Roughly a fortnight ago I had a look at whether or not we are becoming lazy gamers. That train of thought then led me to a very similar revelation – are we as gamers becoming spoilt and greedy?

Generation Poly

“Xbox is totally better than PS3!” 

“No-way, my PC owns you all! Consoles are for kids!”

These arguments, while still prevalent, are slowly but surely making way for a new breed of gamer. A gamer who has it all. A gamer who does not need to take sides. We are known as the Multiplatform Gamers (dun dun duuun!).

The term Multiplatform Gamer is pretty self-explanatory. Basically as gamers, many of us now own more than one platform. We may own any combination of a PS3, Xbox, or Wii all the while sporting a considerable PC and maybe some hand-helds on the side. Those of us who are blessed with more than one platform are now totally awash with great games. But this is blessing which can at the same time, also be a curse. 

Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

In the years past, most of us had a singular platform of choice. We spent much of our disposable income on it, along with our free time. Things suddenly changed as gaming became more socially acceptable and mainstream. Right now there are three major consoles, a slew of hand-held options, as well as the trusty old PC. There is a decision to be made now. Stick with our singular preferred platform, or buy another one or two thereby gaining access to a greater wealth of games. The obvious choice for many is to acquire at least one other platform. 

Now this seems utterly fantastic for us gamers. Variety is the spice of life after all – but there is a catch. After buying another platform we now have access to an ever growing amount of great games, but sadly our free time does not increase along with it. We have it all, but can we play them all? Are we greedy gamers?

Let me ask you this then. How many of you buy more titles than you have time to play or even finish? Sitting on your game-shelf / hard drive they pine for your attention. The majority garner just a few hours of play before you move onto something else. And this is not because the game is craptastic, but rather because there is always a brand-spanking new title for at least one of our platforms every other week. Personally, I am guilty as charged! I have become a gaming nomad, moving from one game to the next, never staying too long.

Turning that Frown Upside Down

So where to from here? Well, we could exercise a degree of self-control and only buy something new once we have finished what we are busy on. I know it will be hard. Or maybe there is another way to look at all of this? Are we not vestiges of awesome? Supporting the gaming industry with our obsessive excess? We could use that excuse, and likely I will, since self-control on this front for many gamers is about as likely as Julius Malema joining the AWB. So yeah, it’s not going to happen without a serious fight.

We are living in an age where gaming is finally becoming part of popular culture, and thereby more support and money is thrown at it. By looking at our gaming habits we can decide whether or not this process of excess is truly making us happy. Are we becoming slaves to the machine, ever consuming to keep its cogs going? What impact has this made on the gaming industry? Gamers suffer from ever dwindling attention spans and the industry knows it. It is more profitable to make a quick game retailing at full price rather than develop a lengthy game that few will finish.

So, what are your gaming habits? Do you buy more games than you could hope to finish? How many games do you see through to completion?

Do you suck at finishing games because there is always something new to play? << share your views in the forums