Yello's Gaming Journal

April 4, 2026 - Playing games at my own pace

2026 has been another depressing, exciting, and terrifying year for the gaming industry...I'm starting to think that every year is gonna feel like that. But especially now, with ridiculously rising prices of technology (which means more expensive consoles and games), it feels challenging to keep up with where the industry is going. Sometimes I do miss being in my own bubble, but at the same time, I don't wanna miss as many games as I did growing up.

Right now, Pokémon Pokopia has been the surprise hit sweeping the cozy Nintendo audience. It would be the perfect game for me to sink my teeth into...yet I have no desire to jump in right away. There are very few games/franchises that I'd get day 1 because I know that (theoretically, at least) I'd be paying the most now in exchange for satiating that desire to play right away. Even for Nintendo games, once I get over the initial few weeks of FOMO, I could always find a deal for much cheaper elsewhere. Pokopia is not worth the $70 imo.

Sometimes, the anticipation for the release was more enjoyable than actually getting my hands on it. I just know that I ultimately lose if I impulsively buy something and never actually getting around to playing it. As I'm typing this, the new Tomodachi Life looks really fun and quirky, something much needed this year. It's releasing soon this month and my online friends are already planning to get the game day 1. They even got Pokopia when it released last month! The FOMO has been brutal lately, but it's not deadly.

So that's why instead of feeling pressured to keep up with new releases, I'm being more realistic about what I can and cannot play right now. Growing up, I almost NEVER paid attention to release dates or cared about what my peers were playing. Even when I had all the time in the world, I still took weeks and months to beat my games. For me, the more I rush a game, the less I enjoy it. I don't know how content creators now can just devour new games for a living. That just sounds like it takes the fun out of the experience for the sake of timely content.

So unless I somehow cave one day, my priority is to focus on the many, many games I already have. That should've been the plan all along because even with the modest collection I have right now, I kinda have no reason to impulsively buy new games. I have more than enough to last me many years. Right now, I'm literally juggling 6 games and I fear that habit is never gonna change. I don't know how people just move on from games so freely, or God forbid play one game at a time. I might as well embrace my tendencies. This is how I enjoy these new-fangled video games.