Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year in video games?

Season’s greetings from Destructoid’s least-American writer

Hello and good morning to my American friends here at Destructoid, as well as everybody else who stopped by to be a little Thanksgiving-curious. Believe it or don’t, it’s that time of year again. What a whistle-stop year it has been. It’s Thanksgiving, America’s birthday… Or is that Independence Day? It’s Turkey Day, as they called it on MST3K and Animal Crossing. Turkee Day, for all of you vegan saints. It all amounts to the same thing anyway, a weekend of too much food and buying cheap shit you don’t really want or need. If you celebrate, then hope that you and yours have a very happy one.

Of course, the tradition of Giving Thanks is an important one, perhaps now more than ever. It has been a turbulent time on our tired globe, and while some of the unfortunate events of recent years have been slightly subdued, it would be naive to think that we’re “in the clear”, in many regards. Still, we are all here, today and now, and we can be thankful for ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities — both in the reel wurlde and here on the good ship Destructoid. Gaming itself has been a little rough in 2021, receiving more than its fair share of negative and grim headlines. But, fortunately, our favorite pastime has still brought us all a little joy and happiness when we need it most, thanks to the passion and tireless work of the industry’s talented, well-meant, and honest creators, writers, artists, streamers, and publishers.

What am I thankful for in gaming this year? Quite a lot to be honest. I’m thankful for the excellent Streets of Rage 4 DLC, Mr. X. Nightmare, which has brought me hours upon hours of enjoyment — redefining the entire genre at an extremely modest price. This should be a standard-bearer for all DLC going forward. I’m thankful that Housemarque rose like a phoenix, cementing its place in the big leagues by delivering one of the year’s finest releases in the form of Returnal.

I’m also thankful for a myriad of fantastic small-scale releases, made by hard-working and passionate teams who do not have the benefit of a billion-dollar publisher in their corner. In an era where I’m somewhat jaded of AAA sequels, over-stuffed publishers, and bled-dry IPs, games such as F.I.S.T., Tails of Iron, Death’s Door, Wildermyth, and Chicory are an important reminder of just how many amazing, engaging titles are out there, punching through the mediocrity and rising above the Goliaths that dominate 90% of the entire gaming industry. Kudos to their drive. Now and Forever.

There are some dark stories circling the industry this year, and I’m thankful that the perpetrators are being brought to task. This article is celebratory, focusing on the good, deserving people of the industry, so I’ll refrain from further detail.

I say it every year, but it bears repeating: I’m thankful for my role here at Destructoid and for you, our beloved community. Working in games media full-time is be a rough, thankless, endless task. Destructoid has, genuinely, swallowed up most of my life. But I’m thankful to remain employed in a very fragile industry (Aren’t they all now?). To have the freedom to express myself, and — at a time where most gaming communities have since shifted to social media — to wake up every day and see that Destructoid still has one of the single largest and most dedicated armies of followers in games media. Thank you for your support, both here in my work and also in my recent personal revelations.

If you’re reading this, you are a part of this. And I’m thankful for you. And I raise to you a glass… of… umm… this fizzy Vitamin C deal I drink every morning because I’m now old af.

We hope that you have a happy, restful, peaceful weekend, regardless of whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or otherwise. Have a wonderful time, don’t buy games you aren’t going to play, don’t eat too much. Stay safe and socially distanced and, before you do allllll of that, please jump into the comments and share with us and your fellow community what you are thankful for as it pertains to this year in video games. Thanks for reading, have an awesome one.