Gaming is very much the idea of playing pretend. To become someone that you're not. To become bigger than life. To feel powerful. To feel of importance.
This is the beauty of gaming. My parents would always ask me why I played as much as I did in High School(and still do). Why not go socialize and engage in activity with my real world friends? What could I possibly be doing for hours on end every single day? What amused me so much about something as seemingly juvenile as video games?
I was playing pretend. And I loved it.
I have this thing called Asperger's Syndrome. It falls under the branch of autism, but is believed to be a much less severe diagnosis. Fortunately, my case is very minor. But it brings its share of obstacles.
I can't exactly approach people and initiate conversation. When i'm approached, I tend to freeze up and let anxiety get the better of me. Now picture someone with such traits and place them in a single gender Christian school, a boy's school, where the population consists of very uninformed, snobby, and not particularly friendly people.
That was my life throughout Middle and High School. Constant isolation. Basically just being the odd one out. Being told I was pathetic on a day to day basis. My home life wasn't much better either. I felt powerless. So, I contemplated suicide on multiple occasions. But I pulled through - somehow.
When I look back at those years, my greatest memories weren't even grounded in reality. They were from video games. They were of me essentially playing pretend. Pretending I was Master Chief. Solid Snake. A hero. Strong and brave. Great at whatever I do. Things I was always fooled into believing I couldn't possibly be in the real world.
THAT is the beauty of gaming. ANYONE can be whoever they dream. THAT is why we love this industry. Each and every one of you, myself included, are very much childish. Sure, we kind of grew out of building LEGOs and pitting Star Wars action figures against each other in epic war, but we've moved onto bigger things in that same realm; the realm of pretend.
Why play with Army Men when you can play one of the many great WWII games in existence? Why build a model tower with LEGOs when you can construct entire cities in Minecraft?
We are addicted to the concept of action and reaction. We do one thing, and another thing happens as a result of that action. You press an action button on your Dualshock, what do you see on-screen?
The Reaction.
That's how it's been since our youth. Each of us crave the power that comes with being in control. The power to control the actions and reactions. In my case, I never had much control over what happened in my life. And so, I turned to playing pretend. It gave ME the power. And so, I continue to play. As do each of you.
Bash each other all you want for holding preference for one company over another. For disliking one game everyone else seems to love.
Just recognize this: You and me are a special bunch. We still haven't stopped playing pretend. This is what separates our industry from any other. This is why games are special.
Others may not see it, but no matter. Just keep playing pretend. Be whoever you want to be.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
The release on Steam of the anime-style gacha-less open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening is facing a legal challenge from its gacha publisher.
This blog really strikes a chord with me. I'm physically disabled, and I've been unable to stand or walk unaided for the last 25+ years. Gaming allows me to take a break from the confines of my day-to-day life and imagine what it would be like to run parkour, travel the world of Ivalice, or live an adventurer's life in Skyrim.
That's why I'll always game (at least as long as I'm physically and mentally able to do so). It's brought so much joy to my life by giving me a chance to set aside the physical disability I've had since birth and focus on just having fun.
And having fun is, after all, what draws us to this amazing hobby in the first place.
Thanks for sharing this blog. :)
First of all thanks for breaking your personal barrier and sharing your experience with us. It's really great to read such a blog, finally, let's speak about the great aspects of gaming!
I have to thank gaming for a lots of things. To me is an activity I do with my partner (he introduced me to gaming, yes, I was that ignorant) and I discovered an amazing new universe.
Gaming has taught me the meaning of cooperation and teamwork, something I wouldn't have experienced otherwise.
It's taught me the concept of challenge and of committing myself to a task.
It's allowed me to playing pretend, as you say. I'm against weapons by principle, but I have a great time playing with my team in Battlefield. I really felt on a battle field playing Killzone 2 and I loved commanding my own squad in SOCOM. All things I wouldn't have otherwise experienced and I could make a long, long list.
Gaming is something unique and it's, in my opinion, the ultimate experience, because it involves you in a way nothing else can: not a movie, not a book!
Gaming has also had a great influence on my creativity and that's something I deeply appreciate.
Thanks again for sharing your vision and prompting a smile, sometimes I'm really tired about debates and polemics :).
Ivy