this post was submitted on 09 May 2025
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In another comment below, I briefly describe the sort of political content the game has in it. It's not something a random leftist is projecting onto it, it's explicitly political content in the game itself, which is what is being discussed.
It's not really any different from discussing the themes or political content of Metal Gear Solid, Disco Elysium, or Planescape: Torment.
If that's not something you're interested, fair enough my friend! But surely it's not an inconvenience for others to discuss it? The title makes it clear what this is, which makes it pretty easy to avoid and scroll on to the next post.
Discussing a game's themes isn't the problem. The problem is the context. "How this game made me a leftist". Instead of "let's discuss the themes of this game", it's pushing identity politics. That's the part I take issue with.
Could you elaborate on that? If I'm understanding you correctly, you're suggesting it's identity politics to say publicly that a piece of media influenced your political views?
Are there cases where that doesn't apply? for example: "There Will Be Blood made me Anti-oil" or "How Nausica Valley of the Winds made me an Environmentalist", or "Grave of the Fireflys made me Anti-war". Are all of those conceptual titles equally verboten?
Yes, because there's literally no reason to make it about political views. And yes, those titles would be just as ridiculous in my book.
Again, discussing themes in a game isn't the issue. The issue is that the title was very specifically written that way to catch clicks. Clicks from similar culture warriors and from those who disagree. It's disingenuous and completely unnecessary.
Interesting, by your guidelines, there's quite some limits on expressing oneself to appease people who can easily avoid and skip over a clearly labeled piece of content.
From my perspective, it's as though someone came into a tavern and, fresh ale in hand, overheard a political discussion happening in a corner booth. Perhaps the subject was particularly distasteful to this theoretical tavern goer, and instead of ignoring it or moving to a seat where they can't hear it, they instead march up to said booth and demand these booth talkers cease their discussion immediately, explaining that they come to the tavern to relax, not have these political ideas pop up everywhere they go.
I suspect the people in the booth would be quite bewildered as to why this theoretical person is going to such trouble to involve themselves in ceasing an activity they could so easily avoid.
That analogy might work if not for the fact that I've attempted to block political discussions from my Lemmy feed through instance blocks, community blocks and word blocks, yet I still see people obnoxiously shoving their political views into everything.
I think the analogy holds up beautifully.
The man proceeds to tell the booth talkers that he's taken great pains to avoid seeing or hearing politics in his daily life, such as quickly muting political ads on TV, requesting his neighbors take down their Trump flags and local candidate election signs in their yard, and taking backroads to avoid seeing a political billboard on the way to work, all in the effort to spare their eyes the misfortune of sliding across disgusting politics. So it's perfectly reasonable that he demand to the booth talkers they cease their discussion immediately, and switch to a topic he approves of, he explains, confident in the knowledge that they will understand the pains he's gone through.
The two people in the booth glance at each other uncomfortably, wondering what terrible fate brought this demanding and oddly entitled man to their booth. Finally, one of them flashes a half-grin and spreads their hands disarmingly "Hey man, I get it that you don't like what we're discussing, but if we give in to your request, wouldn't that mean we'd have to give into any other request you have about topics? What if we were talking about sex amongst ourselves and that too wasn't acceptable since you go to efforts to avoid that topic as well? I don't think we want to live our lives beholden to your feelings on things, that's for us to decide. Have a good day."
Then go elsewhere.