I thought things might slow down around the offices as we approach the end of the year. After all, the flood of new game releases has slowed down to a trickle and we're getting geared up for our annual Game of the Year awards (which kick off today, by the way). How wrong I was. The big EA/NFL partnership has kept us busy over the past few days, trying to figure out exactly what it means for the industry in general and EA's competitors, in particular.
That said, I'm looking forward to some time off next week. In addition to spending time with friends and family over the holidays, I plan to do some good old-fashioned, All American media consumption over the break. Here's my plans:
- Catch up with my Tivo -- With ESPN College Hoops 2K5, World of Warcraft, and Halo 2 taking the majority of my eyeball time over the past few weeks, I've basically ignored my friendly little TV companion. I'm scared to even think how much backed-up TV I have to watch--including the latest season of HBO's The Wire and the last four episodes of Band of Brothers (which aired on cable in mid-summer, for God's sake). That's at least 16 hours of entertainment right there.
- Watch DVDs. I just picked up The Return of the King extended edition. I'm going to try and do the three-night Rings-o-thon and watch each of the extended editions on successive nights. After such prolonged exposure to Peter Jackson's magnum opus, I'll probably be wistfully staring into my friends' eyes and moving in poignant slow motion a lot.
- Finish George R.R. Martin's Storm of Swords. The third book in his "Song of Ice and Fire" series which are unquestionably the finest fantasy books ever written. To call this series fantasy, however, is an insult. It's more like historical fiction of medieval times that never existed.
- Play World of Warcraft. I'm heading to my folks' house for part of my Christmas break and the only game-related thing I'm bringing is my copy of WoW. What with all the family time, I'm not sure how much time I'll get with the game but I aim to get a few steps closer to getting a mount by the end of the year...
- Watch some college football. Even though I'm sick that Auburn didn't get a shot at USC this year, I'll still be watching the bowl games. That GMAC Bowl match-up between Memphis and Bowling Green is just too compelling a story to miss. And who, at the beginning of the season, would have predicted Toledo vs. Connecticut in the Motor City Bowl? I'm sure ticket prices for that one have skyrocketed into the $10-15 range by now. And finally, the coup de grace, the Silicon Valley Bowl. It breaks my heart that I won't be anywhere near San Jose on Dec. 30 to witness the match-up that fans of the sport have been demanding for years: Troy vs. Nothern Illinois. This, people, is why they play the game.
The more I think about it, the busier my holiday seems to be getting. What are your plans for the next few weeks?