The holiday season has arrived, and with it comes the customary winter break for many, including popular gaming website Rock Paper Shotgun (RPS), which has decided to shutter its virtual treehouse due to the chilly weather. The dedicated team will be taking some well-deserved time off, announcing a pause in their usual operations until January 2nd, 2024. Despite the break, the team behind RPS has made sure that its readers won't be left without entertainment, as a slew of content has been pre-scheduled to ensure the holiday spirit in gaming continues.
Before locking up, RPS has communicated an important message to public relations professionals and anyone else reaching out – to refrain from sending emails during their break, since the team eagerly anticipates a quiet holiday without the ping of incoming messages until they return next year. They humorously anticipate that adjusting to writing the new year will take about three months of mishaps, highlighting the human side of the team behind the screens.
Embracing the festive traditions, on December 25th, RPS will reveal its highly anticipated Game of the Year for 2023. The announcement is expected to finalize their Advent Calendar, which has been a focal talking point among their Discord community. There is a shared sentiment or perhaps an inside joke about the predictability of the winning title, yet the excitement for the official revelation remains.
In the true spirit of giving, RPS has not forgotten those who might be disappointed by this year's Advent Calendar selections. The website is introducing the RPS Selection Boxes, released daily from December 26th. These feature games that have narrowly missed a spot on the Advent Calendar but still deserve recognition. Each staff member will select games that they believe warrant wider attention, serving up personal recommendations and hidden gems to explore.
Moreover, RPS is keen on providing retrospectives to keep its readers grounded in the passing year's gaming landscape. The RPS Year In Review will consist of roundups including summaries of the 'Bestest Best' reviews published in the year, a selection of the best features, and insights from the guides team on defining moments of 2023. Readers can expect to stroll down memory lane, recalling everything from the thrilling rush of Hi-Fi releases to in-depth guides that navigated them through this dynamic year.
Furthermore, RPS extends a gift to its audience by making Supporter-funded posts available for all readers, even those who aren't subscribers. These will be accessible via the Latest feed as they get published or through the From The Archive tag along with a plethora of other supporter content to delve into during the break.
In a lighter vein, RPS has prepared a series of Christmas Crackers – a lineup of jokes that promise a good chuckle or perhaps an eye-roll as they claim to have outdone themselves with the humor this year. Readers can expect a daily dose of groan-worthy gaming puns, keeping spirits high and festive laughs rolling.
As the RPS team takes a step back to enjoy their holidays and perhaps indulge in some personal gaming resolutions, like playing more 'weird stuff,' they're not leaving their readers behind. There is an invitation for the community to share their game-related resolutions for the upcoming year in the comments, fostering a virtual gathering place for those passionate about gaming culture.
What emanates from the RPS winter holiday announcement is the sense of a passionate team that, even while recharging, ensures their readers have a space to celebrate, discuss, and enjoy gaming. With this plethora of scheduled content and community engagement, RPS aims to bid farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024 with their audience, full of new gaming experiences and camaraderie. The commitment to returning on January 2nd keeps the promise of fresh content and interactions on the horizon, teasing the anticipation of what's to come in the new year. Until then, the team hopes its readers will have a lovely few days, reflecting the website's appreciation for its community and excitement to rejoin them, hopefully, not too hungover, in 2024.
