Yes By All Means Let's: A Response to Let's Play Sense Making Game

by Girbicfluzz 

I wish to refute each of Aaron Gover's arguements in his recent editorial entitled Let's Play Sense Making Game

1) As you stated in your first argument a game should be played for both gameplay and plot. However for many people (myself included) gameplay is merely a vehicle through which the plot is delivered. Granted if the the gameplay is horid then I will drop the game no matter how good the plot is. None the less it is the plot not the gameplay that drives me through a game. A spoiler can ruin a plot for a person thereby negating the reason they're playing the game.

2) In general I agree with your second argument. Certainly people should be wary about forums where a game they're playing may be disscued (and certainly they should not bother with forums specifly aobut that game) but in general game forums it's only polite to assume that someone out there hasn't payed the game yet and that they may be reading the forum. It's not too much work to call attention to a spoiler.

3) My take on your third arguement is that spoliers should never go "out of date". There are always people who have not yet played certain games. Not everyone purchases a game right at the release date. Many wait much longer. Granted "hard core" (I hate that term) fans will have a game imediately but many people will wait to hear if it's good or not. Besides which most people don't own every system in existance but they may pick up say, a genesis now that they can be gotten cheaply or heaven forbid they might borrow one from a friend. Now let's say they should manage to get a copy of Phantasy Star IV. I know that if I'd had <spolier iminent> Alys' death <spolier finished> ruined for me I'd have been quite upset. Even decade old games can be spoiled for someone who's playing them for the first time.

Bottom line is that there are people (such as myself) who greatly dislike having the plot of a game spoiled and as a polite service to those people plot spoilers should be marked. It takes very little effort to mark spoilers and even less to ignore the spoiler markings. If they offend your sensiblities then I'm sorry but would you prefer that people marked their spoiler warnings so you'd know when they're coming? </Sarcasm>

- Girbicfluzz
girbicfluzz@hotmail.com

Original Editorial : Let's Play Sense Making Game