I have a confession to make; I almost never buy new games. Hell, I almost never buy new media of any kind. Almost all my books, DVDs and games are used. While I feel guilty about not supporting developers and publishers, I can't justify paying a full $60 for most games. Allow me to make my case:

- I Fly Solo

I don't really care at all about online multiplayer. Maybe I'm old and curmudgeonly, but I don't enjoy it. I'll play with friends on a couch. I used to play WoW when I had enough real life friends that were still playing. I just don't like playing online with strangers and most of my friends don't game online. I borrowed CoD 4 from a friend and beat it in two sittings. I tried the multiplayer once or twice and gladly gave it back. There's no way I'd get $60 out of that game, but an heavy multiplayer guy probably would. I don't care about getting in on the multiplayer right away. So I can wait.

- Game prices fall... fast.

I was able to pick up GTA IV about three months after release for less than $30. I'm a patient man. If you're willing to stay about six months behind, you can save hundreds of dollars a year... which brings me to my next point.

- The Paradox

I'm sort of a media dork. I'm a journalism and media studies student. I love digging deep and getting the most out of any medium. That includes music, graphic novels, film, and even video games. My voracious appetite for media means I want to play as many games as possible. If I buy cheaper games, I can play more of them. My love of the industry leads me to buy second hand and deny the industry money.

- Game Prices Need to be Variable

I'm actually breaking my rule for Dragon Age. I'm a huge Bioware fanboy. They have yet to disappoint me. It's easier to justify a $60 purchase when a game is all but a safe bet, especially when a single play can go up to 80+ hours and encourages multiple plays. That's worth $60, but should something like Prince of Persia or Too Human cost just as much? New DVDs go for around $20, but a season of a television show can cost several times as much. Physical media almost always costs the same at launch, regardless of quality or length. We're seeing some price variability in the online market, which is great.

- There's No Second Hand DLC

While I bought GTA IV used, I did buy The Lost and the Damned mainly because I couldn't get it any other way. While I grumbled about paying almost as much for the DLC as I did for the original game, I felt better knowing that Rockstar was finally getting some money from me. I also feel I got my money's worth out of a $15 Shadow Complex or $10 Flower. Now if only I could sell them when I'm done with them...

- Mitigating the Middle Man

While I buy used, I avoid Gamestop like the plague. They've built a whole industry out of exploiting used game buyers and the industry. I tend to stick to hunting for deals on eBay or hitting up a pretty good "mom and pop: store here in Milwaukee.

- Conclusions?

While I'm legally buying these games, I still feel guilty for denying funds to the games industry. I'm still a student. Maybe when I have a real job I'll buy new games. But when funds are tight and I never get to play everything I want anyways, it's easier to justify buying that game from last year for $30 versus the hot new shit for $60.

When I see reviews for various video game blogs, news sites, or podcasts, I invariably see comments about how funny the staff is. I don't really care about the humor level of the content, I care about the quality of coverage. I've wasted effort whining from time to time about too many dick and fart jokes, lack of basic journalism tenets, etc on numerous sites. The usual response I get is along the lines of, "Dude, this isn't a serious site. We're here to have fun. Lighten up." That seems more like a defense to me than a justification.

Why are almost all game websites full of snarky, juvenile writers? Why does every picture leached from Google images need a snarky comment attached to it? I'd like to see some serious journalism and industry press. Sometimes, I think video games suffer for breaching into the mainstream in the internet age. Most other popular media has respectable industry press. It's all but nonexistent for video games.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy Destructoid. I've been a regular reader/Podtoid listener for about a year now. There are moments when I gain some real insight or learn some interesting information. But I'd hardly call it a real news site. It's more like an online community for all kinds of random crap that happens to talk about video games often. That's cool. I have no problem with that. But that only scratches one itch. Where would a serious news hound go for hard games industry journalism? Why does it always come with a large helping of sophomoric humor?

No seriously, I want to now. Where do you guys go for that kind of content? I'm not looking down my nose at Destructoid; it's fun. I am looking to compliment it, though. Giant Bomb is probably the other site I frequent the most. Those guys have some great insight into the industry and games as an evolving medium. But all too often, they're posting stupid videos of all the weird crap people send them.

Why aren't there more features like Bonus Round on Game Trailers? I LOVE that show. It's a bunch of adults taking games seriously and having earnest discussions about them without having to resort to crass humor to make sure it all goes over well. As an avid NPR listener and video game enthusiast, I have real trouble finding quality content that lines up with my interests.

Again, there's no need to come to the defense of Destructoid. What they do, they do very well. I'm just looking for something a little different. And I have to wonder, I am the only one alone in my want for serious games coverage?

I enjoy the Rock Band/Guitar Hero formula. These are the best social games available right now. Who doesn't want to be a rock star? And with a wide range of difficulty settings, everyone can have a good time. Grandma can jam out playing bass on easy while little Johnny shreds some epic solos on expert. There is a group that I feel often falls through the cracks in these difficulty settings: actual musicians.

I've been playing bass guitar for over 17 years. I've been in a couple different bands in that time. I've never been a rock star, but we were good enough to get paid on the bar circuit. I'm also a pretty decent guitar player and I can keep a simple 4/4 beat on a drum kit. When I pick up a little plastic guitar, I want it to work like the real thing. I have a very talented drummer friend who cannot wrap his head around those four pads and pedal. Our brains cannot break out of the skills and behaviors we've learned over the years.

I'm not a a guitar player elitist that looks down his nose at Guitar Hero and Rock Band players. I own both Rock Band games and too much DLC. While learning to play Dream Theater on expert is a challenge and requires skill, it's very different from playing a real instrument. Just as playing Rock Band won't give you any skills transferable to a real instrument, actually knowing how to play guitar or drums does you very little good in a video game.

I can imagine this is what it feels like for a football player to try madden, or for an MMA fighter to hug men virtually in a UFC game. There are songs I know how to play on a real instrument - songs I've been paid to play at music venues - that I can barely scrape through in Rock Band.

Of course, these two ideas should have nothing to do with each other. aside from the fact that the button are encased in something that vaguely resembles a guitar, these plastic controllers have very little in common with the real thing. At the end of the day, these band games are simply Amplitude with rock music instead of techno. And I'm ok with that. They are a load of fun. But it seems like some people expect a real musician to be good at these games, simply because of the shape of the controller. Would Leather Face be better at Resident Evil 4 if he used the chainsaw controller?



I think what trips me up is that I fall prey on a subconscious level to the same assumptions. I try to play the damn thing like a real guitar, but in reality it's a controller for a falling gem rhythm game. You have to be precise to the recording, hitting every little nuance of the original artist where, in reality, you would probably put in your own little flourishes. This is especially difficult when playing live tracks which are full of numerous variations that even the original artist likely wouldn't replicate from night to night.



I need to learn how to turn the musician part of my brain off and the gamer part on. I can play Lumines, Tetris, and Elite Beat Agents no problem. Rock Band should be no different, if I can just get over that mental hurdle in my brain. Then I can let people think that I am that awesome at Rock Band because of my guitar skills and not because I'm a gamer.