Rebuttal to Stop Your Whining, or DiCaprio dies?!?

by Michael "Mushi mushi mishi!" Pitcher

*Mad spoilers, but for games that came out a year ago at most recent*

Mr./Mrs./The Rooster, why do you think that people play video games? Scripts, walkthroughs, and other informational sources abound throughout the Internet, making it quite easy for a person to learn all that they want about a game. Yet the video game companies have not yet converted entirely into writing books featuring video game characters. Let's find out why!

One of the key points of...oh...anything is first-person experience. Those playing video games have the opportunity to forge their own way through a game and discover events for themselves. Granted, you do say "Nothing is like playing the real game." True, but some elaboration is required. As frustrating as it is, there is extreme satisfaction in knowing that you can beat a game all by yourself. I recently decided that Final Fantasy 3J would be my first "non-cheat" RPG ever. Yes, ever. I need that feeling of going it alone. Even the original Final Fantasy had half the game in the instruction manual.

With brings up another point. It is NOT possible to completely distance oneself from "spoilers," as you call them, short of avoiding all human contact. One must deal with magazine ads, television commercials, web site announcements, our editorials, and other people who just happen to talk about the game. I do place blame on those who go into chat rooms and seem surprised when somebody yells out "Sheik (likely funky spelling) is Zelda!" (But those people should have some courtesy when doing that.) Chat rooms cannot be controlled. Oh, wait, neither can life. That means the only way to avoid unpleasant things in life is to never do anything. Ever. Just sit there. Hey! You breathed! Was that a bad breath? Can you be sure? *shudders*

Getting back to something that resembles a topic, you did know Jack died in Titanic before you saw the movie, right? And it didn't have any effect at all? Well, you're among the minority. Having that knowledge before actually seeing it on the big screen did, in fact, affect the emotions in the theater. Not necessarily in the sense that fewer people were sad (although that is true), but more so that the sheer surprise was not as present as it would have been. Imagine millions of people suddenly gasping as they see Sephiroth's sword plunge through Aeris' (Aerith's, now go away) body, not believing that Square would go to the extent of killing off a main character. Now imagine those same millions simply watching, maybe reading a book when it happens, some likely yawning, and try telling me that they're the same thing.

Now in some aspects, I agree with you. Guess what folks! Chrono Cross will have a MAIN CHARACTER! *gasps of astonishment and cries of "let's lynch him!"* Battles systems, currency, etc. have no effect on the enjoyment of the game. Final Fantasy could deal in geese for all I care, and that would not change the game. I have not yet many of these purists, who must exist because you say so, but I do believe that they should lock themselves in a dark room for a few years, until everything in development now comes out. And on a random note that might pertain to your second-to-last paragraph, how does knowing that Final Fantasy 2A's final boss is Zeromus make you want to buy it?

Um...rereading what I've written, I guess my point is that spoilers happen. Some are good. Some are bad. You give the idea that we should all go dance in a spoiler rainstorm, and that is wrong to a good number of folks. How about you get everybody to stop talking about video games, and I'll get people stop complaining about other talking about them? No? Okay then, stop complaining

-Michael "Mushi mushi mishi!" Pitcher