The JimFear138 Podcast Ep.84 - Guns, Censorship, & Zucc The Cuck

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the podcast! This time I talk again about gun control, because our friends the Democrats have some plans up their sleeves that they think are clever but really aren't; I go over some censorship issues and historical revisionism in the UK; and lastly I talk about Mark Zuckerberg getting in some serious shit with the UK government due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. So good times all around!

Hope y'all enjoy!

MP3 Download of this episode: https://ia800408.us.archive.org/25/items/jimfear_audio_productions/ep84.mp3

Rocks to Defend Against School Shooters: https://archive.fo/LV7G2

Repeal The Second Amendment: https://archive.fo/XoHk6#selection-2207.0-2215.354

Beyond Guns: Democrats Introduce Bullet Control Bill: https://archive.fo/0P6U6

One in five Americans wants the Second Amendment to be repealed, national survey finds: https://archive.fo/uD5ne

Microsoft To Ban "Offensive Language" & Monitor Your Private Acct: https://archive.fo/H3yIH

UK Govt: University Free Speech Under Threat from ‘Red Tape’, Masked Protestors, ‘Safe Spaces’: https://archive.fo/DJjo7

We Don't Forgive Toon Kritic 3: Creepy, Lost, & Fear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FAyFR9OLzM

GCSE pupils to be taught that the nation's earliest inhabitants were Africans who were in Britain before the English: https://archive.fo/Xsb1V

Danish minister tells migrants: Learn the language or YOU pay for an interpreter: https://archive.fo/pgw22

37 State Attorneys General Demand Answers From Zuckerberg In Data Harvesting Scandal: https://archive.fo/jS3ys

Facebook thinks it knows whether you're liberal or conservative: Here's how to find out: https://archive.fo/1CT3T

Zuckerberg shocks British MPs by declining to testify on Cambridge Analytica: https://archive.fo/QGspq


Social Media Dump:

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Opening Music:
Honey Bee by Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100755
Honey Bee Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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The JimFear138 Podcast Ep.83 - Poetry, Dumb Dems, & #CountDankulaTrial

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the podcast! This time I talk about how poetry just doesn't click for me and ask for help with that, go over the Democrats' new tax hike plan and soapbox about the benefits of capitalism, and cover the free speech crisis that is The Trial of Count Dankula! Hope y'all enjoy!

MP3 download of this episode

My Poetry Post: http://jimfear138.blogspot.com/2018/03/poetry-hit-me-with-your-best-shot.html

The Only Writing Advice You'll Ever Need by Christopher Warren: https://steemit.com/writing/@dimensionbucket/the-only-writing-advice-you-ll-ever-need

The Reality of South African Farm Murders by Lauren Southern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCLJRVbaMyQ

Democrats Release Tax Hike Plan: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanellis/2018/03/09/democrats-release-tax-hike-plan/#29a6a9fa7b9e

Yaron Brook - The Morality of Capitalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJuA3zN2Tzw

RPG Pundit Interviews Rob Kuntz (pt.1 of 3): http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/2018/03/rpgpundit-interviews-rob-kuntz-part-1.html

Where I'm Learing to Art: http://www.thedrawingwebsite.com/

Count Dankula on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7SeFWZYFmsm1tqWxfuOTPQ

M8 Yer Dug's A Nazi by Count Dankula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD_QlnY8Ggg

Free Speech Row As Scots Nazi Dog Filmmaker Found Guilty of Being Grossly Offensive: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/16099568.Free_speech_row_as_Scots__Nazi_dog__film_maker_found_guilty_of__being_grossly_offensive_online/

Man Guilty of Hate Crime for filming pug's "Nazi Salutes": https://archive.fo/BKpyk

Amy Schumer, Comedy, And Memeology: Why The Right Is Funny by Aydin Paladin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9slPOi6CZg

Nazi Germany Pursued "Hitler Salute" Finnish Dog: https://archive.fo/R1R8z

That New Statesman Bullshit: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2018/03/no-ricky-gervais-defending-offensive-shitposters-isn-t-matter-free-speech

