Because I live in the future, in only a few hours I'm off to a new year's eve party. Where there will be beers, meat, beers, friends and...video games.
When we as a fanbase/industry talk about games around the "holiday" season, it's normally about Black Friday sales. Or the November blockbusters. Or which games you asked for for Christmas. Strangely, however, it's rarely about new year's.
But for the past 4-5 years, every new year's party I've been to has had a fairly strong gaming slant to it. Whether it be drunken bouts of Wii Sports, drunken SingStar duels or drunken attempts at Enter Sandman on Rock Band, at least 1-2 hours of every party has been spent playing games of some kind.
Indeed, they're so central to my new year's experience that I can pinpoint the exact moment my wife has gone from "tipsy" to "smashed", because that's the time I hear a lady's voice from somewhere inside the house attempting a death metal growl to the lyrics of Britney Spear's "Toxic" on SingStar.
Thing is, these aren't "gamer" parties I'm going to. These are just regular new year's parties, with people whose game collection extends to some copies of SingStar and a racing game or two.
Project that set of circumstances outwards across the globe and I'm sure that over the next few days there'll be hundreds, if not thousands of parties where video games will take centre stage, thanks to social titles like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, SingStar, Wii Sports and Buzz!.
But what about you guys? Will any of you be joining me by kicking the new year off with some social, alcohol-fuelled video gaming?


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