Stop Getting Your Hopes Up For Video Game Conferences. You Will Be Disappointed
Video game conferences are fun, but we put so much pressure on them. It's time to ease up on the accelerate pedal.
Joseph Kime
09th Mar 2022 16:54
Nintendo | PlayStation
It happens every single time we get an announcement for a Nintendo Direct, PlayStation State of Play, or anything similar. The hype train.
Now don't get me wrong - there are few things as fun as getting involved in the jittery fervour of video game hype, especially when it pays off - and the video game conference is the perfect vessel for it. The Nintendo Direct is a particularly poignant example of this, with many long-term Nintendo fans putting pressure on each of the showcases to supply them with every 10/10 game they'd expect, and every 10/10 game they wouldn't.
Not only is this a surprising example of what we come to expect from game developers, but it's equally as telling of what we expect of these conferences. Too much. We need to wind it back a bit.
Nintendo Direct Fever Probably Isn't Good For Us
Considering the disappointments we've had over the year from grand video game reveal showcases, it's almost bizarre that so much of the video game community's energy hinges on them. Of course, alone, it's exciting to see that a few days from an announcement that Nintendo or PlayStation have something to show us - it's a tidy and convenient way to announce a lot of titles at once, making announcements that are basically just industry-standard pieces of marketing come together to become a real event.
Yet, we have a tendency to collate the best reveals that the medium has offered into one brilliant memory conference, feeding us our very favourite reveals. As much as we wish that every presentation was like this, it simply isn't - because there are so many gamers to cater for.
For every Kirby and the Forgotten Land, there's a Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and though every game that Nintendo can reveal at a Direct has the potential to be a modern masterpiece, the fact of the matter is, conferences simply don't cater to us as much as we convince ourselves that they do.
There's a lot to slog through dependent on a player's taste, and as such, most shows are likely to dish out a few exciting reveals, and pad the rest out with games we don't really care about. And somehow, that's not what we expect. We expect the perfect show, made just for us.
Conferences Have Been Incredible - But They're Less Than Consistent
It's important to state for the record - I've been swept up in hype just as I'm sure you have. There was a period where every Nintendo Direct was about to debut the biggest game of the year. And hell, it was September 2021's PlayStation Showcase that proved to me that the financial shotgun blast of buying a PlayStation 5 would be worth it. But can we trust every PlayStation Showcase to be as remarkable as that, and as brimming with reveals? And can we expect every Nintendo Direct to reveal a Breath of the Wild-grade gamechanger?
Each new conference ends up being the same, with every single one expected to change the face of gaming (though many will avoid admitting it) when it simply can't be the case. We've had incredible reveals from the likes of the Direct and the State of Play, but the hype that arrives in their announcement never quite matches up. Please, stop doing this to yourselves. It's only going to make the sting hurt even more.
Please, Save Yourself The Hurt
As someone who is, generally speaking, optimistic to a fault, it hurts to concede to a miserable conclusion. Of course, we wish that every turn by the video game giants could be the most riveting stuff they've ever revealed, but these conferences are too frequent for them to really hit.
Nintendo and Sony can provide huge announcements in their conferences, ones that shake the entire industry and set a brand-new standard - but we're not going to get it every time. And maybe it's okay to stop expecting that every, seemingly monthly, conference will be the next to destroy and rebuild the industry. Our hearts can only take so much. Be kind to yourself.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
