Hype and the Risks we Take Because of It

I was poised to watch the new “Lamb of Columbia” Bioshock Infinite trailer, my cursor hovering over the play button, when something stopped me. I’ve reported on a number of Bioshock Infinite trailers and information titbits over the last year, and while I am still excited about the release of the game, a realisation hit me as I was about to watch that trailer: I already know as much as I want to about the game. Perhaps I know too much.

Let’s compare my anticipation for Infinite with my experience with the original Bioshock. I picked up the original Bioshock around the same time I picked up my first Xbox 360. This was before I was writing and podcasting about videogames. I read about them in magazines, but only sporadically. All Bioshock was to me was a very well-reviewed game that a few friends had positive things to say about. I knew it was supposed to be atmospheric, story-driven, and immersive, but that was about it. Intrigued, I picked it up.

It blew me away. That moment when Rapture was first revealed, as you descend from the lighthouse, was literally breathtaking. From there on, the game reeled me along effortlessly, as its twisted story played out in its deeply atmospheric, ambient environments. I would sit there gawking at Bioshock for hours on end, totally lost in its fiction. There’s a very distinct feeling you get when you have to pull yourself away from a truly engaging piece of entertainment, like groggily shaking yourself out of a deep sleep of vivid dreams. Bioshock gave me that feeling. Then I found myself playing through it again, and again, and again. I quickly decided it was one of my favourite games of all time.

Fast-forward to 2013, the year Bioshock Infinite will finally be released after many delays. I already know so much about this game. I know what the first five minutes of the game will (ostensibly) look like, as well as another ten minutes later on in the game. I know who the main characters are and what the premise of the story is. I know the back-story to the game’s setting. I know about the Skyhook, the Motorised Patriots, the weapons, and even details about the ongoing development process. There’s no reason to suggest that Infinite won’t be as immersive and engaging as the first Bioshock, but how will all this prior knowledge affect my experience of the game? Will it dampen some of the potential thrill of that first playthrough? 

Looking back on my top 10 games of the year, a lot of those games (The Walking Dead, Fez, Trials Evolution, Mark of the Ninja, Quantum Conundrum) were pleasant surprises that I picked up out of curiosity or positive word of mouth. I’m not saying that some of those games weren’t hyped to some extent. It’s more of a personal thing. I went into those games knowing and expecting little, and getting something great.

Meanwhile, a game like Assassin’s Creed 3, which I wanted to be good so badly having already been clued in on the interesting details, wound up being a disappointment. For a more extreme example, look at the damage hype has done to the poorly-received Aliens: Colonial Marines. Without the previews and Randy Pitchford talking the game up, it would have been a below-average fart in the wind. Thanks to the hype, however, it’s not just a disappointment, it’s a betrayal.

I’m not suggesting that developers and publishers can’t promote their games before release. There has to be a certain amount of interest generated in a title for it to be successful. What I am suggesting is that there is such a thing as hype overkill. The more you reveal, the less there is to discover. Bearing that in mind, I’m closing myself off to all Bioshock Infinite related hype until its release. I want to be in the dark about at least some of the details before I plunge myself into the game.

What do you think about hype? Do you enjoy the anticipation and build-up to a game's release?