Nothing Further to Say?
This image has no “bearing” on the post
Today, I was going to write a post about the controversy surrounding the video game Six Days in Fallujah. I read up on the relevant background material and then started making bullet points regarding my own personal opinion. While doing so I had a sense of deja vu, so I started looking back through previous posts I’ve written on comparable subjects. And my suspicions were confirmed. The basic points I wished to raise, I had previously explored in a post about “the trivialisation of World War II”. So I decided to abandon the planned post about Highwire Games new FPS, because I wasn’t really offering anything new to the debate, as far as I was concerned. Subsequent reflection upon this matter has led me to the inevitable conclusion that once you regularly write about certain subjects for a decade or so, you eventually reach a point where you don’t have a lot further to say because you’ve probably said it already. Well, I think that’s where I’m at.
I am fully aware that not all of those who read Contains Moderate Peril and au fait with my previous posts. In fact, my website statistics show that a lot of readers are passing traffic that found the site due to a Google search. Hence it would be arrogant to assume that readers by default are familiar with my positions on various subjects and talking points. However, a percentage of my readership have followed my work for a while, in the same way that I have followed theirs. They leave comments both here and on social media. And I wonder if they’ve noticed my penchant for repetition? I do find that my film reviews often follow a pattern. I frequently complain about weak screenplays, underdeveloped stories and characters. It does make me think, do I need to broaden my thoughts or have I effectively reached a point of “nothing further to say” on certain subjects?
Zippy is a popular character from the UK children’s TV show Rainbow
I wrote recently about the cyclical nature of the video games industry and despite certain technical advances, many of the problems from gaming twenty years ago are still with us today. I am beginning to think that this is the same for many other aspects of day to day life. Be it pop culture or politics. The pace of technological change shows no sign of slowing down but many traditional problems, usually those associated with human behaviour, remain conspicuously unchanged. Hence I still find myself referencing recurring issues such as corporate shenanigans, bandwagon jumping, consumer culture and that perennial favourite of confusing fandom with some sort of ownership. And once you become aware that you are repeating yourself, it does become a bit tiresome both for writer and reader. I don’t mind having a particular style but I don’t want to end up a one trick pony, so to speak.
I like Sparks
So what can we conclude from this post which now seems like some written form of self therapy? Well I think I may have to just give some subjects a rest for a while. I am thankful that I made a choice back in 2008 to diversify my blog so that it covered more than just one game. I will still write about video games but I think I shall be far more particular from now on so I don’t just end up sounding like the old guy who sits, alone at the bar, banging on about the same old stuff. I think it’s also time to think outside the box and ensure that my film reviews are less formulaic. I shall also write more about real life stuff. For example, I had a hankering recently to write about property TV shows. I even have a post still sitting in the “drafts” folder about beds and the importance of a good night sleep. So don’t be surprised if some “weird shit” turns up in the next month or so. Oh, by the way. Does anyone else feel like this and that they’ve pretty much said their piece on a given subject over the years?
