2013 has marked a revolutionary year for gamers everywhere. Developers have pushed the envelope with updated gaming concepts and the development of new technology which has been utilised in both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Writers have given us fantastic story-lines which have made us cry and laugh, story-lines that have forever been engraved within us. It’s been a most successful year to date, with the release of magnificent titles such as Naughty Dog’s The Last of us and Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V. We’ve had our hands full with the announcements of next gen consoles which will be released in early December. It’s as if we, mere mortals have found favour with the gaming gods. It’s incredible to think that we still have much more room to develop in terms of technology and gaming experiences.

Remember when gaming companies never really had to try to advertise a console, they just sort of let us buy them because they knew how interested the we were in their product. It all feels a bit tedious. The features of the Xbox one and PlayStation 4 have been debated exhaustively, so why is it that companies are rallying so hard for us to buy their product? Is it because it’s maybe not worth it to buy a next gen console straight out of the gate? If I lost you there, let me explain. The first product to be released will always suffer problems, for example, the first playstation 3, the one with touch sensitivity suffers from “yellow light fever” which is the red light of death for Xbox users. Not to mention that they’ll always be a bit overpriced on the day of release. Give it some time and buy next year the second versions of next gen consoles won’t suffer from the same bugs and they’d be cheaper. You could associate the fact that status plays a pivotal role, but surely common sense should be the deciding factor, unless you’re filthy rich, then buy all means do with your money what you will.

I guess I harbour a little resentment because while I’m working, most of my friends are enjoying Grand Theft Auto V but oh! how I long for my birthday on the 22nd of November, the exact release date of Watchdogs then my gaming life shall be fulfilled. I just feel like there are always too many amazing games that are released in such a short space of time that those with moderate to no income are always the ones left behind. Which leads me to my final point (I guess I’ve just been ranting). Gaming circles are becoming a necessity, a gaming stokvel you could call it. There’s no crappier feeling than wanting to play a game that you do not have, but what an amazing feeling it is when someone in your gaming circle has the game you so badly want to play. After all, sharing is caring. So you should take four things away from this:

1. Gaming is awesome and it’s for everybody
2. We have a lot more room for development which is exciting
3. Money is tight so spend wisely
4. Form a gaming stokvel. It will keep your pockets heavier at the end of the month