I know, I know. Early still. It’s another 8,5 weeks till Christmas, so way too early to think about that special time of year. But you have to understand, Christmas has always been pretty important to me. When I was young I put my own collection of Christmas songs on a cassette (for you young people, something like a playlist in iTunes but this one was on a little cassette tape that you could play in a cassette recorder or Walkman) And my Christmas favorites got a lot of playtime, as I started listening from October till the festive days were over. My dad always used to tease me with that, when he and my mom came to visit and “Lonely this Christmas” by Mud was already blaring through the speakers. But I loved it, there was always such a special quality to everything related to it.
Usually I couldn’t wait to put up the tree either. I know in the States the tree is put up somewhere in the weeks after Thanksgiving, but in the Netherlands we have to wait until Sinterklaas has left the country again, on December 5th. Especially when you have young children, because Sinterklaas brings gifts for children who have been sweet, much like Santa Claus in America. It just won’t do if the two festivities clash! So in my house, as soon as December 5th is over I get to work on the tree. And it’s not just a tree, Christmas decorations too and in the last few years we have added a miniature village as well. As you get older I do find that Christmas time is a time to remember all the loved ones that have left us too, which makes it a celebration that evokes mixed feelings. In the same way that Christmas brings on good cheer, sentimental movies and feelings of love, it also makes you miss the ones that have left your life even more. But still, I look forward to the celebration.
Added to the music, the movies and the decorations I always love to play a typical Christmas game. App games which are easily accessible and typically cheap are great for that. A lot of the year-round games have a special Christmas theme. In HayDay, the animals are adorned with wintery accessories, and in Happy Street Santa rides through the shopping street with Rudolf. Only problem is, I have yet to find a good dedicated Christmas game. A game that captures all the goodness of a great Christmas movie? Maybe they are just too costly to make for such a short period of use, but I was wondering: any tips, anyone?
It seems that once Halloween is here, Christmas is just around the corner. My Pogo games have Christmas themes and there are seasonal clothes for our mini. Our mini is a little character that you can alter and dress to suit your taste. There are also backgrounds, which are seasonal, which you can change daily. I have many backgrounds and my mini has a fabulous wardrobe. Kind of reminds me of my childhood when I used to play with dolls. It is a lot of fun and the players are adults. I getting ready to dress my mini in her Halloween costume. Silly, but fun.
Oh yes, you mentioned Pogo before! I guess the most we can hope for is nice Christmas decorations and backgrounds in regular gaming, and when you’ve played a game for a couple of Christmases you will have collected a nice range of outfits too. Sounds good, all gaming is good as long as you’re having fun!
I have played a few Xmas themed games over the years, but none of them have been all that good. The best one I played was a festive platformer called Daze Before Christmas on the Megadrive.
Funny right, when you think of all the lovely Christmas music there is and all the movies…but hardly any good games. But from the viewpoint of earning money I guess decorations in existing games will be all we will get.