Polygon’s Editor’s Letter is a column by Editor-in-Chief Chris Plante that reflects on the video game and entertainment industries, their communities, and Polygon itself. New editions appear in the first week of every month.
Last month I wrote about how the endless stream of “too many games” has caused existential problems for game makers. This month I’m focusing on the other side of the story: the audience. The people playing all these new games. Or, like one recent research tells us, the people who not play them.
Abundance should be a blessing for the average video game fan. Rampant competition is pushing prices down, especially on PC, where players can grab bundles of dozens (sometimes hundreds) of games for under $20 every month. And even the fanciest, newest games are often discounted within weeks of launch.
In fact, as creators seek out untouched corners of the market, their audiences can be more varied. Want to build one cozy castle diorama? Do you want a hardcore SWAT simulator or a animation Stardew Valley-like? Longing for an ode to Brazilian bootleg boomer shooters of the 1990s built on real 1990s technology? If you have an itch, chances are you can scratch it.
And yet a small portion of the overall gaming audience plays new games. This is evident from a report by NewzooIn 2023, players spent 77% of their playing time on games three years or older. Much of the time players spent on new games was spent on annualized franchises such as Call of Duty, Madden and EA FC. A paltry 8% of total play time in 2023 went to new games that weren’t tied to a major annual IP.
If someone is going to play a video game in 2024, they can either spend money on a promising but unknown new game, or they can choose from their vast backlog of games they own. Or they might return to a live service game likee League of Legends or Fortnite that continues to provide a familiar dopamine peak week after week, year after year. Playing a new game means willingly taking a risk in terms of money, time and luck.
So we spend 8% of the total playing time on new games: a small piece of the pie that the thousands of developers fight for a bite every year. Ryan Rigney, gaming communications veteran and author of the insightful Push to Talk newsletter, has been delving into this issue (and this troubling data) in recent weeks. I highly recommend you read his piece “Are old games the death of new games?”
In that newsletter Rigney uses Arcohis personal favorite game of the year, which at the time of writing this piece has a modest 623 reviews on Steam, as an example of how a truly great game can fall through the cracks. The example hit me like a stone on the forehead. Despite Arco Because it’s one of my most anticipated games, despite receiving code in advance from a publicist, despite having a weekly video game podcast that requires me to try dozens of new games a year, I’m only now getting around to it to play this game.
And honestly, even with all the trimmings, Arco could have just as easily gathered dust indefinitely on my exponentially lengthening to-do list.
How to enjoy new video games in the age of plenty
What does this mean for you? As the headline promised (or threatened?), you won’t be playing many of 2024’s best games either. Time is against you. The number of hours doesn’t match the surplus of great new releases.
Assuming we all accept this to be true, I thought it would help if I shared some strategies I’ve learned over the years to make the most of my video game time. As someone professionally expected to have insight into the vast majority of video games released, plus all of gaming history, I’ve been struggling with this challenge for a while.
Be aware of where your playtime is going: This is my most important tip when people ask me how I play so many games. The answer is that I play the things I like and skip or put aside the things I don’t play. Over the past decade, major video game publishers have worked tirelessly to create “forever” games that use habit-forming hooks to retain players indefinitely. If you want to play the same game every day for years, that’s fine and your prerogative! Alternatively, if you want to play more new games, take a break from your “forever” game of choice. You may find that, with some distance, it has become more of a chore than a treat.
Watch streams and playthroughs: Ashley Bardhan recently argued that watching a video game isn’t that different from playing one. I agree. These guidelines will not surprise anyone under the age of 30. But many gamers in the millennial demographic (or older) have yet to get into the habit of watching streams on Twitch or playthroughs on YouTube. If this is your first time, search YouTube for a playthrough of a new game that interests you, scroll through the headlines and thumbnails for a style that suits you, and give it a try!
Find communities that match your pace: Just like watching games, reading about games is a great way to follow games. Just make sure you find a community that moves at your pace. If you want a gazillion messages and the latest information, a game’s official or unofficial Discord can be great. If you want the highlights, try a subreddit. And if you’d rather stay up to date with the games community as a whole, rather than just one game, I recommend Polygon.com. Naturally.
Accept that you cannot know everything: During the early decades of video game culture, the most hardcore gamers prided themselves on having an encyclopedic knowledge of the industry. Not only had they played every game, but they also knew the developer, publisher, and – if it came from Japan – the original title and release date. Because game developers of the ’80s and ’90s only released a limited number of games, extensive knowledge could be cultivated. The NES had 1,377 games. But then the PS4 had 3,399 games. Steam rounds both figures every year. In 2024, it is no longer possible to gain a comprehensive knowledge of video games. And pursuing it is like trying to catch every fish in the ocean.
Before I wrap up, let’s talk about one more game.
Last month, developer Mossmouth published what Game File author Stephen Totilo wrote: “Maybe the the most games from 2024 that everyone can play this year.” If you can even call it a game. UFO 50 is a pack of 50 standalone, complete games from some of the most brilliant game designers in the world.
UFO 50It’s a masterpiece and the vast majority of gamers will never play it. A small portion of those who do will manage to play all 50 games. And an infinitesimally small percentage of people on Earth will complete the game in its entirety.
The project is a microcosm of the problem players face. With so many good games in it UFO 50players should approach the game as they would the entire video game ecosystem. Consider your time and your priorities. Dabble! Don’t like a game? Drop! Rest easy knowing that you don’t have to fully play all 50 games to enjoy them UFO 50. In fact, you don’t have to play them.
Weeks after release, fans have come together to solve the mysteries and celebrate their favorite games in the game on Reddit, Twitch and YouTube. They’ve created lore interpreters, role-played within its fictional history, and taken the experience of the game beyond the confines of the software.
UFO 50 is also an example of the ways in which the gaming community has adapted. You won’t be playing many of the best games of 2024. And yet with a little effort you can experience most of their magic.