Deliberately avoiding media regarding games you're going to play

[Loony BoB]

So recently I made a point of avoiding media relating to WoFF and FFXV prior to playing the games. I've avoided Mass Effect: Andromeda stuff, too, and now that The Last of Us 2 is announced, I'll probably avoid most things to do with that as well. I know I'm going to buy these games. I just know it. I don't need to be convinced, and I've found that avoiding the media hype train means I get a much more pleasant experience when playing the game. I have few pre-existing expectations and can just appreciate the game for what it is when I play it. I think I'll do this more and more in the coming years.

Do you spend much time analyzing what's going on with games before you play them? Do you stop at a certain point? What are your thoughts on this kind of media avoidance?

[Momiji]

I spoil myself a lot on games-- typically on everything but story. It takes a lot for me to be convinced to buy a game, so spoiling myself on gameplay, at the least, is often enough to push me to a decision. Gameplay, music, or intriguing characters are usually the biggest draw for me.

For example, I didn't have much interest in FFXV and widely ignored the media on it out of lack of interest. Even after hearing the people who played it early say that they didn't like it much, for reasons that I myself probably wouldn't like it, I still got it for two reasons: one, the hilarious product placement, and two, the music. There really hasn't been anything Yoko Shimomura has made that I don't like. And yet, here I am playing FFXV, and disliking the things I knew I'd dislike, but I still find myself playing it for hours on end simply because the music is nice.

[Loony BoB]

As much as I love Final Fantasy games and encourage people to play them, I can't help but feel that you may wish to consider investing in soundtracks instead of games. xD

[Fynn]

I've actually been avoiding Pokemon Sun/Moon related stuff, so I can't wait to play them! Of course, Pokemon being as big as it is, it was impossible to avoid everything, but I think I have quite a lot of things to look forward to anyway!

[Momiji]

As much as I love Final Fantasy games and encourage people to play them, I can't help but feel that you may wish to consider investing in soundtracks instead of games. xD

It just isn't the same. A lot of the time, what makes a video game song even better is the context behind it-- what's happening when the song is played. That's kind of what I was hoping for, but so far, that's a feeling I have yet to have here. Still, good music.

[Del Murder]

I don't really consider it spoilers to research the mechanics of the game and the premise of its story prior to buying it. I do analyze these things because other than the Uncharted or Zero Escape series there is no game I will automatically buy without learning more about it.

[FFNut]

I avoid as much as possible. As I Wo t be able to get FFXV until about March or April I have avoided the thread, and kept most of the stuff totally blank to myself so I can come in with no predetermined ideas in my head.

[Slothy]

I just ignore most media period since the majority of it treads far too close to paid advertising for my tastes. When a game comes out and I hear the premise or see some video of it, then I'll look into it with the two or three sources I actually trust with a focus on the gameplay since I'm buying a game after all. It would take a pretty damn exceptional story or something absurdly original to make me overlook bad gameplay. But these days I'm barely aware of anything save the most hyped of games until they release. I've found I greatly prefer it this way.

[Pumpkin]

I will usually avoid story spoilers unless I don't care about the story. Like, I want to play the new Pokemon but I don't play Pokemon for the story so I don't really care. On the other hand, something like SOMA where I was playing specifically for the story, I made sure to avoid spoilers

[Wolf Kanno]

I prefer doing a bit of research. I don't really have the same kind of time to devote to gaming like I used to so I tend to need to make every purchase count. It doesn't help that I feel certain companies that used to be Gold have seriously slipped in the last decade so I can't really take the brand names anymore as being worth it without a little peek.

[Aerith's Knight]

Sometimes I try to avoid it. Like I did with Mirror's edge 2. I was so hyped up for it, yet I didn't see a sign of it anywhere. I didn't want to read about the game beforehand, so I was getting antsy.

Then I found out.

It was on Origin.

So yeah, haven't played it yet, stopped caring. Could've saved so much hype.

[Lyndis Highwind]

I like to avoid it as much as I can. I find the games I know nothing about are the ones I enjoy the most.

[NeoCracker]

The moment I deem a game interesting I cut myself off from learning more until I play it.

I almost didn't even watch the first Persona 5 trailer, as I knew I was getting that game just from the fact it was announced. :p

[Vermachtnis]

I've been trying to cut myself off from watching or looking up stuff for games I'm interested in because I'll go to far and just end up spoiling myself. I've done good so far about Final Fantasy XV and Pokémon Moon. I know nothing about the plot of either of them. Except for what I've played of XV.

[DMKA]

I'm more determined about it with some games than others. I pretty much abandoned the internet outside of EoFF from the time it was announced that FFXV's street date was broken until I beat the game, because I was too afraid of spoilers and lord knows people love to spoil each new FF game.

[Elly]

i avoid all plot points for game's i'm interested in... game mechanics and character/world design, i'll check out all day long...