Goals for 2015

Every year I come up with predictions and try to set lofty goals for the coming year. This year I’m doing something a little bit different. There won’t be realistic or even tongue-in-cheek predictions. There won’t be unrealistic expectations placed upon my goals, or even a long list of goals to look back on. I’m going to keep it simple.

Goals for the Blog

Even when the coming industry lets me down and there isn’t a game in sight, KeenAndGraev.com provides me a place to discuss games and feel like I am still attached to gaming. We have great discussions, debates, and even the occasional productive argument. We’re not a news site. We don’t keep you up to date on the latest layoffs or trailer releases. We write stream-of-thought reviews, theorycraft, muse on gaming ideals, reminisce about the past, and create a place where actual thoughts from actual gamers collect.

I let myself down in 2014. I didn’t give the blog the attention I wanted. Here are my goals for 2015 to fix that.

• Write More - Being busy is one thing. I won’t always have time to write. But when I don’t write simply because I have nothing to say or I’m not playing a game… I feel like I can do better in that area. I have plenty to say.
• Write About What I do In-game – I used to be great at this style of blogging back when I was really invested in particular MMOs. I’d write adventure logs about what I did that day in the game, and I think this provides great insights into how games can be enjoyed by someone who is actually playing them. Bhagpuss and Wilhelm, fellow bloggers, do a great job at this.
• Increase our Coverage – I know that Graev and I have already created one of the most comprehensive blogs of our kind out there. Few, if any, other blogs rival our comprehensive coverage on all types of games. I want to do even better. I value the opinions of others before I purchase a product. That’s why I love Amazon. I have a site here that is capable of being a unique resource for gamers who can use our opinions as a metric to determine if they’d like a game. This also ties in to my second goal. We should be reviewing everything we play instead of not even half.

Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog will be tackling 2015 head on and remain one of the best gaming blogs on the internet. Why? First, you’re reading; seriously, that’s huge.  Second, we love what we do. We love games. We’ll grow in 2015. We’ll reach new and wider audiences. I have big plans for how we’ll represent when Camelot Unchained launch. I have a lot of work to do.

Goals for Gaming

I’d like to say that I have a goal to find that MMO I’ll stick with all year. I promised myself I wouldn’t set unrealistic goals, and besides this isn’t one of those silly prediction posts… an MMO to stick with for a year? in 2015? Ahahaha.

• Continue to Diversify – This was a goal I had for 2014, and I sorta sucked at it. I want to continue to reach out and touch all corners of gaming: Console(s), PC, Mobile, and everything from big name to indie. I’ve started 2015 off right by enhancing my mobile portfiolio. There are several games on phones worth playing. I’ll let you know which are worth checking out.
• Post More On Game Forums – Around 2004 to 2008 I did nothing but post on gaming forums. I was a moderator on IGN’s Vault Network boards. I actively posted on half a dozen MMO forums. Forums are a HUGE part of MMO communities, and I want to rekindle my involvement. I plan to post a lot more on Camelot Unchained’s forums and make myself known. Soon I will also be posting more on EQ Next’s forums. This will make my attachment to the games stronger.
• Finish What I Start – Whew. This is a tough one. I start lots of games and many (sigh… perhaps most) I never finish. I think I started Dragon Age Origins 5 times and went 15 hours into each play-through and never beat it. I haven’t finished a Pokemon game in years despite investing dozens of hours into them. If I start a game in 2015 I plan to finish it.

We potentially have a good year ahead of us. Lots of big titles for consoles and PC are coming. MMOs might suck, but we can weather that storm together. We might even enact some change!

Feel free to share your thoughts on my goals or even discuss some of your own.