Yo
It’s specifically because of something written in the forward. I don’t remember the exact quote now, but it got pointed out that he doesn’t put villains in his stories, to which he replies that he learned that in the war. It flipped a switch in teenage me’s brain and I started forming my own opinions after that.
Severe abuse by the church made me firmly anti religion for most of my youth, and then meeting religious people of varied faiths who weren’t monsters softened my feelings as I realized it wasnt all entirely evil. Then studying some of my family’s roots brought me where I am now: vaguely pagan while still acknowledging that I’m always going to be culturally Christian. I like to just tell people I’m a “recovering Catholic” for brevity and a laugh.
As for my social and political views, it was seeing all my friends come out as queer and realizing that I could either keep the far right views my family taught me, or I could learn to get my head out of my ass to keep my found family. Once I started forming my own opinions, I realized I got fed a load of shit my whole life(and also I’d wind up coming out too lmao)
I’m not the same person as I was before I watched(and later read) Annihilation, particularly in how I think about trauma
Slaughterhouse 5 had the same effect on me, as well as reframing how I view morality.
I think it’s difficult for most comedy to stand the test of time(not all obviously). I went back and watched Bo Burnham’s older work after watching Inside. At the time, that stuff was hilarious, but now it makes me cringe hard.
I wanted to like Bright more than I did. The main thing I got out of it was a burning desire for a Shadowrun movie.
I rewatched Kung Pow recently and I don’t think it’s held up as well as I remember, but its still great fun and I continue to quote it constantly.
Cruelty Squad is such a bizarre beast. It’s an ugly, unpleasant, and overstimulating game that feels hostile to somebody trying to play it. And despite that, it lives in the back of my head as one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve had in ages.
The game fucking rules. 10/10 I am a flesh automaton animated by neurotransmitters
It took me a few tries to get into Death Stranding, but its my favorite game now.
For me, I enjoyed being able to take in the environment and experience a simulation of hiking. The opening hours are weird and a bit rough and bare bones compared to later on when you get more freedom and toys to play with, but I’m of the opinion that it’s kinda necessary. The first leg of the game distills down a lot of the core gameplay loop to make sure you’ll be able to vibe with how slow and different the game is. You really have to be down to play a walking simulator in the most literal sense of the term.
The story is bizarre and confusing and refuses to explain itself properly. But if you can power through things not making any sense for a while, you get this really heartfelt story about forming connections to other people in the face of hardship. That said, the first 2 hours of the game are 75% cutscenes, which sucks for hooking a new player. (This was my first Kojima game and I’ve since learned that it’s peak Kojima weirdness and self indulgence)
Overall it’s not a game that everyone is going to enjoy, I dont tend to recommend it to people. But if you’re able to vibe with what the game is going for, you’re in for a treat.
Navigating the mountains without BB is definitely stressful, but as long as you keep an eye on the weather, you should be good. I think I only had a run in with BTs once. You’re on the tail end of the story, have fun and keep on keeping on. 👍
I remember losing so much sleep when I first played Minecraft a decade ago, it’s one of those games that I wish I could experience for the first time again.
I don’t have the charisma for it, but it would be great fun to be on Game Changer or other Dropout stuff like Um Actually or Make Some Noise