So, for those of you that have followed me for a long time, you're aware that I've now posted over 300 reviews, and been maintaining this site for over three years. While this site started as something that I wrote just for fun, as it has matured, I have had far too many times where it has felt like a chore or an obligation instead of something that I do because I enjoy it. Specifically, here's a Catch-22 that I've found myself in repeatedly: I love getting free games, so I've accepted many review copies, but then when I go to game night, I feel like I have to play the games that I brought, because I "need" to be able to review them. I don't like that. I want to go to game nights and play whatever we feel like playing. At the same time, this site has gotten me caught up in wanting to cover new games that get me extra pageviews instead of older games that I might actually enjoy playing more. That's unfortunate.
Yet, even with these things, I like this site. I've invested a lot of myself into it, and honestly, I'm very proud of it. I don't really want it to die off - yet I desperately need to step away from it for a while. I've been debating exactly what this means. My initial thought was that I was just going to leave this a desolate wasteland for a while - abandoning it, and then coming back and writing more in the future if I felt like I wanted to jump back in later (or there were review copies that I really wanted). Instead, I think that I've found a bit of a better solution. I've talked with one of my guest reviewers - Jim F., and he's going to take over the site for a bit while I step away from it to pursue other interests.
My goal right now is to do a couple of things - enjoy gaming, and have time to also pursue other interests. When it comes to enjoying gaming, I think that this means spending more time playing games that I've already learned, and that other people are wanting to play, instead of trying to convince people to play whatever I have most recently received in the mail. This may lead me to coming back and posting "pimp my game" style posts with pictures of games that I've pimped out, along with the steps for someone to follow suit if they wanted to. It might not. This also means that I'm going to feel less obligation when it comes to reviews. For example, if someone reaches out to me about reviewing their game, it's fine that they send me a copy of their game. However, if I didn't reach out to them, I will no longer feel an obligation to review their game. If it looks cool, I'll play it and write about it; but if it doesn't, then I won't. (At least, that's my plan. It might be hard to tell myself not to feel obligations. But, if you're a publisher, please be aware of this. If you send me an email that says "I've been following your site for a while and...." I'm going to assume you've read this! (I've already made a note of this in the Contact Josh page, but I'm convinced that nobody actually reads it.)) As for other endeavors, you may see some iPhone games come out from me in the future, and I have also started trying to write fiction (short stories). If you're interested in reading the stories that I write, you can check them out at Blast Area Writing. That's a new site that I just started with a friend of mine that was also interested in writing. Please check it out and leave feedback on what you think of our stories. Just like writing reviews, I'm hoping to get better with practice, and feedback on what works in my stories and what doesn't helps me get better.
So, what now? Well, I'm going to disappear for a month. At that point, I may come back. That's my plan - at least to come back occasionally and write a few posts. When (if) I come back, I will probably be more flexible with what I write about - instead of everything being a review or preview, I might re-explore games that I've already reviewed, to give you an updated opinion. I might post "pimp my game" posts. I really don't know - but I want to resume this site being something I enjoy instead of something that I do out of obligation.
Thanks for all of your support over the last three years! And I'll see you after a while!
Yet, even with these things, I like this site. I've invested a lot of myself into it, and honestly, I'm very proud of it. I don't really want it to die off - yet I desperately need to step away from it for a while. I've been debating exactly what this means. My initial thought was that I was just going to leave this a desolate wasteland for a while - abandoning it, and then coming back and writing more in the future if I felt like I wanted to jump back in later (or there were review copies that I really wanted). Instead, I think that I've found a bit of a better solution. I've talked with one of my guest reviewers - Jim F., and he's going to take over the site for a bit while I step away from it to pursue other interests.
My goal right now is to do a couple of things - enjoy gaming, and have time to also pursue other interests. When it comes to enjoying gaming, I think that this means spending more time playing games that I've already learned, and that other people are wanting to play, instead of trying to convince people to play whatever I have most recently received in the mail. This may lead me to coming back and posting "pimp my game" style posts with pictures of games that I've pimped out, along with the steps for someone to follow suit if they wanted to. It might not. This also means that I'm going to feel less obligation when it comes to reviews. For example, if someone reaches out to me about reviewing their game, it's fine that they send me a copy of their game. However, if I didn't reach out to them, I will no longer feel an obligation to review their game. If it looks cool, I'll play it and write about it; but if it doesn't, then I won't. (At least, that's my plan. It might be hard to tell myself not to feel obligations. But, if you're a publisher, please be aware of this. If you send me an email that says "I've been following your site for a while and...." I'm going to assume you've read this! (I've already made a note of this in the Contact Josh page, but I'm convinced that nobody actually reads it.)) As for other endeavors, you may see some iPhone games come out from me in the future, and I have also started trying to write fiction (short stories). If you're interested in reading the stories that I write, you can check them out at Blast Area Writing. That's a new site that I just started with a friend of mine that was also interested in writing. Please check it out and leave feedback on what you think of our stories. Just like writing reviews, I'm hoping to get better with practice, and feedback on what works in my stories and what doesn't helps me get better.
So, what now? Well, I'm going to disappear for a month. At that point, I may come back. That's my plan - at least to come back occasionally and write a few posts. When (if) I come back, I will probably be more flexible with what I write about - instead of everything being a review or preview, I might re-explore games that I've already reviewed, to give you an updated opinion. I might post "pimp my game" posts. I really don't know - but I want to resume this site being something I enjoy instead of something that I do out of obligation.
Thanks for all of your support over the last three years! And I'll see you after a while!
0 Response to "Game Reviews | A Changing of Seasons by hensa"
Posting Komentar