The final week of December has arrived and the end of 2014 is nigh. I tend to get a little reflective right before New Year’s. I like to think about where I’ve been, what I’ve done, and what I can do moving forward into the new year. I like what a new year represents––a fresh start and a chance for something new to come into your life. The sense of hope that comes with that idea is very reassuring to me. I want to use this time to reflect on my blog in the past year and what my plans are for it in 2015.
At the beginning of 2014, I put myself to the test by trying to tackle as many games as I could in my backlog. Staring at an endless mountain of either unfinished games or yet to be started games bothered me greatly. And don’t even get me started on the digital downloads I have sitting in my console or 3DS. So many games with great gaming experiences to be uncovered and they’re all just sitting there NOT getting played? Blasphemous, I tell you!
I decided the best way to make sure these games will get played is by doing a one video game a month challenge. I select the game I want to play for the whole month and then I see if I’ll succeed at finishing the game by the time the month ends.
Looking back at this video game endeavor, I’ll admit, I’ve had some mixed results with the challenges. On one hand, it got me to play the games I partially started but never finished all the way through. On the other, staying committed to my cause only really worked when my weekends (the only real time I have to play) were free. I’ve encountered every issue that kept me from doing these challenges the way I want to from personal obligations, vacations, or remembering to have a social life outside of just playing video games and watching Netflix all day long. Despite these hurdles I had to work around, these challenges haven’t been a complete bust.
I did manage to complete a few games I set out to finish. The games on my completion roster this year may only be counted on one hand, but it’s still a success no matter how small. The takeaway I got from doing these video game challenges for a whole year is it’s fun. While the challenges are meant to help make my video game backlog a few games lighter, in reality, it has always been about experiencing the game itself in its entirety and finding the motivation to carve out some time, sit down, and just play.
What’s the point of trying to finish every single game in your backlog if you don’t enjoy the actual gaming experience itself? The euphoria I feel after finishing a game is immediately followed by a reflection of how much I enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) the experience. Luckily, the games I have finished for my challenges has offered a measure of overall satisfaction. A few games aren’t without its own share of flaws and minor disappointments, as I discovered with Kingdoms of Amalur, but I don’t regret spending time on playing them either. Not every game will have a certain “wow” factor like most Bioware games and Telltale titles have for me, but as long as it gave me some entertainment and enjoyment then it has been time well spent.
There are still plenty more games to play and because I like trying to tackle most challenges when it’s presented to me, I plan on continuing my video game challenges into the new year. I like being able to set aside a goal and plan to meet it, and by doing these challenges, it gives me plenty to write about in my own blog. Video games + more content for my blog? Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
I pride myself in trying to produce varied content each Monday I update, but I have noticed that this year has been rather difficult. I’ve written more about video games and less about any other topic––fashion, anime, and manga this year than any other time. I’m hoping I can change this in the new year, but I know it can be difficult when my time is limited. I haven’t been able to read as much manga as I like, and fitting time to watch anime, other than Sailor Moon, has been damn near impossible. I’m going to try and somehow manage my time to fit in all these things in the new year, but who knows what will happen. There’s no harm in trying your best!
I’d like to take the time to thank each and every one of you who has ever read my blog. Whether it’s through a comment or like, it means so much to me that people take the time to read what I have to say. I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year and I hope you will all join me in keeping this blog an entertaining and readable hub in 2015!
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