Bullying Our Internet Friends Is Bad For Business by Aydin Paladin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhRVg5X6Dc

Section 127 of the 2003 UK Communications Act: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/section/127

Waifuism and You: An Educational Film by J.T. Sexkik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YtwPPsBKGQ

EDL founder Tommy Robinson filmed punching 'migrant' in the face before claiming it was 'act of self-defence': https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/edl-founder-tommy-robinson-filmed-12173898

Racist White People Jokes: http://www.totallyduh.com/racist-white-jokes.html



Social Media Dump:

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Opening Music:
Honey Bee by Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100755
Honey Bee Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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The JimFear138 Podcast Ep.81 - More Memos, YouTube Purge, & VN Wars

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the podcast! This time I go over the Democrat Memo and the Grassley Memo, talk about the YouTube Purge currently going down, and weeb out about the weird juxtaposition between the visual novels Doki Doki Literature Club and Katawa Shoujo. 

Hope y'all enjoy!

MP3 Download of this episode:  https://ia600408.us.archive.org/25/items/jimfear_audio_productions/ep81.mp3

Democrat Memo: https://www.scribd.com/document/372309313/Democrat-Memo

Powerline Article on Grassley Memo: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/02/enter-the-grassley-memo.php

Grassley Memo: https://www.scribd.com/document/370817276/Grassley-Memo#fullscreen&from_embed

18 U.S. Code § 1001: 
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1001

YouTube Purge from Dangerous: https://www.dangerous.com/41968/youtube-suspends-warski-live-host-internet-bloodsports/

YouTube Purge from Breitbart: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/03/01/the-purge-youtube-mass-censors-conservatives-new-right-classical-liberals/

Alex Jones Carving a Pumpkin & Talking About Police Conspiracies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbRJt6iKCc8

Sen. Ted Cruz Goes At The Asses Of Social Media Representatives: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4716297/sen-ted-cruz-questions-big-tech&editTime=1519759988

Doki Doki Literature Club: http://ddlc.moe/


Katawa Shoujo: http://www.katawa-shoujo.com


Social Media Dump:

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Opening Music:
Honey Bee by Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100755
Honey Bee Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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The Media Are Our Enemies

[EDIT]: I've been informed that dropping links to some of this bullshit would be helpful. Here's the memo on Vox. Here's the archive of the Vox article. Coverage of US media outlets giving favorable coverage to the despotic, criminal, human rights violating regime in North Korea.

If you've been paying attention to the news cycle lately, one thing should be abundantly clear to you, and that one thing is that these people are self-evidently the enemies of the American people. And I'm not repeating some Trump talking point, anyone who's actually been looking, listening, and reading can tell you this. After the Nunes Memo debacle and the absolute shitfit that has been the Winter Olympics coverage of North Korea, anyone who still trusts these organizations is not paying attention, or is being willfully ignorant. 

So what precisely happened with the Memo? Well, if you either watch corporate media (God help you), or watch a media commentator like Hard Bastard at the Hard News Network, and have actually read the memo yourself, you will know that the corporate media systematically and without exception lied their asses off about the contents. If you want to know about the actual contents of the memo, you can google it and read it (it's only four pages long), or you can check out my last podcast wherein I read the entire thing with commentary, and also provide a link to Hard Bastard's coverage of the memo wherein he does the same. The reason I read the memo out in my podcast is that HB is literally the only person I'd seen do so, and I wanted to inform people about what the contents actually were. 

He also covered Memo Day quite extensively, and read articles and commented on videos from all kinds of media organizations, from David Pakman, to The Young Turks, to CNN, to MSNBC, and others. Not a single one of these read the actual memo live on air to inform their viewers of what was in it. They interpreted the memo for their viewers, and I imagine desperately prayed to their heathen gods that nobody in their audiences would develop a brain and go find the thing themselves.

