I was in the local audio/visual shop browsing for movies and games today, browsing for my version of the pot of gold. A title that requires very little money down because it has been around so long that those who were going to buy it have pretty much done so but a title that has also stood the test of time because it was popular enough in the first place to have a long shelf life. I am patient, not wanting to waste my time or money on that which has not been vetted or is overpriced because it is new. For console games, the platinum and classics ranges were pretty much developed with me, and those like me, in mind.
It was during my browse that I overheard two shop keeps enthusiastically discussing the merits of both Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II. I was overcome with a desire to join the conversation despite the fact that the two were clearly friends and I was a stranger butting in. Perhaps I was channelling the skills of Altair or Ezio, maybe I too have the assassin gene, because I managed to kill that particular conversation with ruthless efficiency.
But the experience left me wanting. I realised that I wanted to discuss games, in fact I wanted to discuss movies as well, but I am an enthusiast that is not an early adopter. By the time I have played or seen something, other enthusiasts have generally moved on to something new. I have realised that the hidden cost of my shopping strategy is a kind of conversationless gaming solitude.
So now I am attempting to start a conversation.
About games I have played, movies I am just catching up on and other general cultural referencing that doesn’t rely on me being on the cutting edge, but rather a part of the late late majority.
