Why You Should Keep Your Hype In Check | Spot On

With Gamescom just around the corner and gaming personality Geoff Keighley all set to host the showcase's Opening Night Live event, hype is something that's been weighing heavy on our minds lately. While the event is sure to be packed to the gills with new gameplay footage and exciting looks at hotly anticipated games, Keighley has explicitly advised viewers to temper their expectations for the showcase, explaining that it will be more focused on highlighting previously announced games rather than revealing world premieres and never-before-seen gameplay. Despite this setting of expectations, however, the hype train is already leaving the station, with rumors running wild of what Geoff and co. have up their sleeves for the event.

In this episode of Spot On, Lucy and Tam discuss hype, why it matters, and why the topic is a bit more complex than it might seem. For starters, by engaging in pre-game hype, players open themselves up to joy, excitement, and the possibility to bond with like-minded people through powerful communal experiences. Hype is also hugely beneficial to developers, who rely on excited would-be-fans to promote and preorder their games. However, too much of a good thing--particularly when it leads to disappointment or over-promising--can have serious implications. Let's talk about them and a few of the ways we can keep our hype in check.

Spot On is a weekly news show airing Fridays in which GameSpot's managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest news in games. Given the highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle of the massive video game industry, there's always something to talk about but, unlike most other news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic as opposed to recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.