It's end of the year wrap-up season and I'm already exhausted
December has arrived and everyone's either posting or preparing end of the year lists, though some got a start back in November, which is ridiculous (looking at you, Pocket Casts). Weird how December became the month to get these things locked in rather than January. Feel like it'd make more sense as a two month period instead. Give people more time to think and reflect.
Been deep in game of the year prep for Entertainium myself as we, unfortunately, are in the camp of doing this in December instead of January. I get the idea: it's the last month of the year. Get this all out of the way now so we can meet the new year head on from the start instead of spending part of new year looking back. (Also serves as an easy way to throw something up on the site during this part of the year. More meaningful for publications that have a proper holiday break, though.)
When we were just putting together our own lists, I didn't mind it as much since it served as a good deadline to get me to write something. Usually meant I'd be writing until the very last minute because my list wasn't ready until that moment, but it worked. Since we started doing more a couple years ago, however (a collective site-wide list, previously, and now a few awards on top of it), it's been a much more exhausting process. Lot more to write and more deadlines to work around.
It's fun to do, don't get me wrong. Thinking of awards and categories has kept things fresh and there's some enjoyable suspense in waiting to see what everyone's voted for. It's just... work, you know? Hard enough to get stuff done under deadlines as is. Probably gonna push my own list off to January so I don't end up rushing something out.
Last year I didn't get around to writing anything because... I don't know. Couldn't muster the energy. Struggled to get any thoughts down on my picks for the site list that I just couldn't bring myself to write more about a bunch of other games. Been putting a list together every year since 2010 up to that point. Skipping a year felt weird – but also kinda freeing? I like putting these lists together, but it feels like an obligation sometimes after doing it for so long. I sort of wish I had actually finished that list last year, but also the break was nice. No needing to cram anything in at the last minute or stressing over hitting some arbitrary deadline.
Maybe I'll just do that again if it becomes too much trouble and post something quick here instead.