There were, coincidentally, only two interpretations. On the one hand, this was a nothingburger, it was blown way out of proportion, it didn't prove anything, and was a big waste of everyone's time. On the other hand, this was an apocalyptic level event that absolutely required violent revolution to overthrow this tyrannical dictatorship that is undermining our trust in beloved law enforcement organizations like the DOJ and FBI. Now both of these can't be true at once, and it looks like some wires got crossed between the handlers at the top and the toadies on your screen. So which is the truth?

Neither.

They are both lies. Bullshit media spin to misdirect the American people and either keep people complacent and stupid with their "Dems & Hillary dindu nuffin!" narrative, or to actually inspire violent revolution in the dumber parts of the American populace. I'm not sure where they expected this to go, but I don't think it went where they were planning. Either way, we can say with total confidence that anybody who told you either of these things are liars and should not be trusted. At this point, if these people tell you the sky is blue and clouds are white you should probably get up and have a look out the window to see for yourself. 

What the memo contained in actuality was information regarding a FISA warrant issued for Carter Page, former Trump campaign employee. In order to get this warrant to spy on Mr. Page, the FBI and the DOJ conspired with the Clinton campaign and the DNC to use false information created from whole cloth by Christopher Steele for his infamous and discredited dossier, as well as a Yahoo news article based on information that Steel himself leaked to the press, to lie to a FISA court judge! It also mentions that Steele was fired from the FBI because he was talking to Mother Jones and Yahoo news and revealed his association with the FBI, which they view as a serious breach of security. But don't take my word for it, go read it yourself. All the links necessary are in that link above to the last episode of my podcast. 

This is why it's so important to stay abreast of what's going on in American politics, especially if you're a citizen of this country. These people, who are supposed to be trusted to deliver information clear of bias to the American people, have blatantly, flat-out fucking lied to everyone, and did it with a smile on their faces as they collected their paychecks. It has become clear from this alone that none of these people can be trusted to read a fucking thermostat, let alone deliver proper news coverage to the average citizen.

"Journalist" has become synonymous with "Professional Liar" at this point.

And what of the Winter Olympics?

Well I can tell you right now that I don't give a flaming fuck in space about the games themselves. I don't watch any Olympic coverage, because I'm not interested in sports and don't care who won the gold medal in competitive underwater basket weaving. What I do care about, however, is the way the American media covered the country that the games are being held in this year.

Because North Korea drew the lucky straw this time, and the US corporate media outlets have been tripping the fuck over each other to praise a genocidal, monstrous, utterly evil regime that regularly tortures its own citizens to death.

This is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen the US media do. They praised the cheerleaders, who are literal slaves that will be imprisoned and have god only knows what done to them if they perform badly. They praised Kim Jong Un's sister, almost as bad a tyrant as the fat tub of shit himself, who orchestrates tortures and the slaughter of innocents. There are so many examples of behavior like this that I would be here all day if I tried to list them all. Merely go and check the twitter feeds of these media outlets and you can see instance after instance of US media praising a Communist dictatorship that currently, while these games are going on, is running torture camps where they execute pregnant women by cutting the babies from their stomachs while the women are tied to trees. 

The media had a perfect chance to show us, the voters, the American people, that they weren't our enemy. That they condemn the monstrous human rights violations committed daily by the Kim regime, that they do not support Communist dictatorships and are, in fact, on the side of the average person with more than two brain cells to rub together.

And they completely squandered it.

Not only did they squander it, they did the exact opposite of what they should be doing. Rather than condemn this evil regime, they tried to turn the dictator's sister, a vile monster in her own right, into a "yass kween sley" diva. This kind of behavior is unconscionable, and reveals the true purpose and attitude of the media.

Think about it. What do they do all day?

They castigate Donald Trump and all his plans, policies, and appointments, despite the fact that his policies are making America better. Lower immigration, forced integration of those already here, and lowered regulation on businesses alongside lower taxes has brought jobs back to this country and boosted the economy. Say what you like about the man, he seems to be trying to do what he said he'd do, and that's Make America Great Again. He hasn't taken a single right away from women, the LGBT, Muslims, non-whites, or anybody else these people spent two years claiming that he'd immediately throw into concentration camps on Inauguration Day. And what's more, he's said publicly several times that he doesn't intend to.

