Counterpoint:

Dialing down the hyperbole here, I get that there have been some high-profile boss fight flubs in recent years, but come on - you might as well argue that every game with a crappy story means that games just plain shouldn't have stories anymore, or that every game with sloppy controls means that games just plain…

British TV writer and presenter (and former games journo) Charlie Brooker, being interviewed in the latest issue of Edge, nails boss fights. Just...nails them.

You know, you're right, Luke. I've been blind for so long thinking climactic confrontations in video games were a good thing. Every time I had an awesome boss fight in No More Heroes and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I was clearly deluding myself because I hadn't read the gospel of Charlie Brooker.

The difference is, washing up is a chore. If playing a game feels like washing dishes, then maybe the boss fights aren't the issue.

I'll just post one of about a gazillion possible images that instantaneously prove that Charlie Brooker doesn't know eff-all about video games.

The Zelda games are a great example of good boss fights. To me, it kind of feels like milestones. When you best a boss you get a feeling of closure on that particular section of the game, and move on.

"Maybe, just maybe, we can get that 14-year-old kid who picks on the fat kid, who picks on the gay kid, who picks on the weirdo in his class every fucking day, to stop and think. 'Wow, if Francis isn't really Francis, maybe my perception of that kid that I'm beating up and being shitty to everyday is wrong too.'"

This isn't someone giving out their social security number or credit information, dude. Am I inviting harassment if I point out that I'm a woman? Or that I work in the dishroom of a major hospital? Should the onus be on me to keep absolutely everything private, or on those who read it to, I don't know, not be bullies?

Yeah, super private information like your address, phone number, etc probably shouldn't be shared. And there's nothing wrong with reminding people that even their online actions have consequences, and that it's important to watch what we say and do. But while this person probably means well, she comes across as…

Seriously, do you go "well, why should I have to shutter my windows? The storm should just not break them!"?

No, but even if I did, people would say "you know, that wouldn't be a problem if you'd just stop buying houses with windows in them. You really bring this on yourself."

Punishing offenders is great, it is,…

1. You may be investing too much in a metaphor.

You have a limited experience with bullies, as well with people with no means of protecting themselves. Some bullies want resistance so they can enforce even more power.
In my case at least any attempt at resistance (except for learning how to use words) was met with derision and worse bullying. Not everyone can defend…

but what if they are physically stronger and more numerous than you? That's my experience and that of many others.

"you" is as well both singular and plural and has been no problem. I have no idea what you mean with foreigners putting more meaning into pronouns. While i'm not a native speaker, I've seen the most discussion about it from native speakers (as far as i can tell)

Often all it requires to breach the status quo, to make…

This, so much. I wouldn't tell strangers on the internet that I'm depressed or whatever (that is pretty personal) but having to hide the fact that I'm a woman? Seriously? Are we supposed to treat that as some kind of deeeeeep secret? (It doesn't help with the whole "all gamers are young straight men" stereotype,…

That's the advice i got to deal with bullies at school. Turns out they only got worse, because yes they want you to show that they affect you, which means that they'll just go to more and more extreme measures to get that response.

Letting yourself be oppressed in silence in the hope that they'll leave you alone is not…

But I refuse to accept a system where I have to hide on a very basic level who I am (and not ever use the mic) because the fact that I'm female gives people enough reason to harass me. And the problem is that if we keep accepting that status quo and don't challenge it, nothing is ever going to change.