Pop Culture Corner: When was the last time you couldn’t wait for something to come out?

I CAN’T WAIT

There are a lot of things that I’ve noticed have changed now that my age has changed from starting with a “2” to starting with a “3.” One such thing that I’ve noticed is that eating poorly makes me feel bad. Not, like, makes me fatter, though it does that also—it makes me feel bad. I cannot eat junk all day anymore and have to eat some fruits or veggies to not feel like junk. It’s a development that I’m not particularly fond of, but it makes sense, so, whatever.

But another development that has been quite interesting for me—one that I am rather neutral about, thankfully—is how infrequently I am ravenously waiting for a piece of media to come out.

Consider: Horizon: Forbidden West is coming out next month. Horizon: Zero Dawn was the best video game of 2017 (fight me, Breath of the Wild fans; I liked that game too but I will die on that hill), and it’s one of my favorite games of all time. And yet, I am not particularly riled up about its release, even though I’m looking forward to it. Forbidden West will come out when it comes out, and if it gets delayed, oh well. I was looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077, too, but it has not gotten its next-gen console release yet, so I have waited over a year and will continue to wait until it gets its next-gen console release.

I do not think this is patience. I have precious little patience for a lot of things, as do most Americans I’d wager. For instance, as a roller coaster buff, I make specific vacation trips to hit up certain parks. But I do so in order to plan around lines, as I hate standing in line for more than half an hour, despite an reality where 1+ hour wait times are not at all unusual for popular rides in most places. I also hate traffic of any sort, and living and driving in Los Angeles sounds like my version of hell.

Rather, I think this is simply due to my life as an adult versus my life as a teenager or college kid. I am blessed to have disposable income right now, but I do not have disposable time. I work 40 hours a week at my day job, write for this here website as a side job, and rehearse with two music ensembles—in addition to all the normal requirements of life. I only have a certain amount of time to do fun things, and there is an ever-growing list of things I’d like to do again or try. So if a game gets delayed, so what? I won’t have a problem filling my time. Like, I loved Horizon: Zero Dawn. Have I replayed it even once? No.

Contrast this with my younger self, where I had way more time. I didn’t work summers until I was in college, and so my middle school and high school summers were spent with three uninterrupted months every year of doing nothing but what I wanted to. And even in college, I did not spend 40 hours a week in class.

I legitimately don’t remember the last time that I couldn’t wait for something to come out. On one hand, I kind of miss that feeling of anticipation and the rush of endorphins when you got to watch/read/play the thing. On the other hand, it makes waiting for things just so much easier. I guess if you put a gun to my head, my answer would probably be Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch a few years ago? That, or Star Wars: The Force Awakens a few years before that.

So, here’s my question: when was the last time you couldn’t wait for something to come out? Let me know in the comments.