Meme Space Nine

Let's start with why exactly spoilers matter for this game. I am someone who normally doesn't care too much about getting spoiled and can even build anticipation and interest from hearing story spoilers, but there are a couple of areas where I think spoilers definitely matter even for me: Exploration and Mystery.

Outer Wilds is an open world mystery platformer that not only focuses heavily on exploration and mystery, it is easily in the top tier of games I have played for both elements. The system you explore in the game is immaculately crafted and dense, and it quickly introduces several enigmatic things for you to pursue with layered clues that have you venturing around very unique places so you can discover both clues to how to find other clues and also piece together the greater story.

And, notably, the game does not gate your progress by making you accumulate objects or reward progression with items. The one currency you accumulate as you play is knowledge. You have every tool you will ever need from the moment you complete the "tutorial", but there is a lot of information you don't yet have that will be necessary to progress.

(But something else that's pretty cool is that the game is truly open. You can explore any planet or space structure you wish as soon as you launch for the first time, so you can discover clues out of order or even solve certain puzzles without finding the clues for them by getting lucky, experimenting for a while, or being particularly observant).

This is why going in blind matters here. Spoilers for Outer Wilds don't merely ruin a surprise twist, they change how you experience the game on a very fundamental level and somewhat play it for you. This is also why that first playthrough is so different from any subsequent ones, to a much greater degree than with most other games.

The game's objectives are all tied to your own curiosity. You notice strange or interesting things, you feel curious about what is going on with them, you investigate, and your curiosity is both rewarded and expanded. It's pure joy for the part of you that loves to explore and discover.

Really good comparison. Information does more than just recontextualize the events of the game, it is your progression.

Knowledge is why you play. Your reward for exploring is knowledge. The tool you use to overcome most obstacles is knowledge. The one thing you have that grows or improves as you play is your knowledge (and I guess your muscle memory and skill at flying?)

Sampling rights becoming prohibitively expensive to use by small artists

Musicians being forced to sign over sampling rights to their record company, making any benefits they would hypothetically gain moot.

The Digital Milennium Copyright Act leading to the vidmaker-stomping nightmare that is ContentID

The DMCA leading to making it harder than ever to preserve media due to the way it prohibits tinkering with any locks the megacorps put on it, meaning it's way easier for artists' hard work to end up vaulted and lost.

The way basic chord progressions and musical styles have become copyrightable thanks to various lawsuits by the Marvin Gaye estate

The fact that the artists of the past used to be able to remix; adapt and iterate on art made within 56 years of them, likely created in their lifetimes, and now artists can only do those things with art produced nearly a century ago by people long dead.

New and independent artists being crowded out of the market by megacorp-owned IPs that would be public domain (and thusly convey less of an overwhelming advantage-via-marquee-value to megacorps) if the US had its pre-1976 copyright laws.

Times That Copyright Expansion Has Actually Materially Helped Artists On An Institutional Level:

[JERRY STARES AT GEORGE FROM ACROSS THE TABLE IN CONFUSION AND DISBELIEF FOR SEVERAL SECONDS]

JERRY: “You understand trans people?”

GEORGE: “Is that so hard to believe?”

JERRY: “I find it hard to believe you understand yourself.”

GEORGE: “But that’s kind of my point, see. When one life isn’t working out, you can just try to find one that does. You’re doing your best as Danny, things aren’t going great… [GEORGE CLAPS HIS HANDS FOR EMPHASIS]… give it a second go as a Deborah.”

JERRY: “Like a do-over.”

GEORGE: “A do-over.”

JERRY: [PICKS UP COFFEE CUP] “I don’t think that’s what’s going on.” [DRINKS COFFEE]

GEORGE: [COMPLETELY IGNORING THIS] “And I get that. I really do. Because things have never worked out for George. George has never been able to stick the landing. But Georgina? [HE CHUCKLES CONFIDENTLY] Georgina’s going places.”

JERRY: “Georgina.”

GEORGE: “It’s a work in progress.”

JERRY: “Ya know, I think that the trans community is facing enough challenges without you being in the mix.”

GEORGE: “What, are you implying they’re too good for me?”

how about a childrens day. how about we have a day where we acknowledge the fact that minors are treated like the property of their parents and lack rights. how about a day where we acknowledge they're an oppressed group too

> disables a new AI feature that was turned on by default

> opens my email

> disables a new AI feature that was turned on by default

> launches a software

They’re mad that women are attracted to men who aren’t strictly conforming to traditional masculenity. Because they’ve spent so much energy trying to preform masculinity for women (and other men), that seeing they didn’t have to the whole time is infuriating. But because they put in all that energy, they would rather double down by saying men in romance novels are “unrealistic” instead of self-reflecting.