Hey all, I’m back with a look at a specific type of mindset that can occur during special events for video games in this week’s Video Game Tuesday. It’s all about FOMO.

What is FOMO?: FOMO is an acronym that is used in place of the phrase “Fear Of Missing Out.” It’s a big issue when it comes to limited time festivals and special events or items for things like certain live service games or even other types of titles like gacha games and some MMOs.

What types of stuff could be missed out on?: If there are events, special festivals, or things like those which are never repeated for certain titles, then players could miss out on whatever items or rewards are given out or earned during that time. For example in gacha games, those kinds of events can often let players obtain rather powerful units or items to help them with their progress through a game. Missing out on that could lead to players not having a vital tool that other veteran players are able to obtain.

However, sometimes the things players will be missing out on are purely cosmetic, like event camouflages or Weapon Blueprints in Call of Duty, so they won’t be missing out completely on things like unlockable guns or equipment.

MMORPGs on the other hand are generally pretty solid about not abandoning players and preventing them from getting items from story events completely, but even my personal favorite MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, does have yearly seasonal events whose stories aren’t ever repeated again. That is a big downside for players like me who enjoy the stories but can’t generally buy the limited time rewards with real money if I miss out on those events.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday. Here is hoping that you get all the great gear and cosmetic items from your favorite titles and keep the dreaded FOMO away.