What is life, but a series of never-ending fetch quests and poorly implemented morality systems?

The Witcher 3 for example is packed with some really intriguing “fetch quests” because the story that is structured around them is so compelling.

It’s pretty easy to criticize almost anything as a fetch quest. Personally, I listen to what the NPCs say in games and that interests me. If it happens to involve getting something, I don’t just call it a fetch quest and call it a day.

I’ve seen some other design in MMORPGs called “theme park design” as a criticism.…

takes advantage of her looks to gain viewers.

Don’t you mean, Is it safe to Return-al now?

Well, considering they’re not called “silt hoppers” or “silt jumpers”, but are called “silt striders”, I would venture to guess that they move by... striding.

You know I used to be afraid of bugs, spiders etc. Until one fateful night a few years ago. A poor large but apparently doomed wolf spider jumped on my pillow and I rolled over and crushed him.

Regardless of whether I do or do not play the game, this is an extremely well written article. I cannot appreciate more the fact that the author relates it to the shittiest time we’ve all had in the last 18 months. A very balanced, considered and emotionally charged article (for which I again commend).

Wow, this is such a lovely note! Thank you so much for the kind words.

I think it would also be safe to say that even with mid-game saving that can be wiped out upon continuing, this game would still be balls hard as intended.

I don’t think having tastes and staying informed or participating in the discourse constitutes snobbery. You can do all that without gatekeeping.

I used to be a gaming snob. It was the during time I was doing my damnedest to separate myself from ‘others’ back in my teen years and early twenties: I was a snob about everything. As with many of these things, it wasn’t so much a matter of my feeling like others weren’t good enough, but that I wasn’t good enough.…

It’s a double-edged sword. Sometimes using a bunch of relative unknowns gets you something like Disco Elysium or the original cast of Saturday Night Live.

And even when they “quote” MLK, BOY is it selective.

“We...must...love...our brotherhood and...have a dream!”

~MLK(...?)

He added that “we should be fostering unity to come together and heal—not division. The question is how?”

Horseshoe Theory - The idea that if you go far enough left or right on the political spectrum, the two sides touch and become indistinguishable.

Or, “I don’t see any of the positives or negatives related to race.”

Yeah, “don’t see race” was a reasonable response to widespread, individual, outspoken racism. But the problem is it does nothing to address structural racism - even if everyone “stopped seeing race” tomorrow, all the institutional racism would still be there.

I just love that pointing out the ways systemic racism and inequality have and continue to affect the lives of so many people (myself included) has been equated to fostering division.

Daddy Nier is better.