Before we start, let’s get one thing straight: Don’t blame Casual Gamers for wanting to have fun. You don’t blame an invasive species for flourishing, and consequently ruining an ecosystem, you blame the vector by which it invaded. In this case, the vector is super publishers throwing Gamers under the bus to chase the casual dollar.
“Casual Gamers are not real Gamers!” is something you’re likely to hear around the internet. Some brush it off as elitism, others trolling, and more still fully believe it. Well I’m here to tell you that it’s true: Casual Gamers and Gamers are different species entirely, similar to how Red Pandas are not related to Giant Pandas. There are two primary, irreconcilable difference that separate Casual Gamers and Gamers: Continue reading How casual gamers are indirectly and objectively ruining gaming for gamers→
With the fall of NeoGAF, one can only hope that gamer culture really is a microcosm of the world’s politics, as game journalists would have us believe. Surely I can’t be the only one that remembers how they constantly told us gamers were dead, while simultaneously colluding with Russia to alter the 2016 US presidential election, and being the prototype for the recruitment of the Alt-Right’s online Nazi reserves? I know you remember, because it’s still going on today.
However, weathering those malicious assaults is something gamers do best. We forge ourselves in the pixelated flames of war, training relentlessly to do only one thing: Win. Judging by how popular gaming has become, and how those who constantly insult and suppress gamers find themselves wrapped in controversy due to their long buried skeletons rising from the depths, I’d say we’re pretty f*%king good at winning. Continue reading The Fall of NeoGAF: Hopefully gaming is the microcosm→
My call for help did not fall on deaf ears, and thanks to that, this site will soon start bustling with a lot of new content. Someday, I hope we can all look back on this as a case of greatness coming from humble beginnings. A time when gamers banded together after years of strife, and made something cool. A place to congregate without others, especially the writers, insulting you for your taste in games, platforms of choice, or views on the media as a whole.
Believe it or not, there was a time when gaming media was almost as satisfying as the games being covered. Many of us older gamers may remember the excitement that came with getting that copy of PSM, EGM, Nintendo Power, Ultra Game Players, etc. from the store or in the mail. News on big upcoming games, letters, fan art, contests, and comics/gag strips, inserts, and other cheap gifts felt magical. There was a wit and a charm to old gaming magazines that hasn’t been matched since.
While the magazine medium has almost completely died off, with the internet replacing it, that doesn’t mean the spirit of this forgotten medium can’t live on. That’s what we’re trying to do with Common Sense Gaming: Reclaim the spirit of gaming’s Golden Age, and adapt it to today’s modern media.
Now to the part where those of you reading this help out.
As a new face on the scene, our content is going to be limited by our views. Until we get enough eyes on us, most (non-indie) publishers won’t even respond to our inquiries, let alone ship us early copies for previews/reviews, or sit down for interviews. They want exposure, and at the time of this writing we can’t give it to them in the amounts they desire.
However, we’re gamers. Problem solvers, either by nature or the nurturing of gaming’s school of hard knocks, and we have a plan: This site has no ads. None of us are paid by advertisers or clicks, the great corrupters of today’s media. We don’t have to funnel your eyes to our site. The site isn’t important at all. What’s important is that you see our content, wherever it may be, and let the developers and publishers know you’ve seen it.
Being the gamers we are, we’ve turned the problem with the magazine medium on its head, and made our faux magazine style our biggest strength. Before, magazines were cumbersome, and slow to distribute. Now, we turn a page into an image you can download and share freely with others. There’s no ads to filter, no time wasted. If you like our content, right-click, save as, post wherever, and enjoy at your leisure.
All we ask is that those of you who like our stuff take that extra fraction of a second to retweet or share. You don’t even have to add a witty comment. Would it be awesome if you donate to our patreon or tip us directly through paypal? Fuck yes it would, this shit is coming straight out of my pocket, christ I can’t afford this forever, what am I gonna do about re– Yes, it would be great, but its not currently needed.
A glimpse at something we’d like to bring to our followers: Boss ass console/pc decals.
A big part of our goal moving forward is to capitalize on our easily spread nature to become known and reach out to developers, publishers, and artists. This is so we can bring cool stuff that you would expect from a 90’s gaming magazine. Envelope art and other such contests with cool prizes, decals for your gaming systems, and maybe someday physical collectors edition publications so you can really feel that magazine magic.
That’s pretty far off, but it’s where I want us to be. Until then, this is just a labor of love for gamers, by gamers.
Common Sense Gaming 