As the winter chill sets in and festive lights twinkle in the streets, readers of Rock Paper Shotgun, an esteemed gaming website, might have noticed that the online treehouse they often visit for news and reviews is a little quieter than usual. The team at Rock Paper Shotgun has decided to take a well-deserved break for the holiday season, but not without ensuring that their readers have plenty of content to keep them company.
Rock Paper Shotgun will be on hiatus, enjoying the holidays until they return to action on January 2, 2024. During this time, the team has a friendly request: please hold off on sending emails until they're back. However, despite the break, it seems some public relations representatives have missed the memo, continuing to send in new emails.
But the staff at Rock Paper Shotgun is no Scrooge when it comes to the holiday spirit. They've made arrangements for their audience to stay entertained while they're away. They've scheduled a variety of content, affectionately hashtagged, to be published throughout their absence, ensuring that their readers are not entirely bereft of their gaming fix.
An advent calendar, a yearly tradition of the site which teases and tantalizes readers throughout December, will reach its culmination with the final reveal: the Game Of The Year for 2023. The staff has teased a bit, suggesting that many readers might already have guessed the winner. Nonetheless, the ritual of anticipation and the eventual reveal is a tradition cherished by the community.
Moreover, not all games that the staff wishes to commend make it to the prestigious advent calendar. To remedy this, they have created what they call "RPS Selection Boxes." This feature allows each staff member to shine a light on games they feel deserve recognition but did not make it onto the calendar for one reason or another. This alternative accolade provides a more comprehensive view of the games that have shaped the year, according to the diverse preferences of the Rock Paper Shotgun team's tastes.
To prevent their readers from becoming "unmoored in time," as the festive hiatus extends, they've planned several "RPS Year In Review" roundups. These include lists of the best reviews of the year, a collection of the best features, and insights from the guides team on what defined gaming in 2023.
For those who support the website financially, Rock Paper Shotgun has a treat. A number of Supporter-funded posts will be made publicly accessible for all to read during the break. These can be found both on the Latest feed as they're published and within a special "From The Archive" tag, which showcases these and other Supporter posts available for everyone.
In a lighter vein, Rock Paper Shotgun will also continue its annual tradition of sharing terrible yet somehow endearing "Christmas Crackers." The staff promises an assortment of terrible jokes—one for each day of the holiday season.
As the team winds down and steps away from the keyboards, there's a sense of farewell-for-now in their message to the readers. The writer, speaking from the past, shares a final bit of interaction with their community, inviting comments and reflections on gaming resolutions for the new year, suggesting a personal goal to "play more weird stuff." This sentiment serves to foster a connection with their audience, encouraging them to share their aspirations and plans for gaming in the year to come.
Rock Paper Shotgun will return after their break, reinvigorated and ready to face the new year. They extend gratitude to their readers for the moments shared and the support they've received. It's clear that when they return, on the not-too-distant date of January 2nd, they hope the only lingering effects of New Year's celebrations will be the happy memories, and not the hangovers. As the Rock Paper Shotgun team would likely say, "Have a lovely few days, gang, and thank you for everything. See you next year!"
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