And when it comes to a country that is being run into the ground by a regime that I don't even have words to describe the horror of, what do they do? They paint it in the most positive, glowing light possible! A Communist dictatorship where they imprison people for less than nothing, as well as imprison their family members for three generations for the infraction of one, feed people alive to rats, cut the babies from pregnant women's bellies, use rape as a punishment, have actual concentration, work, and death camps, and force so much propaganda on their remaining people that they are convinced that "Dear Leader" is actually some kind of deity. This they glorify, while someone who seems to be trying to make his own country better gets nothing but vitriol and lies spread about him.

It has become monumentally clear that the US media are our enemies. They've turned into propaganda outlets for North Korea, for fuck's sake. If that doesn't make them traitors in deed and intent if not legally, I don't know what will. If you actually trust the mainstream US media after these two incidents, I don't know what to tell you. Go see a neurologist, and have them take a look at your brain, because you might be missing your frontal lobe. These people are self-evidently the enemies of every American, and this is not an attack on our democracy, or our Constitution, or anything else to say that. 

If someone acts like your enemy, treat them like an enemy. Trust nothing they say, suspect everything they do, take nothing on faith, verify whatever they tell you, because if they've lied to you once (and they have, many times) they'll lie to you again. I would go so far as to say that this behavior is demonstrably evil, and there is no excuse they could make that would make it okay to cover up what's in that memo, and praise North Korea. Not a single thing will ever make that okay, or right, or good. 

So the next time you see a report from a mainstream media organization, or someone paid by a mainstream media organization, or someone who wants to be a mainstream media organization, don't trust a fucking word of it until you've verified it for yourself.

They are very likely lying to you.

That seems to be a thread with Communists, doesn't it? 

The JimFear138 Podcast Ep. 79 - #TheMemo, Evil Dead Elon, & Dark Souls

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the podcast! This time I go over the Nunes memo in detail so that everyone who listens to this show knows what's up with this thing, talk a little about Elon Musk's short foray into flamethrower vending along with a discussion about zombies more generally, and the last third or so of the show is taken up by gushing about Dark Souls, as I've recently started playing it again and remembered how much I love that game. 

Hope you guys enjoy!

MP3 Download of this episode: 
https://ia800408.us.archive.org/25/items/jimfear_audio_productions/ep79.mp3


Danny Jansen & The Sparkle Crew: https://steemit.com/animation/@dimensionbucket/danny-janson-and-the-sparkle-crew-upcoming-animated-pilot

Vox Article With Memo: https://www.vox.com/2018/2/2/16957588/nunes-memo-released-full-text-read-pdf-declassified

archive: https://archive.fo/ZNHbU

Hard Bastard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmqiv_DNFYFkn8fvvJujmA

Hard News Network: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCCRBTUNZy2EWEh2vkSafOg

A Detailed Breakdown Of The Memo by Hard Bastard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNkVq54JWY

Mr. X on twitter: https://twitter.com/GlomarNeverDies

Mr. X on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@glomarresponder

Musk Flamethrowers: http://theweek.com/articles/751834/brilliant-business-strategy-behind-elon-musks-flamethrowers


Making Peace by Adam Smith: 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795643YN/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jimfear138-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0795643YN&linkId=419749b23e9b2eb70d2dc2fe19a7e26e



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Opening Music: Danny Jansen & The Sparkle Crew Theme by Christopher Warren & Conner Goff. Used with permission. 

The JimFear138 Podcast Ep. 74 - EA, Trump Sips, & Contraceptives

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the podcast! Sorry this one is a bit late, my brother wanted me to watch some Marvel show with him and I don't get to chill with him often. This time I go over the Star Wars Battlefront 2 shitstorm, give a couple better game recommendations, and talk about some fucking ridiculous news like Trump drinking water, Twitter removing verification badges, and state lawsuits against contraception. It's a long one, so grab a drink, turn on your favorite RTS, and strap in for the haul!

