hype posts

Part of any game's development cycle is its advertising efforts. Done to drum up interest in a title that might otherwise go unnoticed, there are various approaches a PR staff can take. They can appeal to a gamer's intellect by displaying a bullet point list of key features. They can evoke a sense of competition by challenging the player's pride in his abilities. They can even rely on nostalgia in the case of a sequel, or if the game is a reissue of an old game for a new platform.

Going along with the publisher-generated hype is media coverage of the game. There are dozens, if not scores of game-related sites out there, all ready to give you their opinions and competing with each other to provide first looks at screenshots and gameplay. Given these two forces in action, it can be difficult to avoid oversaturation. By the time a game arrives on store shelves, you might find that the excitement and anticipation you felt upon first hearing of the title has been drowned in the sea of clamoring voices, all vying for your attention. Worse yet, you might find that playing the game itself does not provide the experience promised by all the hype. What's to be done about this?