I've got a little story for all of you.
I haven't played final fantasy 7. I know about *the spoiler* for reasons that you've all outlined. It's a "famous" spoiler. I had that moment ruined for me well over 10 years ago, probably closer to 15 idk. Funny thing is back then the excuse was the same exact thing. "iI's a famous spoiler bro, it's your fault." I imagine it was a "famous spoiler" long before then too. I never wound up playing FF7 because I had one of it's biggest moments ruined. It was demotivating and I still to this day haven't played it. I hope your famous spoiler was worth taking an experience away from someone.
Back when I had this spoiled for me was when I was first finding my way around internet forums. I didn't know the magical rules of what was and wasn't ok to spoil back then. I was new. I didn't have a PS1. My parents couldn't get one for me. This was spoiled for me around the time when I was getting my first jobs and earning my first paycheks so I could start to fund my gaming hobby and play the games I didn't have the opportunity to. No one warned me that by trying to get deeper into this hobby people would decide for me what is and isn't ok to preserve. It was honestly one of the first moments where I felt like other gamers were trying to gatekeep me from enjoying this hobby. It was like they had to make sure I knew my place and felt inferior for not having that opportunity when I was a kid. It's honestly a feeling that sticks with me today. It wasn't right. It shouldn't have been their call to decide whether or not I get to fully enjoy something just because it took me a little longer to get the means of playing it. I don't think it would have been asking too much for them to just mark a spoiler.
It's not annoying to me personally at this point. I know that internet spoiler culture is toxic as fuck. As a result I just avoid a lot of online communities. It's sad when the solution to a problem is just leave and stop discussing the things you love, but it is what it is. However this specific example is especially bad today because FF7 is getting a brand new remake. Even if you believe in some arbitrary statute of limitations, that should be thrown out the window today for FF7. It should have been thrown out the window back in 2016(?) when we learned it was being completely remade. We know there will be people experiencing it for the first time. FF7 is officially a new game again. This specific spoiler no longer gets the bad excuse of being a 23 year old "famous" spoiler.
It's not unreasonable or outrageous to ask people to tag spoilers regardless of age. In person It's like five extra words, give or take a few. "Do you mind if I spoil/talk about...?" Online the excuse is even weaker because it's just two words that you preface a post or comment with. "Spoiler warning." I can't believe this is a controversial opinion that just taking the extra literal second to make sure should be the standard.
You can absolutely talk openly about spoilers. Just let people know. Obviously things will be spoiled by accident. Shit happens, it's not the end of the world. But what makes my blood boil is when these accidents occur we yell at the person who got spoiled and say "bro how dare you be upset, it's your own fault, you should have known by now!!!" instead of just saying "oh shit my bad. Sorry." I've even seen a thread on era (or maybe it was the old site, but same community) where someone actually had the courtesy to spoiler tag an old game and the first page was filled with "lol you actually spoiler tagged this? c'mon OP" I guess it's just how people are around here. Can't take the extra one or two seconds to be courteous.
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