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| Bayonetta's Introduction into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS |
Bayonetta was announced to be added as a downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. in a special event in December. She was just released this past Wednesday, February the 3rd. When she was announced, I was in a room full of friends, all Nintendo fans like myself. I got a little bit excited... Okay, I was far more than a little excited when she was shown. I had been harping on that Bayonetta should join the cast of Smash both before the game was released in 2014, as well as the instant that they announced that they would include a character voted on by fans through the "Fighter Ballot" last April. There are more than a few casual Smash fans that did not really react much to the introduction and inclusion of Bayonetta, meanwhile, I couldn't contain my excitement.
The terms "Casual Gamer" and "Hardcore Gamer" are used pretty often, however, I am not really a fan of those terms. I am more comfortable looking at the differences between those who play game as a hobby and those for who gaming is a part of their lifestyle. Obviously I am of the latter, and I am never one to look down on those who only play games just as a hobby (as many "hardcore" gamers like to look down at "casuals" as somehow inferior).
I think that their are potentially less differences between the two groups I'm discussing than many people may believe. Some may say that those who play as just a hobby don't play much, but I don't believe that to be true. They very well may play many hours, and they may even have a large number of games to play.
So when I make that statement, there arises the question of where the distinction between hobby and lifestyle comes from. Well, being as gaming is a lifestyle for me, I will simply list a number of things that make it such: When you don't just buy the newest game, but you keep up on it for weeks or months, or even years in some cases, before its release. When you watch every major publisher event, beyond just E3, and even with E3, you keep up on every thing that is announced even outside the couple hours of conferences. When you collect and keep every game and piece of memorabilia you can afford and know you'll love because its a part of the game[s] and series that you love. When an announcement about a game you love can cause you to feel ecstatic for hours or days. When you talk (or write, like with this) about video games with everyone you can at every opportunity, because its what you love. And that right there is the key word, you really love games, you feel real passion for games and your fellow gamers, you are part of a community, all of the many great things about games keep you running when other things in life may slow you down a bit. They aren't just a fun pass-time, they are one of your favorite ways to spend your precious time.
I apologize for the brevity this week, there is not much I had to say on the subject, but I still felt that what I had to say was very personal and people who feel the same way will feel a connection to the subject. If you would like to hear more about Community in gaming like I mentioned above, come back in two weeks; I will be attending MAGFest (The Music and Gaming Festival) in Maryland for an entire weekend (February 18-21) and writing about the power of Gaming as a community.
Do you think that gaming is a lifestyle for you more than a hobby? How do you feel about everything I discussed above? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.
Have a tremendous day.
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| Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts III, which I have been keeping up with as closely as possible since its announcement in 2013, as discussed below, literally for years. |
So when I make that statement, there arises the question of where the distinction between hobby and lifestyle comes from. Well, being as gaming is a lifestyle for me, I will simply list a number of things that make it such: When you don't just buy the newest game, but you keep up on it for weeks or months, or even years in some cases, before its release. When you watch every major publisher event, beyond just E3, and even with E3, you keep up on every thing that is announced even outside the couple hours of conferences. When you collect and keep every game and piece of memorabilia you can afford and know you'll love because its a part of the game[s] and series that you love. When an announcement about a game you love can cause you to feel ecstatic for hours or days. When you talk (or write, like with this) about video games with everyone you can at every opportunity, because its what you love. And that right there is the key word, you really love games, you feel real passion for games and your fellow gamers, you are part of a community, all of the many great things about games keep you running when other things in life may slow you down a bit. They aren't just a fun pass-time, they are one of your favorite ways to spend your precious time.
I apologize for the brevity this week, there is not much I had to say on the subject, but I still felt that what I had to say was very personal and people who feel the same way will feel a connection to the subject. If you would like to hear more about Community in gaming like I mentioned above, come back in two weeks; I will be attending MAGFest (The Music and Gaming Festival) in Maryland for an entire weekend (February 18-21) and writing about the power of Gaming as a community.
Do you think that gaming is a lifestyle for you more than a hobby? How do you feel about everything I discussed above? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.
Have a tremendous day.
Video games are so cool.
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