Alright, settle down. It’s Thanksgiving, the holiday where we sit around a table and say what we’re thankful for while wanting to die as each person names an achievement that surpasses anything you’ve done this year. I’ve never really cared for Thanksgiving, mostly because it’s a holiday without a specific theme. I get that it’s about “gratitude” but come on, that’s not really something you can build amusement park attractions around. Halloween, you’ve got ghosts and candy. Christmas, you’ve got Santa and candy.
But the more I’ve been thinking about how this year has felt like watching some rough beast as it slouches towards Bethlehem, I should probably take a second to remember what I’m actually thankful for this year. Not things like family – those are all replaceable in some form of another. I mean video game stuff. Because, I’m going to be real honest – that’s what kept me going in 2024. I don’t feel good about that! But here you are and here I am.
The People Who Actually Make Games
Working in video games is not easy right now, folks. Corporations that overspent and overexpanded and over promised hits to their shareholders have been gushing blood like Pugsley Addams’ arm in the school play. But the people who suffer as a result of this are the people who make the damn games. Many got shuffled around or laid off. But, regardless of all that, they still made the games. These were the people who designed and tested and programmed and animated and calibrated and wrote and supported everything that made these things that have such a large impact on our lives.
Making a game is hard no matter what. I know fans and developers might not always see eye-to-eye on everything. But we should remember that it’s hard, often low-paying work to make a game. Even if I don’t like your game or I make fun of your game or I’m 100 percent not the person you’d ever want to play your game, thank you. Thanks for making video games happen.
Video Game Historians
Look, man, I’m getting old. That means I’m reading a book about the Challenger disaster and getting deeply interested in video game history. Could be worse. But I’m thankful for the companies like Digital Eclipse that are working to preserve history and present it to the public in the form of a living museum. It’s easy to dismiss video game collections as emulation cash grabs. Because, you know, a lot are. But it’s heartening to see these games celebrated and explored. To read their manuals in their original form, to see the complete box art, to be able to feel like I’m holding the object. All good stuff.
And on the non-commercial side, I’m thankful for organizations like the Video Game History Foundation. They’re fighting the good fight against difficult legal rulings that are making it harder to preserve gaming history. But historians doing it for the love of the game are the reason we can all download copies of old magazines, explore the history of nearly-forgotten DOS shareware games, and play never-released early builds of abandoned games.
Nobuo Uematsu
He’s always on the list, but he’s got music in Fantasian Neo Dimension. I shouldn’t have to explain to you why I’m thankful for Nobuo Uematsu. Come on, now.
My Few Persistent Gaming Friends
I’m a socially broken human being. It’s nearly impossible to get me to do anything. That includes the sheer difficulty of getting me to play in any multiplayer environment because the moment someone’s a jerk, I want to immediately leave. And you know what brings out the absolute worst in people? Multiplayer environments! I immediately shut down. It’s less of a panic attack and more of a, “Well, I’m playing this in my free time so I’m just going to go somewhere else to not get yelled at like I’m at my first job.”
Thus, I’m thankful for the friends who commit to trying to get me to play games with them. This includes my brother, who’s a man far better than me at any video game. Thank you to all the folks who keep asking their friends to play games, even when those friends suck. Those friends often need the push to hang out or become social. You’re doing the Lord’s work. Also, I recognize I should do better and the weight should not be on you. That being said! Thank you.
Ichiban Kasuga
God bless Ichiban. What a nice character. I know we’ve had him for a bit now, but what a good dude. And one who wants to work on his own flaws. I mean, yes, he’s definitely killed a few people and who knows if anyone else was harmed in the aftermath of many of the events of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. But he also made a vacation island nice for his friends. And became an action movie star. And other stuff, too.
I’m not even talking on some moral level about him being a positive figure who doesn’t put his disappointments and anger on everyone but himself. He’s a nice man who’s trying to see the best in people despite the world kicking him in the face over and over again. Rather than being some laconic self-serious dork, he’s a loquacious dork who wants to be better. I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for a hero who didn’t bum me out or have a story that turned on world-changing destiny. Plus, it’s always nice to see a roleplaying protagonist who’s in my age bracket.
Akira Toriyama
We lost a lot of good people this year in games and I lost a lot of good people this year in life. With that in mind, I wanted to specifically thank Akira Toriyama because his work has probably affected anyone intentionally reading this. There isn’t a moment of my life I can remember where his work hasn’t existed around me in some form – whether it be early, early memories of NES Dragon Warrior (e.g., Dragon Quest) or being obsessed with Dragon Ball or playing Chrono Trigger or the various, numerous other things. I don’t think it was until I was ten that I realized that was one person’s specific style, not just a way to draw things. He was that omnipresent. So, thank you, Akira Toriyama.
Modders
Modders are thankless. I mean, I know they have fans and a lucky few make money off it. But lord, it’s disheartening to see stories of people quitting because their players are demanding thousands of hours of changes to work. I think modders are almost seen as some benevolent force of nature that mysteriously upload high resolution packs and restore content fixes. But those are human beings. And I’m thankful for the work they put in. I’m thankful for the mods that add a new follower to a game. I’m thankful for the mods that add an entirely new game to the game. Even the joke mods. Thank you for the work you do as people with human being lives that you have to live.
Playstation-Era Graphics In Indie Horror Games
My middle school days are back, baby! Dial up modems! Ally McBeal! Tamagotchis!
But, seriously, thanks for finally hitting that era. It’s going to start to shake me when we’re at, like, Playstation 4-nostalgia-horror graphics, but that’s like four or five years off still. Thanks, folks.
I’ll be honest: Mouthwashing was the best thing all Halloween and might become a yearly playthrough for me. So, thank you.
Balatro
You’ve ruined my life. Give me my life back.