Tales Of Berseria And Consumption Culture
I tried. I REALLY tried to make the title clever, but I'm afraid that's the best I could come up with (which isn't clever at all). This is a blog about managing our engagements with consumption culture, and Tales Of Berseria, a 2016 JRPG that got a remaster in February of 2026.
I've noticed some movements floating around YouTube with very similar themes:
- Rejection of convenience culture and the internet and embracing analog technology.
- Rejection of consumption culture, and being appreciative for what one already has, or utilizing what one already has.
- Rejection of brand identity or paying more money for functionally zero added quality or benefit.
- Rejection of the dopamine death cycle that comes from being constantly connected.
Videos on these topics have changed my perspective somewhat on what kind of person I want to be and how I want to live my life. In 2026:
- I'm striving to not buy anything that I don't truly need. (Do I need a daily planner that's dated for 2026? Or would one of these blank notebooks I have laying around work just as well?).
- I'm striving to disconnect as much as practical. (Scrollable apps are gone, but I still keep messenger to communicate with family).
- I'm striving to stay out of the zeitgest and discourse that could result in fake FOMO.
Now don't get the wrong idea, this isn't some kind of anti capitalist protest or a personal communitarian effort. I'm a firm believer in the free market, but I also believe in a balanced, healthy life. 3 months into 2026, this effort has resulted in a significant impact on me for the better.
This is where Tales of Berseria comes in. As I've mentioned, this game received a new "remastered edition" in February. It added some bells and whistles, quality of life updates and convenience features, amongst other things. After becoming aware of this last month, I realized I had bought the original release without the additions years ago for $5 on sale, and never got around to playing it (A practice that 2026 me is ardently trying to avoid).
A younger, less introspective version of myself might have said something like "I only paid $5 for the original, that's chicken scratch. Now's a good time to play the updated definitive version" and then considered purchasing it. I'm proud to say that 2026 me did NOT fall for this and I've been enjoying the original title that I purchased for $5 years ago these past few weeks.
On the other hand, I have mixed emotions about the entire ordeal as the main motivator for me dusting off that original game was the fact that Tales of Berseria was in the cultural video game discourse - something I don't want to be apart of anymore.
Overall, I'll chalk it up as a win. The main goal I had in writing this was to encourage others to consider implementing some of these ideas into their own life. We cannot ever be completely removed from consumption culture, in fact I would argue we shouldn't try to be. But even still, making efforts to become more mindful and grateful will help all of us to become better, happier people over time.