The company Alienware, known for its gaming gear and power supplies, posed an interesting question to the gamers’ community through a visual tweet saying, “What game are you playing this weekend?” Surprisingly, the tweet resulted in a very long player-response chain where they were all sharing their favorite games at the moment. This is a very characteristic behavior of a brand that deeply knows its customers – gamers are always eager to communicate about their games, and Alienware just happened to be the place where the discussion erupted.
So, what did the gamers’ replies look like? The response was both interesting and not at all interesting. One of the gamers JBG stated that his usual games are “Sworn, Gears 5 and Cat Quest 3”. That’s a long list of the best games for gamers. Gears 5 is an old game but still a classic, and Cat Quest 3? It is new for many, already a cute action RPG that is also making noise these days. Sworn is a little more obscure, a tactical RPG that has a little but loyal follower. It is good news that a player is roaming across genres.
Then there was HeroGamer who claims that he is playing “Blades of time right now”. Blades of Time is an action game from 2012 that is a hack-and-slash oldie. It’s quite an under-the-radar choice but then again if you are enjoying it that is the point. The events may bring back the whole gaming situation that the backlog is real and sometimes all you need is to revisit an old favorite.
Gamers were talking not only about the games they were actively playing but also about their overall experience. For instance, Georgi Todorov completely disregarded the question and instead asked Alienware, “WHEN are we getting the 34″ 5k2k monitor with a 120Hz+ panel?” This is quite straightforward and in a rude manner saying their list of spec wish items is getting longer. It is the typical case of a gamer – always thinking about the next upgrade. The thing is that a high-refresh-rate ultrawide does sound attractive.
There was another story with a more… emotive angle. Corne Ellis declared, “I had to sell my pc…please bless me with a new one @Alienware.” Ouch. That really hits hard. It is a very powerful reminder that not everyone can afford gaming as much as they want. The gaming struggle is indeed a reality for some people out there. Who knows, maybe Alienware will become aware of this and decide to do something about it.
The joke was also about the almost non-specific term ‘gardening game’ used by slisha slisha. Just… gardening game. No title, just the genre. Stardew Valley, or Farming Simulator, or even a less-known mobile game could be the possible candidates. One of the fun things about the unclear nature of the question is that it can be interpreted in different ways. It sounds like a mood, honestly. Sometimes you just want to chill and water your digital plants.
What if the whole situation was going to be seen through the lens of the entire gaming community? It would be a mixture of players who are hardcore and devoted to their specific triple-A and indie titles, on the one hand, and, on the other, hardware fans dreaming of the next best thing, people facing real-life problems, and those who just enjoy playing a calming sim. All these aspects together create the picture. Alienware not only interacts with the audience by posing this question, but it also obtains an awareness of the community’s consciousness about what is being played and what is still popular.
It’s essential for the hardware manufacturer to be up to date with the games that are in the limelight, but more than that it helps to strengthen the community feeling. It is nothing more than a simple “hey, what’s up?” that opens the floodgates for everybody to start talking. Thus, even if you are not on the latest blockbuster, whether you are slaying demons, farming crops, or just dreaming of a PC to work on, you will still be part of the chat with your weekend activities. How thoughtful of you! Let me think for a while what I will be playing. Perhaps I will finally start that RPG I bought during the last sale!
