There can only be one

Last week, I posted a rant on the absurdity of tribes in gaming. Personally I find it silly. I enjoy games the console can have and feel, in some cases, dismissing one console altogether can result in the sod missing out on something substantial completely.

All in all, there is no reason for the 'tribal' element to exist. Yet in retrospect, I can, however reluctantly, see one thing this tribal sense has going for it:

A sense of focus.

True people with two or more consoles is becoming increasingly commonplace but it does raise some questions:
Firstly, where does one get the money to get consoles? Consoles aren't cheap, accessorises and games don't come easily and even buying a decent TV still burns a hole in one's wallet. Having lived in the real world and knowing what it's like paying bills and rent, I know for a fact that a couple of hundred bucks isn't something that can be simply thrown away.
No matter what the generation, games will continue to be costly affairs - If I remember correctly twenty years ago certain Megadrive/SNES games cost the same as top of the line 360 games do today. The only difference is, back then it was the children pestering their parents for this gear. Now, those children have become adults and are paying for it with their own money (or even buying for their own children). Ultimately it is those former children who are now facing what they put their parents through.

Secondly, where does one get the time to play these games? Having a large collection of games may look impressive but how many of them have actually been beaten by the player? Granted, games is a luxury item (as described above) and one must contend with other important things like work, family and maintaining a healthy social life. Sure it can be done but given time, one may find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having far too many games left unbeaten. By having a small number of games, one can realistic arrange their time accordingly - I mean what's the point of having a large of number of games when really you're only playing a small number of them? (particularly in this achievement-based era of gaming we find ourselves in?)

So in the end, these Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony loyalties do seem pretty pointless on paper but if it has persisted for years, since the days of Sonic's Megadrive heyday, then it must've for a damn good reason.
But I'm not bothered. True I have blown a lot of money on games - and half of which are going unplayed on my Virtual Console but I chose the games not the system. I chose games I thought were interesting and/or was unable to play them in their respective generations.
And for that reason alone, I feel no shame or any regrets with this decision.

Thank you and good night