Don't forget to sign up for the PulpRev.com newsletter, guys! 


[SPONSOR] PulpRev Sampler on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PulpRev-Sampler-Anthology-2017-Mollison-ebook/dp/B076WH49CS?pd_rd_wg=Irstl&pd_rd_r=6bb3f3f0-4094-4afd-9729-1a2504cc7632&pd_rd_w=Qj2jN&ref_=newr&pf_rd_r=33BJGZ78XCJA11ZP7243&pf_rd_p=16b35636-6c7d-51f6-83b5-988d33d81888

MP3 Download of this episode: https://ia600408.us.archive.org/25/items/jimfear_audio_productions/ep74.mp3

Unlocking Everything in Star Wars Battlefront II Reportedly takes 4,500 hours or $2100: http://nichegamer.com/2017/11/15/unlocking-everything-star-wars-battlefront-ii-reportedly-takes-4500-hours-2100/

EA Exec Responds to Battlefront 2 Microtransaction Controversy: https://archive.fo/TYNqf

Star Wars Battlefront 2, Overwatch Being Investigated for Unlicensed Gambling: https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2017/11/star-wars-battlefront-2-overwatch-investigated-unlicensed-gambling/44284/

GayFraggs Youtube screencap from Cusman: https://twitter.com/GayFraggs/status/931263043220201472/photo/1

SidAlpha's Dirty Devs: Star Wars Battlefront 2 EA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THt3ODESeew&t=626s

Sidalpha's The Star Wars Battlefront 2 EA Refund Controversy and Cooldown Timers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzBsZqvHiU

SidAlpha's Star Wars Battlefront 2 EA Reddit AMA and Gambling Investigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30acpxuaiIU&t=620s

SidAlpha's EA and DICE Surrender (for now) to community outrage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xm_kq8Sxzs

Where's Our Star Wars Battlefront II Review?: https://archive.fo/fgIxj

Electronic Arts says Loot boxes aren't gambling: https://archive.fo/4eDBG

Dutch Gaming Authority investigates 'loot boxes' in games: https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://www.nu.nl/games/5009924/nederlandse-kansspelautoriteit-onderzoekt-lootboxen-in-games.html

The Curious Case of the 'EA Game Dev' Who Said he received death threats: https://archive.fo/saFti

NicheGamer's removal of online currency in Battlefront 2: https://twitter.com/nichegamer/status/931325974016278528

EAStarWars twitter statement from DICE General Manager: https://archive.fo/5fw9h

EA official statement full: https://archive.fo/s2JFp

Deus Ex on GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/deus_ex

Thief Gold on GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/thief_gold

By me at Pulprev.com: The Big Difference Between Us and Them: http://www.pulprev.com/2017/07/the-big-difference-between-us-and-them.html

Trump Drinks Water: https://archive.fo/SvHQK

The Virgin Sip vs The Chad Quench: https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/931110766828244992

Loot Boxes are Skinner Boxes: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOtIrOVW4AAiGyp.jpg:large

Twitter says it will remove verification badges from accounts that violate its rules: https://archive.fo/t0Nmw

State Lawsuits against contraception mandate acceptions would gut religious liberty: http://thefederalist.com/2017/11/14/state-lawsuits-contraception-mandate-exceptions-gut-religious-liberty/

Social Media Dump:

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Opening Music:

Honey Bee by Kevin Macleod: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100755

Honey Bee Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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The JimFear138 Podcast Ep.69 - Cuphead, Useless Politicians, & SFF Conspiracies

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the podcast! This time I go on for an obscene amount of time about game journalists and Cuphead (which is a really good game you should go buy, link below), talk a bit about how the right wing can reframe their narrative to appear more compassionate, and share an article by Benjamin Cheah (Castalia author & guy currently trying to make short fiction great again) about the whisper campaign trying to destroy the career of your friend and mine, Jon Del Arroz. Hope y'all enjoy!

