As winter rolls in and the temperatures drop, the beloved gaming website Rock Paper Shotgun has announced that it will be taking a well-deserved break for the holiday season. With a jovial warning to hold off on emails until their return, the team has planned a lineup of content to ensure their readers are not left in the lurch during the festive period.
The staff humorously acknowledges a familiar struggle many face during the fresh emergence of the new year – the inevitable blunder of dating documents with the previous year's date. But as Rock Paper Shotgun bids farewell to 2023, they do so with the promise of return on January 2nd, 2024. They extend warm wishes to their community, hoping everyone will find joy and relaxation in the season's celebrations, regardless of what they are observing.
Before Rock Paper Shotgun retreats into holiday mode, there's an excitement brewing over the final revelation from their Advent Calendar. The reveal of the Game Of The Year for 2023 is eagerly anticipated, although hints and whispers on Discord have suggested that fans might already have a good guess. The suspense still garners attention, and true to the holiday spirit, playing along with the ‘charade’ is part of the fun to be shared.
Dismayed by the Advent Calendar's outcome? Fret not. The RPS team empathizes and has prepared a series of ‘Selection Boxes’ – staff picks of games that narrowly missed making the calendar but deserve honorable mentions. These selections represent the diverse tastes of the team and offer a broader array of game recommendations for players to explore.
Apart from reminiscing about the top games, Rock Paper Shotgun intends to help their readers reflect on the passing year via a series of ‘Year In Review’ roundups. These include a compilation of the best reviews, features, and an intriguing look at how 2023 was shaped from a gaming guides standpoint. For those eager to brush up on or discover the year's high points, these roundups are perfectly curated retrospectives.
In an act of generosity and seasonal sharing, Rock Paper Shotgun is setting Supporter-funded posts free for public consumption. These and other previously exclusive posts can be readily accessed, pulling from the archives to enrich the readers' holidays.
Even in leisure, there is room for a chuckle or an eye-roll, and the annual Christmas Crackers are there to provide exactly that. Self-described as terrible – perhaps endearingly so – these jokes are set to be a daily fixture, ensuring a light-hearted moment even for those who might typically groan at such festive jests. There's a hint of a Star Trek-themed joke among them, but specifics are withheld to preserve the surprise.
With a nod to tradition and New Year's resolutions, the team invites the community to share their gaming-oriented goals for 2024, while revealing that a recurring personal resolve is to 'play more weird stuff.’ It's a friendly touch that underscores the camaraderie and shared passion for gaming between the RPS staff and their readers.
As the article draws to a close, there's an intimate touch from the writer, signing off from the past as they prepare the digital groundwork needed to keep the holiday spirit alive across Twitter and other social conduits. It's a peek behind the curtain into the bustling backstage where all the magic happens, ensuring that even in their absence, Rock Paper Shotgun continues to resonate with their audience.
Everyone at Rock Paper Shotgun leaves with a heartfelt thank you, an invitation to engage and share, and a parting reminder of their return on the second of January. The message is clear: Have a delightful break, enjoy the moments of joy the season has to offer, and when the festivities have come to a close, reconnect with the familiar digital hub that is Rock Paper Shotgun, ready to take on gaming adventures in the year to come.
