You do not have to look far to find books, cartoon depictions, or movies about the seven deadly sins deemed most perilous to humanity… but what about Gaming? What is it about pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust that makes these sins particularly deadly in terms of the gaming world?? Let’s take a look… If you’re brave enough
Seven Deadly Sins | 1. Pride
Thou shall not sing the praise of your chosen gaming system.
Gaming is an excellent pastime; I’d be pretty lost without it. Whether playing games or reading or writing news/reviews, it takes me to my happy place. Unfortunately, the dark side of gaming is the often toxic fanboys who have decided that their opinion or feelings are the only right ones, and no one else is allowed to have a different take.
Liking a game or console more than another is fine; everyone is allowed to make that decision. However, it should never be taken as something that can get used to abuse or disprove anyone else’s opinions. It’s scary that some people think this is ok, and you only need to look at other items people buy to realise that different options are the usual way of life.
Does one company make every single car available for purchase? Is there only one maker of toasters, washing machines, and phones? The list is endless, and it is horrible to see it become as bad as it is now. Gaming can be anything you need, but please don’t use it to make others feel bad.
Seven Deadly Sins | 2. Envy
Thou shall not covet the exclusive games of another system.
Tying into our last sin nicely, getting green with envy is never a good look for anyone. In the gaming world today, there’s also no need. Games are released frequently just now, so there should always be something for you to try out. You might fancy something unavailable on our system, but that doesn’t mean there are no alternatives to experience.
Another point is that if you can afford to, try and play games on as many platforms as possible. I know this won’t be an option for everyone, but there’s no reason to keep yourself tied into one ecosystem. Platform owners won’t reward you for only playing their games and staying away from others, so play where it’s easiest to play or cheaper for your situation.
Seven Deadly Sins | 3. Wrath
Thou shall not rage quit.
The rage quit is something I’ve always struggled to understand. In my earlier years, many nights of late-night online play of FIFA would result in getting beat by more goals than I’d like to admit. Never once did I quit a game, though. The saying “it’s only a game” could never ring more true. Never lose sight of the enjoyment factor whether you win, lose or draw.
A different side of “rage” during gaming is watching people lose their temper and decide to take it out on their console, controller and TV… It’s truly breathtaking to watch, but that’s an expensive lesson to need to teach yourself.
Seven Deadly Sins | 4. Gluttony
Thou shall not binge in the joys of subscription gaming.
I mentioned earlier that games release frequently, and it’s now easier than ever to access more games than I could earlier in life.
Subscription services provide a (mainly) low entry cost and allow players to play numerous games ranging from current titles to classic back catalogue classics. It is easy to get lost when you can play so many, and I know I have a bad habit of not sticking with the same game for long enough.
The benefits outweigh the negatives, so I continue to subscribe to at least two or three services simultaneously. I’ve been able to play games I wanted and experience a few gems I only played as they were available without additional cost.
It’s now crazy thinking back that for the cost of three rentals from Blockbuster (or any other rental service you can remember, I can get a month’s worth of access to hundreds of titles. Just watch out, as it’s easy to sink in the rising tide of games that are being made available.
Seven Deadly Sins | 5. Lust
Thou shall not play creepy anime games listed on sale on steam.
The going world has some particularly creepy corners, and some of the dress-up or dating sim games available just now are really quite out there.
Similar to movies, games also have a XXX side, which not everyone knows. When I moved to PC being my leading platform, I noticed the wealth of steam titles that appear to have been created for nothing other than to give people their kicks…
If that’s your thing, then fair play; I just never released it was such a big thing. After all, the games keep getting made, so there must be a market and hunger for them.
These games don’t seem to have gained the same kind of traction on console as on PC, at least not yet. Maybe all the atmospheric RGB lighting makes PC gamers get the horn…
Seven Deadly Sins | 6. Sloth
Thou shall not get lazy when gaming, and you should at least try and “get gud”.
Of all the sins I’ve listed, this would be the one I’m most guilty of. Please don’t for a second think that I’m saying games shouldn’t be played on your difficulty level of choice. The social media discourse on this in the last year has been terrible.
Some games are more complicated than others; that is a given. If you’re not enjoying a game, by all means, don’t play at a level that’s above what you feel comfortable with. Regardless, if spending a little time understanding a game better means you can have a good experience, I’d advise that you at least give it the time it deserves to see if it’ll eventually click.
So far, I’ve yet to be able to enjoy a Souls-like game for the above reasons, but I do understand this falls on me rather than the games themself. One day one of these games will get the time it needs, and I know I’ll enjoy it; I hope you have more luck than me.
Seven Deadly Sins | 7. Greed
Thou shall not have a backlog that you will never finish.
We end on Greed, and this might be the sin that most gamers are guilty of. Thanks to subscription services, game giveaways, and sales (Games with Gold, PS+ or Steam sales and Humble Bundles), gamers generally have more games than ever.
Alongside these reasons, backwards compatibility on the more recent consoles also means that gamers are no longer starting from scratch with their collections like you had to when moving from, say, the NES to the SNES.
20 years ago, being able to buy a new console and not start from the beginning again was a pipe dream. Now when moving to a new generation of consoles, I have over 800 games available on day one.
This also has its downsides, as even if I was locked in a bunker for 2 years, I’d have very little chance of completing all the games I have access to. My advice (which I should follow more…) is to pick two games at a time and try to play as much as possible before making new purchases. This should let you experience various games while keeping your finger on the pulse with the latest releases.
This has been my guide to the Seven Deadly Sins of Gaming for 2022; whatever you are playing, make sure you enjoy your time gaming and don’t ever take that away from anyone else.