War Demons Review: http://jimfear138.blogspot.com/2017/10/war-demons-best-urban-fantasy-since-jim.html

War Demons on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/War-Demons-Fantasy-Thriller-Prodigal-ebook/dp/B075NZDP8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507271780&sr=8-1&keywords=war+demons

Appabend PEAC SUCC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqCkB-kNbx0

Polygon When Is Exclusion A Valid Design Choice: https://archive.is/BfGng

Polygon Cuphead Review: https://archive.fo/MWOxq

The Whisper Campaign Against Jon Del Arroz by Ben Cheah: https://steemit.com/journalism/@cheah/the-whisper-campaign-against-jon-del-arroz

Ben Cheah on Steemit: https://steemit.com/@cheah

Cuphead on GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/cuphead

Primordia on GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/primordia

Jon Del Arroz Books:

Star Realms Rescue Run: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Realms-Jon-Del-Arroz-ebook/dp/B01MDTNR8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507499843&sr=8-1&keywords=star+realms+rescue+run

For Steam And Country: https://www.amazon.com/Steam-Country-Adventures-Baron-Monocle-ebook/dp/B071JNR9HB/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1507499862&sr=1-1&keywords=for+steam+and+country

The Gravity of the Game: https://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Game-Jon-Del-Arroz-ebook/dp/B0763KN3R7/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1507499880&sr=1-1&keywords=gravity+of+the+game



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Game Journos Don't Understand Video Games

There's been a lot of hoopla on twitter recently about this recent Rock Paper Shotgun article (archive link here) about how games should let people skip combat and boss fights, because the writer doesn't like them. Now there are numerous problems with this article, not the least of which is the tone of smug superiority that permeates every single sentence. But, and you may want to sit down for this, I'm of two minds on this. Before you pull out your torches and pitchforks, hear me out. I'm firmly on the side of, "Git gud, you fucking pussy." However, I can see the guy's point. I read the whole thing, and you should too before reading my response. Use the archive link, don't give these idiots anymore clicks. I gave them at least two finding the article, and even having my ad blocker up thanks to the Brave browser, that's far too many for this dreck. 

So, what's his main contention? Well, it's mostly that he doesn't like boss fights, so he should be allowed to skip them. This actually doesn't seem to be an egregious request. The way he phrases it is completely out of bounds, and the smug aura of self-congratulation in this post is beyond disgusting. However, skipping boss fights and combat doesn't seem too bad to me. Honestly, I have a couple of games that I keep installed on my computer because I can get absolutely blitzed out of my head (read: so drunk I have trouble seeing straight) and still play the game and have a good time. Viscera: Cleanup Detail is a good example, and the vast majority of the time I've spent in that game was spent so drunk I could barely see or so hungover I can't think beyond simple tasks like "clean this room". 

So I understand where dude is coming from. However, I also subscribe to the idea that video games are not books, movies, or tv shows, and should not be treated as such. To my understanding game design and development is fiendishly difficult, and adding this mode into the game is not as simple as people believe it to be. And above and beyond the extra strain on the developers, video games should not be treated like other media, because they're not like other media. 

Video games are a diverse entertainment media. There are games like Dark Souls (that really isn't as hard as people make it out to be) which focus on combat and storyline, and the gameplay is tight as shit. There are games like Primordia, that are more focused on puzzle solving and point-and-click adventures. There are games like Red Faction, that are straight-up first person shooters. There are platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon. There are stealth games like Thief and Styx: Master of Shadows. There are RPG's like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and The Elder Scrolls. There are JRPG's like the Final Fantasy series. There are strategy games like Stronghold Crusader, Civilization, and Endless Legend. There are visual novels like Katawa Shoujo and the Sakura series. There is a near endless range of genres of games to choose from, and many that mix genres and do it very well.

