It seems like the gaming industry can be compared to a bear. The only difference is that instead of hibernating during the winter and gathering food during the summer, the game industry hibernates during the summer, and wakes up around Christmas time.

Many of you have probably made similar observations about how Q3 and especially Q4 are filled to the brim with new releases, while the summer and spring time can best be referred to as "The Doldrums". In a way, it's understandable. It's common knowledge that people spend more around the holiday season, and it's a good way for companies to shore up their profit margins before the end of the year.

Still it can be counter-productive. Let's take two examples: TimeShift, and Jericho. Both are decent games, worth at least a rental, or perhaps a borrow from a friend. Unfortunately, both have been released with a two week period, meaning that (unless you're a fairly wealthy gamer) buying both is out of the question. And even if you were interested in buying both, allow me to pose this hypothetical question: if given the choice between either of these games and Halo 3, which would you choose? Odds are, unless you have some sort of grudge against the Master Chief, you'll probably go with Halo 3.

Which also brings us to the matter of the reviews. Neither game got particularly favorable reviews. It's possible that had these games been released sooner or later, they might have performed slightly better, when the memories of better games, such as Halo 3, were a little more distant from reviewers' (and for that matter gamers') minds.

Now obviously there are some times when games are simply done when they're done, and just sitting on a completed game doesn't make any money. Still, there's something to be said for strategy and planning. So take heed game developers: don't be afraid to stray away from that lucrative holiday season, and breathe some life into The Doldrums. You might find some unexpected benefits.