MICHEAL FOSTER-SANDERS
editor-in-cheif

Everything sucks.

I mean I’m glad to be six feet above ground, but the world as a whole generally sucks in my opinion.

When it comes to being kind it seems like people have lost the general concept of what that means in this cruel world.

People want to be savages, wallow in pettiness and wait for misfortune to happen to individuals.

All one has to do is log onto a message board on the World Wide Web to see this. Manners and respect for our elders are fading.

Gone are the days where you would hear “yes ma’am” or “no sir” from children addressing adults.

Entertainment is another sore spot in the world today. While the old adage is true that nothing is new, it appears that originality is a foreign concept. I can attest to this in the worlds of hip-hop, movies and games.

Once upon a time in hip-hop, it was a cardinal sin to “bite” copy, borrowing someone’s style or slang. The term “being a biter” was a death sentence for your career and could possibly cause bodily harm.

Now everyone sounds alike and uses the same slang like there’s nothing wrong with doing so —a rapper from Alaska rap has a southern drawl.

In video games, the majority of big budget projects are afraid to take chances since they fear they’ll lose profit. Every video game now has to have a season pass, microtransactions and multiplayer.

I yearn for indie-developed games that creators put their heart and soul into that take a risk with their storytelling and gameplay. Those are the projects that will be remembered and placed into the gaming hall of fame.

When a person has issues with things turning sour, they hark about the good ole days. You run the risk of being labeled a boomer or a gatekeeper which is absolute hogwash.

Gatekeeping is necessary for standards to be upheld. In doing so, the quality of the art forms or lifestyles won’t diminish.

Maybe I’m just becoming a grumpy old man, but nevertheless, I will die on my sword about how I feel.