I still have not beaten the original Kingdom Hearts, though half way through it. It was because I had gotten into another game that I have already forgotten about. And of course, when I tried to get back into Kingdom Hearts, I was completely lost with what I was doing. As it is, I plan to start from the beginning whenever I manage to get back into it. Because of that, and numerous other games in my library, how can I think of buying a new game when there are so many others ready to be played (or other cases, replayed)? 

Sometimes, there is a game I’d consider buying, despite numerous ones already in my playing queue… but it is much too expensive to be purchased at the time. People are tight on cash these days, how can one afford some of these outrageous prices? Some resort to trading in their old games, but I have found trading in games is never worth it. Instead, I choose to buy them used. It means waiting on the game for awhile, but getting it at a reasonable price can make playing the game a bit sweeter! Thus, another game played when not new.

And of course, there are games you never heard of until way after they came out. My greatest example would be the .Hack series. I originally saw the anime play late night on Cartoon Network (MANY years ago, Toonami Midnight era). Thought it was pretty interesting and looked to see if there was a game for it! Lo and behold, there were four games in the series! Unfortunately, they had been out for awhile, and hardly anyone carried it. This was before Amazon was an internet-household name, so I spent my days searching in various gaming stores, and even in those electronics stores that just happen to carry games. Eventually, the collection was complete, and so I started the game. But after I beat the third game, I was going nutty trying to get every possible item before moving to the next disc, lost interest… and only last year was I able to go back, RESTART the game, and complete the series. But then I found a part 2 to the series, GU, where the hunt for this series began once more! Because I must complete the game’s entire series before moving on, of course!

Overall, I find playing these old games makes me appreciate them more than playing a game when it first comes out. I still do buy a game or two when it is still new if I really, REALLY like the game series, but it isn’t too often. Whenever I do, I end up playing the new game right away, streaming through it so fast that I find myself not enjoying it as much. Maybe I also just never was easily swayed by graphics, so old technology seems appealing enough to play again too. In either case, take this lesson when gaming: take the time to stop and smell the roses.