Perspective is a funny thing. It’s entirely unique to the individual, and is formed by several factors which play a prominent part in our daily lives. Something that you undervalue could be something that another person would give a limb for, and this is a capacity that not everyone has the benefit of.
Although admittedly hard at times, the reason above should dictate that the utmost appreciation is shown for your every possession, however irrelevant and expendable they may seem. Who hasn’t felt agitated over a malfunctioning electronic in their time, or cursed at the freeview box for not recording your favourite program? This being said, I do think that some members of the internet have shown a considerable lack of gratitude when it has come to discussing the issue of the recent PSN downtime.
[drop] Before I continue, I’d like to highlight that everyone has a right to feel somewhat aggrieved. At the end of the day, you have purchased a product which an online service is a part of, and currently you aren’t receiving it. Sony may be offering a generous “Welcome Back” program, but it doesn’t change what is a poor state of affairs that debatably shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the first place.When you put your trust in a multinational company such as Sony, you expect your confidential information to be protected up to the hilt. In this case, Sony has failed to deliver and I accept that thousands (including me) are upset with the situation, and will naturally post a brief comment or two to voice our concerns.
However, recently I have read a variety of comments that portray the Playstation Network downtime to be akin to the apocalypse. As previously mentioned I understand the annoyance, but at the same time feel that some people need to put the downtime into some serious perspective. It’s a period of time without the Playstation Network; go outside, do some work, or check out this list. You don’t even need to go without gaming; why not pick up a title that’s been collecting dust for a second playthrough? The opportunities are endless, but I can’t help but think that some are making the worst of a bad situation.
As we sit in our centrally heated homes populating the internet, it’s easy to forget that whilst some are moaning about the lack of Call of Duty, soldiers are out on the front line in places such as Afghanistan, taking cover from sniper bullets without a respawn.
It’s also easy to forget that poverty rages across the world, and in this day and age, it is beyond belief that millions are still without access to a clean water source. The media coverage may have diminished but two months on, Japan is still picking itself up after suffering one of the most horrific natural disasters seen in decades. How many loved ones were never seen again after that fateful morning on the 11th March?
The problems don’t end in this country, either. Unemployment is at an all time high, and the people that are lucky enough to have houses are being forced to push every resource to its limit, as prices skyrocket from fuel to food. The size of the population is increasing, and with government cuts hitting every part of the country, public services are feeling the strain more than ever.
Even though we have one of the most advanced health services in the world, incurable illnesses continue to rip families apart, cutting innocent lives short before they even have a chance to prosper. All of this contributes to a society where children grow up without a sense of right and wrong, and the love and attention that humans at that age so desperately need.
I don’t deny that I am also guilty of lacking perspective at times, but with the heartbreak, terror and sadness that haunts our world on a daily basis, does the Playstation Network downtime really matter?
The decision is yours, but I know exactly how I feel.
seckspest
Its anoyinying i cant get on psn for demos,dlc,updates and those invaluable minis.But im not bothered abou downtime,if it means increased security im all for it.Iv not heard of anyone beining compramised by said hack so free content/games are surely a good thing. 19 AND GOING STRONG UTID.
Smallville2106
Great read. I’ll just be glad when everything is back to normal. So sick of hearing about it now tbh.
I’ve been enjoying SP stuff and haven’t minded the downtime at all really. Actually prefer sp stuff anyway.
My cousin however is 15. He plays nothing but Fifa and COD online. Although I personally could not play the same two games all the time that is what he likes and enjoys doing. Obviously he is over the top (IMO) mad about this at the moment. He doesn’t play SP at all. He is considering trading it for an Xbox.
Personally I think this is insane but the two games he plays are multi platform so why not? Nobody knows when the network will be back on so why would he wait hoping that it will be tomorrow or the next day all the time.
For the people that don’t play SP I can completely understand why they would swap over and why it is a big deal to them. Of course there are bigger things going on and things that are a million times worse in the world but young teenage online gamers don’t really care about that when they want some escapism or their fix on COD/Fifa after they finish school.
I personally just hope trophies synch with no problems when the network is back up and running.
Crocadillian
This is why TSA and GoNintendo are the only two sites I visit btw. Although I haven’t been missing it (too busy with A level studies, and a shiny new Windows Phone) , it’s lovely to read such sincere, meaningful articles, where many other blogs are losing their heads over ratings. Thanks, :)
StevenHibs
Very good article, I agree with almost everything, we dont realise how lucky we are to be living in these conditions!
October91
While I agree it’s still such a pain as to I live in the USA and I bought a pspgo and it didn’t come in the mail till the day that Psn went down :o as such I can’t use it :( in USA pspgos are 139$ brand new from retailers… Can’t even put music stuff on it for my pc is broke :/ I guess I just have got bad timing…..
fattyuk
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It’s either new news or I’m just a bit slow! Lol
matthangzhou
Downloading now :D
stueeeee
This is why I enjoy reading articles on this site. A, good, thought provoking piece that people can discuss at length about. I agree with it completely.
caveman635
does anyone smell oscar nominee??