A mono-mind. A general consensus of agreement, created through debate and repetition. A majority thought. Mono-minds are referred to in statements like "it is generally thought that" or "most would say" when discussing a subject.

Is there a general gaming mono-mind?

There is no greater evidence to the existence of a general consensus of gamers than the formation of "golden ages" and "pillars of gaming". These things generally aren't founded on quantifiable methods, but formed through a collective agreement and a reformed recollection. At what point did The Ocarina of Time become a Greatest Game Ever Made? Immediately after its release? Or was its apotheosis gradual?

If there is a mono-mind in gaming, then it is a fickle one. Though opinions that are kept past a few years tend not to change, opinions in the interim come and go. Gears of War comes out, and it's hailed by many as a game-changing success. Less than a year later, the property is fading in the general esteem of gamers. The experience of playing the game gives way to the idea of the game itself, in time. At this point, games which have become so revered in gaming consciousness become hard to judge or rate, because opinions about the game aren't just about picking it up and playing it now, but the changes the game brought to gaming culture, or the recollection of the experience it created at the time. How can you approach playing Panzer Dragoon Saga now without the weight of ten years of quiet reverence? To some degree, you have to appreciate the impact the game had in order to enjoy it now.

When some coworkers were thumbing through a list of "Worst Games Ever Made", and asked me what I thought would be number one, I guessed it. I guessed four out of the first five. When these lists are written, whether deliberately or unconsciously, they write about what the gaming community feels are the worst games ever made. No one ever mentions "Honey Cave" for cellphones because it's not relevant to the gaming consciousness. E.T. for the 2600 was much more scarring. Even if these games weren't the worst the individual writer ever played, that's not the point of the analysis. Why would I think that E.T. is one of the worst games ever made if I haven't even played it?

(Here is a tangent: what about the etymology of gaming culture? At what point did everyone start saying "meh", "teh", "internets", "no0b"? Did you start doing so because you liked the joke, or to show that you belonged in the community? Why does it spread so quickly? Is it related to the relative youth of the recently inducted? It'd make an awesome master's thesis.)

There is, of course, evidence to the contrary. When there is a great public consensus, many are immediately prone to believing the opposite. Say that Final Fantasy VII is the greatest console role-playing game ever created, and you will find many who pop up to argue the point. Reaction to the mono-mind can be heard in shouts of "overrated!" How much of this is a deeply rooted conviction, and how many of these cries are reactionary?

Much of what is called trolling is confronting commonly held beliefs in the gaming community. It seems like it is said more for the reaction than because the author believes it themselves.

Is it region-centric? Or are magazines like Edge merely reactionary? Consider the review it gave of Bioshock, calling it good, but in many ways a disappointment. How does that contrast with the overall opinion of the gaming community? Yahtzee Crenshaw said similar things, and he seemed to get smacked in the face with the ire of gamers.

Is it easily swayed by marketing? I would say yes, but only in the short-term. I think that excitement and anticipation towards games can be manufactured, but not the life-long attachment and deep-rooted opinions held by gaming culture. For example, a strong ad-campaign and lots of press can make a game release like Assassin's Creed be huge, but the actual quality of the game, and the perceived quality by the consensus of gamers can't be paid for. Even a huge property like Halo 3 isn't exactly sweeping the Best of 2007 lists this year - telling that money and production values aren't everything.

Listening to the EGM podcasts can be an observation of group thinking versus individual reactions. Look at when Mass Effect was discussed. Four out of five guys considered it QED that the game wasn't very good. Regardless of it doing relatively well in the review stage, and being popular sales-wise, only two months later, the revisionist opinion is that the game was a disappointment. You hear one guy claim otherwise, and he gets trampled down, and by the end, you can hear the resignation in his voice against the popular opinion.

I had my ideas about gaming, video games, and the general order of things in the industry, and by 2004, they were very far removed from consensus. I didn't read about gaming on the internet, wasn't blogging about it in forums, and hadn't picked up a video game magazine regularly since Diehard Gamefan stopped printing.

The importance of the mono-mind to you as an individual is only important to the degree to which you are involved in gaming culture. If you just buy games you like, play them, and don't give a shit what anyone else thinks of them, then the mono-mind is irrelevant to you. But the second that you start to get involved in the culture, it confronts you.

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Don't mind me, I'm just switching back to night shifts so my brain isn't working right.

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I managed to finish a few games this week. Mass Effect is done, which I absolutely loved. My bias seems to be games that have an interactive and engaging story, hence my appreciation of Dreamfall, Manhunter, and the old Laura Bow mysteries. Rooo thought my female Shepard looked duck-faced. I thought it looked like a combination of my friend Tina and Gwenneth Paltrow. His looks like a gay porn star.

Also finished Episode II of Half-Life. Almost got the Garden Gnome achievement, but I forgot to close the door on the receptacle in which the gnome travels. I hit that point about five hours into the game, and my only save before that is at 3:35. Another hour and a half of gnome carrying to redo. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. I hate you, Valve. I hate you. Great ending, though.