Spoilers are a major problem in modern gaming

We are all online constantly in this modern age. That comes with certain gaming dangers and gaming joys.

Being online means we see the opinions of others 24/7, both those we are close to – and strangers that are interested in the same. Often whether we actually want to or not…

This is great sometimes, we can discuss our preferred media in depth, get different viewpoints, enjoy seeing what others think about our favourite boss and they solved the fight. I actually like seeing others reactions to emotional scenes, or how much someone else struggled with the infamous Sekiro.

It’s also awful at its lowest, with arguments about nonsensical minutiae often dominating popular game discussion – with the titular word “discourse” now replacing said “discussion”. But that’s a never-ending topic that could take several articles all on its own, like a live-service game.

Hey that’s an idea… “writers” could crank out articles and videos on the latest gaming discourse to pull in views with every new season. They could even feed into the discourse to ramp up views even further by fabricating stories or writing their own tweets and posts. Then people get angrier about the discourse, and feed into the discourse themselves, and that makes it easier for the writers to create new discourse -about- that discourse, and then they can write about the discourse about them writing about the discourse which is creating new discourse. Like this insane paragraph. But that would be crazy. Anyway- spoilers.

These spoilers aren’t a new problem, but they are certainly growing more virulent. They have certainly become the scourge of my social browsing recently. As demonstrated by the recent Elden Ring leaks, many new games have their story blasted out there for all to see way before the release date. Let alone before everyone has safely finished the game.

But there’s an interesting problem beyond the simple “leaks before a game releases”. For someone that’s relatively busy – say a working parent, you get maximum a couple of hours a night, much more likely way less. For a new release that isn’t even crazy long like the Elden Ring DLC, with a healthy 40 hours, you’re looking at roughly a month to complete, but many will require longer. Dodging spoilers for a game as popular as Elden Ring for over a month would be an incredible feat in the modern age. It’s even worse for a massive title, as many are in the modern gamescape. FFVII – Rebirth can for example, take up to 210 hours to fully complete at a leisurely pace. I would call myself a fairly avid gamer, and I still haven’t got anywhere near the end of that game. Mostly because I like to mix in other titles such as the brilliant Helldivers 2. This has of course meant the many major points have simply been spoiled for me. It was inevitable. I follow too many similar gamers on many social channels, and I of course don’t expect them to hold off on discussion for the months it will take me to finish. Witcher 3 is another brilliant example, and there are certain quests I heard about -way- before I reached them. It leads me to wonder – how much better would my experience have been if I’d never been spoiled?

Reputable channels start uploading spoilers quicker than many can finish a title, and then even though it may not be malicious your experience can be ruined. YouTube especially is a nightmare of thumbnails and an absolute clusterfuck of a minefield for this near a game release. The suggestions all too often contain spoilers, even from smaller channels, likely because of the angry engagement the algorithm is all too happy to slurp up.

But I think the spoiler danger has an altogether more insidious side. Even if you don’t see direct boss names, topics, weapons… small bits of discussion can ruin it in little ways. A powerful sword lies behind a mid-game boss, there will be mostly fire magic that requires faith in the DLC, an old character returns and it blew my mind! While not directly spoiling a title, they certainly still impact the experience. You are then expecting what’s been mentioned. The surprise is ruined. Oh the old character has returned? Hey that’s great – but the emotion you would have felt is dampened.

The only foolproof solution I can think of is to avoid socials altogether. Drastic, but how else do you guarantee it? Even people angry at leaks can accidentally spoil the nature of the leak. All too often have I been tangentially spoiled by someone annoyed that they themselves have been spoiled.

This also sadly contributes to another topic…. FOMO. The fear of missing out. In this case, it’s the fear of missing out on an experience.

For some, it’s almost a want to experience it before others – so you’re one of the first to “set foot on the moon”. You can then stay smug in your blanket of not having things spoiled, and happily browse and post about your experiences as others tread the minefield. You blast through the game and complete it in record speed, perhaps avoiding side content or simply not soaking in some brilliant ambience. I’ve tried this before, but it often ends up a hollow experience. There’s joy in taking your time and really sinking into a world, and you miss that playing a game as if it were a “job”.

For me, and I suspect many others, it’s less about wanting to experience it before other people, and more wanting to experience it before having someone else’s opinion shoved upon you. Before your own fresh, crisp taste of that delicious Elden Ring DLC pie is tainted by reddit user “elden4lyfenosleeponlyplay” telling you it peaks at the 3rd boss and make sure to check behind the altar because there’s a whole optional area! This is a whole problem of its own, with reviews causing a similar shift in experience.

I think part of me misses the days when you could not play a game or see a movie for years, and likely still never hear how you should think or feel about it. Nowadays, everyone knows the “right” opinion to have days or weeks before the game even comes out. Often it’s fun to all experience an opinion and community feeling together, like the recent Helldivers 2 blowout at Sony for PSN linking, or the sheer joy the original FFVII: Remake brought out in people. But you lose the ability to form an individual opinion if that’s all you do. Not everyone will be as vulnerable to this, but I certainly have lost “hype” before for a game I’m excited about, purely because of opinions I’ve read. Only to play it and find I shouldn’t have listened. There is value in experiencing something alone, without hearing what others think, at least before contributing to the discussion. I even sometimes think reviews have this problem. Certainly, those that are supposed to objectively review games shouldn’t discuss with others before publishing said review.

I for one am going to close my socials more, and let my own thoughts grow, and my own experiences and enjoyment take place. Only then will I join the throng, but with my actual, individual thoughts firmly in place. I’m going dark reader – and you should too.