Today is International Gamer Day, so I couldn’t miss the chance to write something on my geek blog. There are many ways to start this post, some very beautiful and emotional, all about the history of video games—the kind of thing you love to read and that bloggers enjoy writing. But since the topic is quite different, I’ll limit myself to asking you a simple question: What would happen if you knew nothing about ‘Assassin’s Creed III’?

This is just an example; you can choose any game you’re eagerly anticipating and apply the rest of the text. The important part is the other half of the question: What if you knew absolutely nothing about it? No details about its mechanics, no in-game videos, no CGI trailers, no images, no story details… you get the concept of “nothing,” right?

In all the years I’ve spent enjoying this industry at every level—not just playing the titles that hit the market, but also keeping up with the ins and outs of the sector, the industry’s advancements, and the marketing strategies brands follow—I’ve come across several people who claim they want to approach a video game “virgin.”

Don’t Ruin the Surprise

No watching videos or reading about the game, finding out about the release date purely by chance, seeing the game in the store, or just hearing about it from friends. After all, no one needs to sell you on the fourth installment of ‘Uncharted’; you’ve played the others, you know you like them, and you want to dive into the game with all its potential surprises intact.

Most of us probably haven’t felt that way in years. The anticipation and desire to learn more about the game you’re going to spend your money on compel you to see what’s hidden in that latest video or leak. That enormous flow of information, which sometimes even announces a countdown to a teaser trailer that will drop in three weeks, has led to the question of how much we should control the information we consume.

I can’t personally engage in the debate for two simple reasons. The first, and most obvious, is that I live off that flow of information; I simply love it. Sometimes, we’re swamped, forcing us to stay up late into the night trying to absorb and share what we’ve seen or learned. The second, and more important, is that, as I mentioned a few lines above, I enjoy it—getting excited about new games and consoles and trying to figure out how a multi-million-dollar company seeking an investor to revive it will impact the video game industry.

I can’t enter the debate, but I can put two pieces on the board that will help us understand my position and explore the pros and cons of an audience that wants to approach a video game “virgin.”

When There Was No Information…

If you’ve read this far, I’ll assume you’re interested in the video game industry enough to have some knowledge of its history. Let’s recall the well-known crisis of 1983, undoubtedly one of the industry’s most challenging moments, when the number of machines and games being programmed was so vast that the quality level was seriously concerning.

That’s what happens in booming industries—everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon, offering just enough to grab a piece of the pie. Back then, even going by the pictures on the game box didn’t guarantee you weren’t getting a pile of garbage for the price of a gem.

What changed that? Well, Nintendo’s NES probably had a lot to do with it, but it wouldn’t be fair to exclude something as important as information from the equation. The emergence of specialized media outlets capable of testing the latest releases and informing the public about what was worth their time surely saved many players of that era from disappointment.

As with everything, there was a double-edged sword. Information, while necessary, also became a business for companies looking to sell their games. I’m not talking about cover ads, free posters, or that pathetic story about bribes, which has never had any basis in fact. I’m referring to the need to be seen through ads, controlled leaks, image publications, teasers, videos, launch trailers, limited editions, rumors, and any other example that comes to mind.

… And Now That There Is

No one doubts that the development of a video game involves the desire to create something unique and enjoy it, but it’s undeniable that there’s a business behind it with varying degrees of expectations. This point is evident even in indie developments. Just look at the temper tantrum Tommy Refenes throws in Indie Game: The Movie when ‘Super Meat Boy’ isn’t featured on the Xbox Live marketplace.

Today, you can choose to develop and launch your game, hoping for good results, or try to ensure that outcome by partnering with a distributor. This includes contracts in which, by sacrificing 20%, 30%, or even 50% of your sales profits, the distributor handles the game’s advertising, introducing it to the world and helping it break into markets like the U.S. or Japan—places where, if you don’t have a big name or a company from that country backing you, the media likely won’t even bother to try your game.

Taking the risk of launching the game on your own could make you rich without answering to anyone, but we all know that’s unlikely. After spending a couple of years developing your video game, you want to control as many variables as possible.

Whether you choose one path or the other, you need to make yourself known, and unless you’ve got the intellectual property of the century in your hands, that means staying in the spotlight as much as possible before and after the launch. Hence, whether the game is cheered or not, teasers, videos, launch trailers, limited editions, rumors, etc., will follow.

The Information Age vs. Arriving “Virgin” to a Video Game

So, what would happen if we all wanted to arrive “virgin” to a video game? Most of the time, we wouldn’t know what we were bringing home. Just because you liked the first ‘Resident Evil’ doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll enjoy ‘Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City,’ right? And we all know that without the proper information, movie-based games would be topping the sales charts, right?

However, just because there’s a lot of information aimed at clarifying things doesn’t mean you have to give up arriving “virgin” to a game. You can always choose to set your own filter and decide what you do and don’t want to know. There are no better options, just equally valid opinions that can easily coexist without issues.

Happy Gamer Day!!!