Malf on 12/9/2017 at 09:19
I didn't even know this was a thing, but apparently today is (
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/video-games-day/) National Videogames Day here in the UK. Various places seem to be using it as an excuse to sell stuff, so if you've not picked up a Switch yet, you can get them for £259 from GAME today or £254.99 from Tesco with the code TDX-TWHJ (probably all gone by the time I post this).
GAME are also selling Horizon Zero Dawn for the cheapest I've seen it yet at £24.99.
But apart from bargains, I haven't seen much of a stir about this anywhere else.
Anyone else seen any related news or know if other countries have a similar day?
Anyone know of any interesting events going on that are related to National Videogames Day?
Thirith on 12/9/2017 at 10:32
Haven't heard anything about this; if Switzerland has something similar, they're definitely keeping it quiet. I wonder how well such fabricated celebrations (I assume that's what it is) catch on in general. I'm never quite sure who the intended audience is: in this case, is it gamers, for whom every day is a video game day, or is it non-gamers, who are unlikely even to hear about it?
Still, if it means cheaper games and hardware, then hooray, I suppose? ;)
icemann on 12/9/2017 at 11:34
We need a national videogames day worldwide. Videogames deserve the respect they've yet to get from governments. Even just factoring in how much the industry makes annually.
Sulphur on 12/9/2017 at 11:42
An international day, that is? Don't see the point, we don't have an international movie day, or a separate day to celebrate music. These are things that can and should be celebrated any day of the week.
Anyway, video games are accepted under free speech in the US, and devs are eligible for tax breaks in various places. They're not really being disrespected as much as they were 20 years ago.
Malf on 12/9/2017 at 12:19
Yet in my workplace (which is a bit of a sausage fest), one that has a distinct IT bent to it, aside from one colleague and I, no-one plays games regularly. And they all sneer at them as being a waste of time.
Yes, gaming is a LOT more socially acceptable than it used to be, but it's still got a way to go. Especially PC gaming.
Everyone's got a console (even m'esteemed colleagues), but running a desktop PC still seems to be regarded as distinctly "Hobbyist" (with a capital "Anorak").
Mind you, none of these buggers reads for pleasure either.
demagogue on 12/9/2017 at 12:49
I don't think it needs its own day. I think if we (or people) dropped the "video" in and just called it "gaming", and talked about games the way people talk about books, movies, albums, and tv shows, that'd help the most.
But whatever. Society will slowly come around in a few decades. We can still talk about gaming as a legitimate cultural thing now, knowing it'll take a while for some to catch up to it.
Sulphur on 12/9/2017 at 16:41
Yeah, give it some more time. We're just facing the slow cultural normalisation of a relatively new medium. Like movies early in the 20th century, a lot of people were for and against what the new medium stood for -- cultural degradation, immorality, all that.
It'll take a while because while we've progressed a bit in the century since then, there are still perceptual challenges. The public perception of video games as 'for kids' is because, well, a shedload of kids have been playing them since Atari graced us with its consoles in the 70s. Games are toys, and no one plays with G.I. Joes once they hit puberty, right?
That fallacy of video games as toys aside, the new wave of smartphone gaming and yes, the Wii, have made their mark on generations young and old. It's not going anywhere but up from here, because there's no discounting the ubiquitousness of phones and their ability to deliver a decent gateway experience.
Starker on 13/9/2017 at 06:09
Once there are more games that aim to be more than just pop entertainment, the perception will also change. Because, let's face it, video games have still a long way towards being on the level of film, let alone the more established fine arts and literature that have had thousands of years to accumulate an army of unparalleled masterpieces.
PigLick on 13/9/2017 at 13:44
Dema is as always way ahead of you guys, ppl have been playing games since we could throw some bones around a campfire
