PixlBit

Last night I posted my welcome blog to the influx of new community members that came to us by the now defunct, yet always remembered fondly, 1up.com. Today I wanted to give you all an update on what’s been going on over here at PixlBit, and what’s been going on with me personally.

The news that 1up would be closing shop soon was jarring.  I didn’t react one way or another initially.  The idea that a site I have frequented and was quite involved in at one point was shuttering didn’t seem real.  I always thought that 1up would always be there; a community oriented video game website in a sea of journalistic blogs and sensationalist click bait driven “news” sites.

Eventually my thoughts moved to those that lost their jobs; to the ones that would be underutilized in new roles at IGN.  To those that helped make 1up afloat all those years I offer my thanks and well wishes for the future.  I’m sure everyone will land on their feet.

Yesterday I logged in to 1up for what will end up being one of, if not the last time ever.  I posted a short, feeble blog saying goodbye to a site that meant so much to me and to many here at PixlBit.  Most of us met through the 1up community features.

I’ve often wondered what the identity of PixlBit was to be.  Coming from 1up I felt that we needed to offer a sense of community and we’ve strived to make the site accessible and welcoming.  All of us who work here are responsive to user questions and input.  We want to be a site that’s known for being involved.

Growing a site organically can be quite satisfying, but it’s hard.  With so many options for video game related media, it’s no wonder that so many haven’t even heard of PixlBit.  You’d understand the frustration that comes with working so hard and having to wonder if anyone cares.

But people do care, even if they are few in numbers. Some of them care so much that they’ve made it their personal mission to bring more people here, to perhaps provide refuge that had thought that 1up would always be home.

I am warmed and humbled by the wave of new faces here at PixlBit today.  Some of you remember me from my 1up blog - I certainly remember you.  Others are new faces - new friends to make.

As with others, I welcome you here with open arms. I hope that you make this your new home; your new community.  PixlBit may be less refined and less populated than some sites, but with that comes great dexterity on our part.  You, as a new burgeoning community, have the opportunity to truly shape the future of PixlBit.  I implore each and every one of you to make experiment with your blogs, engage our writers in meaningful and constructive discourse, and to push us to make changes - to become better.

1up is gone, but we can all create something new - something we can all own.  I don’t seek to recreate what 1up was.  I want to build upon that.  And I want you all to help.

Welcome.
And Game On.

You may have noticed that I haven’t exactly been around the last few months.  For that there really isn’t much of an explanation other than sometimes life gets in the way.  One must pay the bills and the job that affords me that luxury had gotten increasingly demanding of both my time and my energy.  Unfortunately this meant that my contribution to PixlBit first fizzled and then disappeared completely.

Oh how the backlog continues to grow and grow.  This past weekend was my birthday and my girlfriend, wonderful woman that she is, gifted me with Super Mario 3D Land and the Wampa Lair Star Wars Lego Set.

I sometimes liken the video game industry to an actual human being – going through changes as they grow and mature in the world.  The industry was conceived with Pong and took its first baby steps with Pac-Man, Centipede and Galaga.  As a child it explored the magical worlds of Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom and eventually the Green Hill Zone.

Gamers are creatures of habit.  Change comes to us slow, and when it does we lash out like a child getting a tetanus shot.  We would never admit this, though.  We’ll bitch and moan about how Activision shouldn’t release another Call of Duty game for a while, but when release date is upon us we’ll be lined up at midnight release parties, parting ways with a few dead presidents for the annual release in a series we earlier proclaimed as old and tired.

Over the weekend I was able to get some recreational gaming in, which is something I haven’t had an awful lot of time to do lately.  I finished up Jurassic Park (review coming soon) and was able to put enough time into Saints Row to get my review going as well (you’re going to want to play this one).

Yesterday we finally got our review code for Jurassic Park: The Game.  It’s usually not a good sign when review copies and codes are released after the game has hit the marketplace.  Being a smaller site, PixlBit doesn’t get review copies as early as some of the larger sites like IGN, Edge or 1up, but even those sites didn’t get the copies until after release.  Publishers and developers will often withhold review copies when they believe that the game in question will be the recipient of bad reviews.  The goal is to get as many sales as possible before reviews and word of mouth can spread and slow down or even halt sales.  Every now and then these fears are unfounded and the game still does well, but I’m afraid that this isn’t the case for Jurassic Park; the game just isn’t that good.

Saints Row: The Third is a game that’s actually hard to describe without giving some kind of explicit context in regards to another game.  In the case of Saints Row, that game happens to be Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.  Many games journalists have described Saints Row as the franchise that filled the shoes of GTA when it went serious with the fourth entry in the series.  In many ways that’s true.  Structurally the game is similar and in terms of tone it’s hard to see the spirit of San Andreas in there.

We’ve been toying around with the idea of adding user blogs for a longer than I’ve actually been working here at PixlBit, so today is actually quite the historic day for the site.  It truly is a fantastic way for us to better communicate with you, our readers.  We want to not only shape PixlBit into a top tier gaming news and review site, but also nurture a community of gamers.  We want to inform and share information with all of you and in turn be informed by you.  Today we make another step towards that goal.  It’s an exciting time here at PixlBit and I’m honored to be able to witness it.