Why do publishers still flood the game market at Christmas?

I recently wrote an article for WalletPop.com about how to save money on video games this fall. It is especially pertinent because there are too many blockbuster titles to count releasing in the next month and a half. I understand why publishers used to feel the need to release close to the holidays; back when gamers were 15 years old and had a tiny bit of patience games made great gifts. However, now that the gaming age demographic is rising and people as a whole have forgotten what patience is the cramped release calendar makes less sense.

Honestly, most gamers I know purchase their own games on the release day and seldom ask for games as gifts no matter what the occasion since we all feel the need to beat the game before stumbling across the ending online. While I personally enjoy picking up some of the good games from the used rack in February, I know that I forget about at least one game that slipped out in the avalanche of games.

Unless your game’s target player is an 8 year old with mountains of patience and a long memory I see no reason to fight for the consumer’s dollar in November and leave the month of June barren in terms of new releases. For many developers releasing in November is akin to launching your indie movie the same day as Watchmen or The Dark Knight! In reality it isn’t a battle worth fighting.

I’ll be watching to see if this trend changes in the coming years; already Halo Wars slipped to an early 09 release which, I think will prove beneficial as more gamers will be in the market for a new game. What are your thoughts on the mountains of games released in November and early December? Do you like it or are you as overloaded as me?

Photo - Kevin Walter - Flickr

Merry Mixmas 2007 Everyone

DJ Riko who is behind such internet hits as Whistler’s Delight has released the sixth of his annual Christmas Mash up collections. Mixmas 2007 is available for download from various source and in enough audio qualities to fit anyone’s needs. This mix by DJ Riko is something I look forward to each year even though it leads to some odd looks from co workers and friends who think I have the strangest taste in Christmas music.

This Year’s mix is described as:

It features tunes created decades ago and tunes
created days ago. It has songs ranging from sincere to
silly to sublime, covering many different musical
styles and coming from many locations around the
world.

Some of my favorite DJ Riko mixes include, Whistler’s Delight, Stand Up and Ring my Doorbell and For Those About to Clown. These individual tracks are also available as a free download at DJRiko.com

All I Want for Christmas is a JIMI

Shortly after I got my first job at Bluffton I was trying to find a way to hold the slew of cards I was carrying as well as some cash without pulling a George Costanza.  One of the options I found was the JIMI wallet which is a perfect front pocket wallet.  The JIMI is able to hold a good number of cards as well as cash.  One cool aspect of the JIMI is that when you pay for stuff, people always notice the cool wallet you have.  Though this can lead to having to explain why you have a JIMI in your hands to a 60 year old lady, most times though it is a cool conversation.

Right now there is a sale on JIMIs and you can Buy 4 get 1 free.  That means, One for you, one for your significant other, one for your kid, one for your dog and one free you can send to your favorite blogger. The JIMI store also has some cool SD card and Nintendo DS holders. The JIMI comes with a 2 year warranty and the company has been great when I had the ID clip snap after a year and a half.  With one email I was sent free of charge a new ID Holder/Clip.  This would make a great Christmas gift for loads of different people but especially teens and college students.