{small update: taking feedback into consideration, I've reformatted this rant into at least x2 more paragraphs with double-spacing, so as not to be too intimidating for those incapable of reading more than a few sentences at a time. You're welcome!}


Over the years, I've begrudgingly come to terms with the truth that vast swaths of humanity are weak-minded, insecure fragile snowflakes.


That it scares them on a deeply personal visceral level, whenever they come across anything or anyone that is different from whatever's considered socio-culturally 'acceptable' or 'normal' to them, even to the point that they dedicate time and energy to harassing (or even worse) people trying to mind their own business, and live their own lives.


This sort of nonsense has, unsurprisingly, been a key element to slowing down or even halting the advance of humanity's capabilities and knowledge as a whole. While I do strongly disagree with giving in to such petty fears and imposing one's beliefs on others, I can at least understand the shallow tribal instincts driving them.


However, it still to this day boggles my mind how this sort of fearful, controlling mindset has any business whatsoever being applied to FICTIONAL STORIES... including many games, especially as the medium has grown more capable of telling stories.


A major aspect of most fiction and story-telling is to explore people, places and ideas that are either impossible for anyone to have experienced in reality, or otherwise not universally shared. Tales of other planets, alternate dimensions and histories. Tales of alien cultures, mindsets and ethics.


Even the most realistically written story is not going to be relatable to everyone who reads it, because that's not possible either. Now, it's one thing dislike or disagree with the concept or portrayal of something in a game's story, especially if it's something considered near-universally bad, or even if one's reasons are entirely stupid.


We're all entitled to our own opinions. But it's on a whole other level of audacity, to constantly bombard a game's forums and social media spaces with shrieking condemnations of whatever-it-is that's got them in such a tizzy, as though their stance is meaningful... even to the point of DEMANDING that the devs change or remove key aspects of their characters or world-building.


And for what? To satisfy their vision of a 'perfect world'? A world that can never come to pass in a video game, or any work of fiction, because it's NOT OUR WORLD?


I just don't get it. I grew up thinking 'wow, video games are so cool, they let your imagination run wild, let you think about and explore things you'll never get to in real life'. You can be or do literally anything within the confines of gaming nowadays. This should be a way to enjoy fantasies and possibilities.


So why then, are so very many gamers so weak-minded & insecure? Why have they turned out to be among the easiest suckers to manipulate and drag into culture war nonsense that lines the pockets of the rich and distracts the masses from their pillaging of our resources?


I'm not saying gamers should all be super open-minded enlightened hippies, but it's just stunning to me that they can care about and put so much energy into meaningless crap like this.


What exactly are they accomplishing, if a dev gives in and changes whatever's upsetting them on a personal level, something that's not even a matter of gameplay fixing or bug patching?


Nothing whatsoever, except I guess more self-delusion that they're making the world 'a better place', even though all they've changed is, you know, a completly fictional world that doesn't even exist.


It's just really disappointing to me, how a medium that allows such vigorous exploration of the imagination, is so bombarded and weighed down with the wailings of frightened children (in mind, if not body) who truly think that imposing their ideals of what they THINK is socially / culturally 'acceptable' on EVERY aspect of life, even the 'non-life' of FICTIONAL WORLDS... is somehow an acceptable use of their time and energy.


Such gamers come across less as free-thinking individuals, and more like shallow sheep cultists who dare not stray from their herd. You know what this sort of nonsense is? Unacceptable weakness of spirit and character.


It's amusing really, how games have gotten so advanced to the point they can portray complex multi-faceted characters, with so much depth and nuance, rivaling the greatest of classic books even... while so many of the actual gamers try their very best to portray themselves as shallow one-dimensional cartoonish imbeciles and suckers who serve masters who don't give a damn about or even seek to destroy their lives.


They should realize that fighting against fiction is foolish.