Fiction is Reality, As Far As Your Brain is Concerned

You’ve never even seen the real world

Well, I suppose this is a developmental milestone we all hit eventually — the “handwringing over media like it’s a shortcut to societal improvement” stage. These days, the only activism most of us can routinely manage is fighting about kids’ movies with bigots on Twitter, so it behooves us to believe that our media consumption is activism. It’s not enough just to enjoy something, it must have a profound and meaningful societal benefit. It’s not enough that we don’t like a thing, it must be deeply problematic and causing harm to others. It’s not enough to like or dislike things all on our own — we must propagate our favorites to the masses, stomp out supporters of competing ships with the zeal of…well, of fans. Y’know, fanatics.

So here I am, bellying up to present my manifesto for the betterment of society based solely upon my own desires and interests. I am, after all, a white person, and that’s sort of what my people do. How can you become more like me and thereby immeasurably improve the universe, you breathlessly ask?

Produce and consume better interactive fiction. Play — and make — better games.