My immense backlog of unexperienced media stimulates my obsessive information-seeking inner nerd into a brief, but potent, altered state of consciousness. It’s not unlike what a kid experiences moments before opening a present on Christmas morning, knowing with the utmost certainty the object behind the green and red wrapping paper. Preemptively, we both carefully plan where, when, and what we will do with our prizes post-unearthing.
But unlike the child, an elaborately-decorated evergreen doesn’t stand, almost protectively, over my prizes. They’re scattered around my room, piled into masses, and potentially disguised as ugly furniture should the desperate need arise and cloud some unfortunate visitor’s perception (It’s happened before. Xbox 360 game cases still bear the cracks and splintered remains of the attack.). Also unlike the child, my objects of fancy weren’t placed with love and care, they were tossed aside by feelings of regret and/or an urgency to do something else – usually something yielding an eventual financial return.
Opened, but barely played games litter my shelves and PC hard drive, my bloated Netflix disc and instant watch queues each hold 500 titles (the maximum), a stack of magazines and comics that can almost be measured in the plural “feet” taunt me as they gather dust in a corner of my room, and unread books occupy what little desk, shelf, and floor space not already taken by another piece of media. My room’s a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess of yet-to-be-tasted, consumed, and savored media. A disaster of any other nature would never remain for as long or prevent so much movement.
I’ve never stockpiled this much content. One of my oldest and strictest rules prevents this disaster from happening. “Don’t buy something you can’t play, watch, or read immediately after purchase,” I’ve always told myself. An item’s retail value typically falls in the months following release. By delaying my purchase until I have time to enjoy the product, I typically save hundreds of dollars each year. But 2009 was different.
The year of teabagging, Glenn Beck, and the inauguration of our first African American President also saw other monumental events, such as my own increased focus on growing my writing craft, additional teaching and writing work heading my way, and almost the least free time I’ve ever had. I also briefly tasted competing at videogames on a professional level with GameStop’s national Street Fighter IV championship. Securing my spot as one of the top 15 finalists took more than skill and a whole lot of luck, it took hundreds of hours of training – all logged within months of the game’s release. As my own capabilities grew, so did my media backlog.
At IPR, I’m not the only person with a backlog unusually deep. Faculty and students both often respond to my “have you played X” game requests with “no, but I will during break.” By my count, IPR students and faculty will beat hundreds of titles spanning the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this Christmas break and watch dozens, if not hundreds of hours, worth of movies.
There won’t be enough time to play everything. Two weeks off is a substantial amount of time, but my backlog’s corporeal body shrugs at the amount. Two months off filled with nothing but me devouring media would suffice, but that’s just a dream my ambition will never allow. Paying the bills and advancing my career’s too important.
With only two weeks available to us, we must take great care in planning our Christmas holiday media menu. Those with even less time off need to be especially careful. As professionals in the entertainment industry, or soon-to-be professionals, I strongly believe it’s absolutely essential we experience as much media as possible. In a way, I want everyone to think seriously about having fun.
Here’s my menu:
Every Christmas I make the seven hour to my native Northwestern Minnesota, bringing with me my PC, game consoles, particular games and movies, etc. Observers watching me load my silver Chevy Blazer might suggest I’m insane for bringing along such a high volume of stuff. They’d be right. I never play it all, but I do often play most, and what I don’t hit a member of my extended family usually does.
I’d like to play particular titles this Christmas such as The Witcher, Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters, Dragon Age, and The Saboteur, but I feel the experience may be lessened without my usual flatscreen and surround sound setup. I don’t mean to sound elitist, but with the option to experience these products in this matter, I feel I’d be doing the creators a disservice if I switched to the 17″ monitor and headphones I’ll be using up north during break.
Putting larger titles like those aside, my menu’s filled with indies, casuals, and an RPG I’m replaying.
I’m a sucker for digital download sales, and last Thanksgiving I picked up a plethora of titles I normally would’ve avoided. Majesty 2 and Madballs in…Bobo: Invasion now sit in my Steam list, waiting to receive attention this Christmas. I’ll check ‘em out, but I’m not teeming with anticipation. Zeno Clash, a bizarre first-person fighter from indie developer Ace Team, went on sale shortly after Thanksgiving, so it sits in my Steam list as well. The total amount I paid for all three titles is around $15.00. If I don’t like them, so what? I’ve spent $15.00 much more foolishly in the past.
I’m still not done with Osmos, and I never did finish The Path. Both are on the menu, as is The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. Its low-res nativity will fit in perfect with the playing circumstances. If I get time, maybe I’ll finish Samorost 2 and move on to the beautiful Machinarium.
In case you didn’t notice, my menu’s filled with point-and-click adventure titles – a genre in which I’m not well versed. Hopefully in two weeks I’ll feel informed and able to recant the hilarious maiden voyage of Monkey Island.
Social gaming’s important, especially in the middle of Northwest Minnesota, a land far, about an hour, from the luxuries of modern civilization such as cinemas, Best Buys, and Jimmy Johns. Over the last few months, I’ve played Riot Games’ League of Legends for dozens of hours. I adore the spiritual successor to DotA, but this Christmas break I’m going to try and play something else. Maybe I’ll check out the mod Defence Alliance 2 or explore a dozen or so free-to-play MMORPGs and indie titles I’ve installed but never opened. The sky’s the limit, and it will remain as free and clear of LoL and World of Warcraft as possible.
Like every Christmas, I’ll bring along my Wii and bust out Wii Sports for some drunken bowling with my parents and grandparents. I don’t play it anymore, but they all still find it entertaining, and watching my grandma giggle and laugh as she overcomes a 7 10 split makes the entire trip worth the drive and gas money. We’ll also try New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but I fear it’s too difficult for them.
Buzz TV!’s coming along once again, and will probably only surface when my highly competitive cousin challenges me to a game, or two, or a dozen. He beat me last year when he manipulated our younger cousin into choosing particular topics, but I’m bringing along a newer, faster-paced, version. It’s my time now.
And, of course, no Christmas would be complete without the film staples. I’ll force my family, once again, to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooged, A Christmas Story, and a few others, with me. And they’ll reluctantly agree. They say “yes” to my request because this is what we do during the holidays. We put up with each other’s quirks and annoying personality traits, if only for a little while. Ultimately we’re better for doing so. I learn more about them and they about me. I grow, and hopefully they do too.
My media menu’s not set in stone. No one’s should be. The menu’s exactly what it is – a list of options I can choose to pull from. Its greatest strength is diversity. Without first planning to bring Buzz TV! or the Wii, the aforementioned shared experiences wouldn’t have existed, or at least in that way.
If you get time, please list your Christmas media menu below. I’d love to hear your holiday anecdotes and past, present, and future plans.
