BIGFORK, Mont. — After working a full day shift at his pet food tasting job, resident Bartleby James likes to unwind by microwaving a TV dinner, resting on the couch, and watching a necessary update download and install on his PlayStation.
“There’s nothing quite like working an 9 hour day, 30 minutes which are off the clock for lunch, and 30 minutes unpaid to finish what I’m doing because my HR rep says the company does not pay overtime without advanced notice & permission, then coming home, texting a buddy about playing Call of Duty, loading up the ‘Station, and then staring at the download screen while another patch is installed for a game that launched two years prior,” says James.
He’s become so used to this routine that James spends every weeknight downloading patches. On weekends, he plays computer solitaire.
“I love that even when I buy a physical copy, I still get to watch a download screen for hours after assuming I was going to be able to play the game I just spent $60 on that was rushed to meet a deadline,” says James’ PSN friend Bob Breen, AKA “gaysex6942069.”
Studio heads are making note and companies like Ubisoft and Activision are trying to keep up.
“Due to the demand, we’re trying our best to lengthen download times. By this time next year we’re hoping to have people spending all their free time watching a patch download,” says Lex Shtrokin, the PR rep at Activision.
At press time, activision is currently in talks with Comcast about capping download speeds to “give the people what they want.”