With the exception of visual novels (which I honestly don't have much experience with), most of these game genres expect a basic level of competency from the player. It's not quite so bad as in the old days of the NES, SNES, and consoles like them, whose games were built on the arcade model which was specifically designed to get kids to cough up quarters into machines at arcades, rather than be easily beatable. But even the games on those consoles taught me valuable lessons about overcoming challenges and the inherent worth in working for something.

I grew up with a NES, upgraded to a SNES, and then got a PSX. I'm very familiar with the difficulty level of games like Contra, Kung Fu, Ninja Gaiden, and other classics of the NES catalogue. Some of these games were so difficult that I couldn't beat them. I never did beat the original Super Mario Bros. I got to the level where you have to work out the top, middle, bottom sequence and couldn't work it out as a kid. But I did get to Wiley's Fortress on Mega Man X as a kid, and just getting that far in the game made me feel very good. Like I'd actually accomplished something. 

That feeling of working for something, applying the lessons the game had taught me, using my skill and knowledge and luck to get past the boss is a part of what gaming is about. It's not a hobby for everyone. What this writer at RPS is asking for is the ability to put the disk into their machine and watch a long play. Before Let's Plays, there were long plays, where someone would play a game, record it, and put the video up on YouTube with zero commentary or facecam. People still do these, and the footage is very useful for people who want to see a game before they buy it, or don't want to play the game but want to see the story. 

Games are meant to be challenging on a certain level. That's why walking simulators get deservedly panned by gamers. They're barely games, they require minimal input from the person playing the game, and they're primarily story driven. They're essentially first-person visual novels. There's no inherent challenge, they're easily beatable by someone with no functional knowledge of video games, and they have a very low satisfaction level for completing the game. This is why I avoid visual novels. I've played a couple, and they're just not interesting or entertaining. That's not to say the story isn't interesting, but the progression of the game happens something like this:

Click through dialogue for a few minutes
Battle happens off-screen
Click through dialogue for a few minutes
Make a choice in dialogue options
Click through dialogue for a few minutes
Make another dialogue choice
Click through more dialogue

And so on. It's not entertaining to play, because there's no actual "play" happening. I'm just clicking the mouse and reading. I could go to my kindle and get the exact same experience. Albeit with fewer sexy pictures. Apart from the "visual" part of a visual novel, there's fundamentally no difference between playing one of those types of game and reading a book on my kindle. When I play a video game, I don't want to just click through dialogue and not watch while all the action happens off-screen.

What this game journo is asking is for all games to have a "visual novel mode". This I find fundamentally abhorrent because I value learning and struggling to achieve, and the final achievement I get after the struggle is a basic part of why I love video games so much. Playing through Thief, I loved the tension and challenge in getting around the guards and figuring out what I have to do to progress in the game. The challenge is rewarding because I was able to work it out and progress. I was the equal of the challenge, and that brings a sense of accomplishment that other entertainment media doesn't bring and at base level isn't designed to bring. 

Movies are passive. Books are passive. TV shows are passive. You are not taking active part in the goings on of the story. Video games are fundamentally an active entertainment storytelling medium. The player is part of the story. Even if the player is railroaded by the story, they are participating. They affect the outcome via their choices. 

Dark Souls is a good example here. In Dark Souls, there is the legend of the Chosen Undead that may or may not be the player. Over the course of the game you go through a journey that makes you the Chosen Undead. You were not actually Chosen, you just happened to be there and have the determination to complete all the challenges and earn the right to decide the fate of the world. You became the Chosen Undead by right of trial by combat, and through your choices along the course of the game. The only way you can not become the Chosen Undead in Dark Souls (and thereby "lose" the game) is to stop playing. 

Much the same, in other video games you need to show a competent level of skill to progress. This is intrinsic to the medium. It is not the same as books, movies, or tv shows. All gamers have a game that we love above most others, but there's THAT ONE PART that drives us fucking crazy. But we play through it because getting through that infuriating section of the game not only allows us to experience the rest of the story, but gives us the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a difficult task thanks to our own ability, pluck, and ingenuity. 

