What’s really helped me is to make a list of the games I play, what I thought about them and when I started and finished them, I used to do this years ago and looking back on the google doc is fascinating so I will try to keep it up for everything I play here on in.

After paying closer attention to my gaming/abandoning habits since writing that post, I’ve come to the conclusion that it really depends on the GAME itself and how good it is, which involves a number of factors like:
- The length and more importantly the PACING of the game
- How closely the subject matter aligns with my interests
- Amount of dialogue/reading & other tediums
- How much fun I’m having, etc etc etc…

Having enough time to play all these wonderful games is ALWAYS a factor, sure. But I also think it’s more about knowing exactly what you like and seeking out the games that deliver it. For me it’s adventure games–I’ve never not finished one!

Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to tell how your experience is going to be until you really sit down with a game and try it yourself. As gamers we tend to buy into the pre-release hype, excited by pretty screenshots and trailers. More often than not, gameplay doesn’t quite live up to our expectations, so we abandon intentionally or something better comes along and we gradually lose interest.

But there’s also those rare games that come along that are just so amazing and hit all the right notes, we devour them completely. Semi-recent examples for me have been Portal 2 & Uncharted 3 (along w/ the previous Uncharted games). I want to put Skyrim in this category too but I think it has the opposite problem–it OVER-delivers, making it nearly impossible to consider yourself “finished.”

Anyway, my point in this overly long ramble is that it’s not just you! The games themselves are also to blame, as is the industry’s hype/consume cycle.

After I wrote that post I found something on Kotaku where the notion of a Hunger Games tie-in is addressed. I agreed with one of their observations, that the game can only be single-player. Having people running around the universe of The Hunger Games, tea-bagging fallen tributes and screaming “lolz fag” every 5 seconds wouldn’t be much fun, especially given the sensitivity of the subject matter.

And in many ways that’s a shame, because in the hands of 24 responsible gamers, a multi-player Hunger Games would be an awesome experience.

Maybe some sort of adventure game with puzzle elements. Find the resources Katniss needs to survive, find shelter before another tribute finds you, avoid the cold, this would suit the almost introverted nature of her character far better, I’d enjoy that inner monologue far more than just the kill angle tbh. Act in defence before something bad happens to her sort of Another World style.

From memory she only directly kills two tributes, so for the most part the murder could be handled quite respectfully and carefully when it comes to the other tributes at least.

Maybe let the fans experience another ending if they wish too alternative endings – defy the capitol openly and risk the gamemakers try to kill you etc etc.

Ooh I’m quite excited now, but it won’t happen that way. I am sure.

I am developing a videogame history timeline and most of my sources are, as you may imagine, US-biased. I have seen the Games Britannia documentary (well, part 1 and 3 only) and Gamer Revolution which offer some British information. My timeline is interactive and I am using it in my videogame history course. You can see it here:

http://www.mauriciogiraldo.com/vgline/beta/

I cannot, realistically, put every single relevant event but I am making my best. Any input from the UK point-of-view will be appreciated. Most of the trouble for me has been finding birth dates of important designers/developers (you can see them all born 2010).

I do have the CPC : )

Your book just so happened to be one of the closest I could find by way of an example, mainly because it does take pride of place on my most accessible book shelf and isn't languishing in a box in the attic. I'm a big fan of Vintage Games and never fail to recommend it whenever someone asks me about decent video game books. (I'll also be doing an article on video game books some time in the near future.)

Like you say, when it comes to painting the broadest strokes on the video game history canvas, some systems will have to fall by the wayside. There simply is far too much for any one book (or documentary) to cover in any significant detail. Thankfully there are numerous bloggers out there with the ability to explore these niches, so these minor systems are unlikely to be forgotten, even if it seems like the heavyweight tomes in book stores may be neglecting them.

Thanks again for the comments, Bill. Your input is always welcome on this blog.