Why I Quit World of Warcraft
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I Quit World of Warcraft!
Goodbye 2010, and Good Riddance!
Well folks, another year passes through the revolving door of time further progressing the endless cycle of meaningless holidays and the day-to-day smoke and mirrors of general public interaction. We’ll begrudgingly meander through the new year as we did the this one, amped up at first at an artificial sense of optimism for what’s to come, as we did the year before, and the year before that. At what point do we stop trying to fool ourselves into believing that life will improve simply because we have incremented the year by one and instead actually take action to make things better regardless of what part of the year we happen to be in?
Well, here’s hoping that, despite the end of one calendar year makes way for a new one, we’ll all find the drive to improve our lives and not hope on the superstitions of numerical hocus pocus.
Do You Really Have A Voice?
People claim that the Internet has given everyone a voice; a place to express themselves in any way they want to. There is an inherent flaw with this philosophy though. The reason why throughout human history, up until now, only a select few were given a platform in which to express their views and ideals. Much like the yammering of a busy concert hall right before the lights go down, no one distinct person can be heard. I’m sure they’ll all claim they have something important to say, but the truth of the matter is that while that may be true, what they are saying is lost in a sea of droning.
This translates well to the atmosphere of the Internet. With billions and billions of websites and blogs (this one being no different), some may actually have something worthwhile to say, to express. However, despite it’s legitimacy it will be buried and forgotten within the mess. Quantity over quality devalues all ideas down to the lowest common denominator. What you have to say is no more important than the next person’s regardless of legitimacy or validity. So, does this mean that by being so plentiful with content that perhaps the Internet has no content at all? Perhaps by being so saturated with voices, much like the concert hall, it becomes nothing more than a meaningless hum of complacency. Even this post, being no different, will be lost within the mess of anonymity.
At the concert, the only voice that will be heard will be the person on the stage, but only once everyone else shuts up. However, if everyone continues to talk, claiming their opinion carries the same weight or more than the person next to them and no one even bothers to take the time to listen, even the person on the stage will simply be part of the collective droning. As humans we’ve mastered the ability to communicate. What we’ve yet to master is the ability to listen.
Why Final Fantasy Pisses Me Off
Being overly critical of video games may come across as a waste of time, and in some respects I’d agree with you, but this goes way beyond the scope of any console. Final Fantasy marks the very essence of all that is wrong with video games and popular culture as a whole. For one, masking pedophilia with liberal amounts of whimsy and innocence does not make it any less creepy and abhorrent. Anyone who has played or merely even seen these games can certainly agree that Final Fantasy caters to the stereotypical demographic of nerdy fat kids and forty year old pantie sniffers. I like sex as much as the next guy, but there is a difference between sexy imagery and pornography. Final Fantasy games will bombard you with ass shots, cleavage shots, bouncing girls, and one or two shots away from being tentacle porn.
And then there’s the androgynous male characters. Good lord. This is obviously intended to appeal to the female and feminine male demographic. They’re nothing but weak voiced, squawking she-males running around with spiky hair. To me, all of this boils down to Japanese culture trying to cater to their own and American culture and failing miserably. Hey Japan, knock it the fuck off! Stop trying to play the sex appeal game that you think the American media is so good at. American advertising, television, and movies have been in the game of selling sex for years from Pepsi commercials to huge motion pictures to billboards. The successful attempts at selling sex are subtle, discrete, and just play enough on someone’s libido to get their attention and that’s it. Granted, some attempts to sell sex in media in the United States are blatant and in your face, but those tend to fail miserably.
Americans, despite the general consensus, know when someone is bullshitting them or trying too hard to patronize them. Square Enix, you guys simply have not caught on. The only reason why Final Fantasy, and other similar Anime related titles even have any sort of success here in the states is mainly due to a small niche of reality-hating social misfits who prefer the world of bouncy, shiny, huge-eyed, large-breasted, squeaking, cutesy 15 year-old girl bullshit Japan throws at us. It’s creepy. It’s irritating.
Thankfully, Final Fantasy is losing steam in all this crap. If only the title would finally live up to its namesake.