While I'm not against a "tourist mode" in video games, it does undermine the medium because video games are not meant to just give you anything. You're supposed to earn it. It's an interactive storytelling medium. It has been since shortly after the very beginning. Even with games like Pong there's no "Press X To Win" mechanic, and there shouldn't be. You win Pong by being good at the game, and giving Pong a "Press X To Win" mechanic would cheapen the experience. Not just for me, but for anyone who plays the game.

This is one of this person's breakdowns. That the people complaining about the "tourist mode" would somehow be negatively affected by the inclusion of this mode and other people using it. That's not the case with me.

I think the people using it will be negatively affected by it. 

It matters not one whit to me if I decide to buy AssCreed Origins, play it through properly, enjoy it, and someone else decides to use the tourism mode. If it's in the game, it's the player's decision to use it. But the player who uses the option will not get the sense of achievement that people like me receive from playing the game properly. They're just watching the game at that point.

And, really, you can find a long play, or a let's play, that will do the exact same thing for you. You can get the entire story in the same amount of time, and it will require no effort on your part apart from finding the video on YouTube. So why not just do that? Why request that every developer in the foreseeable future include this mode in their games? Which, I remind you, will require more development time and effort on the part of the developers. 

This approach to game design also inherently undermines the entire point of excellent games like Undertale. I bought it, and genuinely enjoyed it, but I stopped playing because the bullet hell approach to the battles annoyed the shit out of me. I'm not a fan of bullet hell games, so I quit playing. And because of that I didn't get to see the rest of the game. This game is designed around player input. Your choices matter on such an intrinsic level in this game that almost no two people's playthroughs will be exactly alike. Adding a "tourist mode" to the game would undermine everything about the way the game's storyline is supposed to develop based on player choice. 

My theory is this game journalist, and by extension most people calling for a "tourist mode" in video games, has (have) never had to work for things in their life. They've had things given to them. 

They're entitled. 

They think they're entitled to see the rest of the story of the game, despite the fact that they haven't absorbed the proper information or developed the proper skills to progress, or actually tried to beat it. They want it given to them, and this is the heart of the breakdown between game journos like this person and gamers. Gamers have spent their lifetimes earning their achievements, be those achievements simply beating an NES game, or the more modern, conventionally understood meaning of "achievements" on Steam or various other gaming platforms. 

This mindset is inherently alien to me. I like earning what I have, be it the money I make off of the books I write (or help write), the audiobooks I produce, or the simple pleasure of beating a video game I like. I don't understand how people can find satisfaction in having everything given to them. Even with movies, books, and tv shows, you have to watch through the "boring parts" to get to the fun bits. There's no skill involved, but you have to invest the time, at the very least. Even people who like the sports games that EA pumps out every year like to play the games. Otherwise they'd just go watch football, or soccer, or whatever.

This article serves to underline the divide between the games press and the gamers, the people who support the hobby and keep it on its feet. Video games are built upon (sometimes) hard work and achieving through struggle, persevering through adversity, winning through impossible odds to the final goal. Be that adversity puzzles, hordes of enemies, boss fights, what have you.

I get the feeling that game journos just do not understand this, because they are not gamers. They have not been playing games since they were young, they have no understanding of the roots of the medium, and they do not enjoy video games. They are journalism majors who got into games journalism because they thought it would be easy, because really who cares about the biggest entertainment industry on the face of the earth? They do not understand the hobby, and therefore they do not understand the backlash they get when they print horrifyingly smug articles like this. 

All I can say to them is: Go play something more your speed. Play visual novels, or walking simulators, or point-and-click adventure games (although p&c adventure games do have puzzles, and that might tax your brain a bit and force you to actually work for something, so they may throw you off a bit). But there are games out there to cater to your non-play style of...playing games. Go play those, and stop pretending you represent a serious segment of the hobby, because you don't.

Most of us enjoy a challenge.

Where the fuck do you think Gamergate came from?