GN Expansion Pak: Hey entertainment media, cool it with the spoilers!

Welcome to GoNintendo Expansion Pak! Every Friday we’re going to have a feature that goes beyond the world of Nintendo. That could mean an article concerning games on other platforms, a review of a recent movie, a discussion about a TV show, a thought piece on anime…you get the idea. Everyone at GoNintendo has an undying love for Nintendo, but just like you, we have other passions as well!

We have an incredible amount of entertainment to choose from in today’s day and age. From books to movies, TV shows to games, there’s so much you can do with your free time (when you get some). Having something like a new game release or a feature film to look forward to can be exactly what you need to push through a tough day at work or a hard time at home. It’s the silver lining; the light at the end of the tunnel.

We’ve all felt that excitement build within when a new piece of entertainment is on the way. Something that we’ve been looking forward to for months, if not years. The closer it gets to launch, the harder it is to contain your joy. You’re going to be there day-and-date with that release, and you can’t wait to pour over every detail, analyze each scene, and savor it from top to bottom.

…and then the internet goes and spoils it for you with mere hours to go.

The internet can be a wonderful tool, but it can also be an evil place. There are all sorts of nefarious people out there using the internet to stir up trouble or ruin someone’s day. It should go without saying that those who aim to spoil pieces of entertainment are a low rung on the ladder of ne’er-do-wells, but they’re still a frustrating one. Most of us have experienced that pit in our stomachs when a story spoiler smacks us right in the face, taking all the wind out of our sails. It’s a pain that hits pretty deep, and it can forever taint the memory of something you were previously chomping at the bit for.

While I don’t like the individuals out there who rush to messageboards and social media to spoil things left and right, they’re par for the course on the internet. You can’t control those people, as some just like to watch the world burn. They’re always going to be a part of the worldwide web, and squashing one in this corner will make another pop up somewhere else. You always have to be vigilant when spoiler-dodging on social platforms, as you never know when or where someone is aiming to deflate you.

While those intentional spoiler-sharing people will always draw my ire, I’ve come to learn that they’re just a part of life. Where my real issue lies is with the many outlets who rush to the internet to splay the latest game or TV show for the world to see. I’m talking about professional outlets like big-name website, long-standing publications, video offshoots of established names…the press, for lack of a better term. They’re more than happy to display every story beat, secret, inside scoop and ending detail without a care in the world, and it’s only been getting worse in recent years.

I’ve been running GoNintendo for over 20 years now. I am completely honored to be in a spot that gives me access to games before they launch to the general public. I’ve had hands-on sessions with games weeks before release, I’ve gotten early copies of games for review purposes, ect.. I very much recognize that this is a position of privilege, and I will never, ever take that for granted. I also know that being in such a position comes with not just the expectation, but the duty of conveying my thoughts/feelings/impressions of those experiences with the utmost respect for my audience.

I do not expect outlets to hold back from sharing spoilers. I know how the game works, and I recognize how important it can be to have your content, be it audio/video/text, right there when an embargo lifts. That’s the case for any outlet that handles reviews/previews/impressions for any entertainment. Having your features and name right there at the rush with everyone else is a surefire way to get people talking about what you’re doing, and offering people the inside scoop on elements they haven’t heard yet is obviously going to bring in attention. All I want to see is for outlets to handle their coverage with regard for those who are or may be interested.

There was a time when spoilers were kept for the body of an article or video. If you clicked to interact with the content, you were very much aware that the onus was on you when it came to keeping yourself spoiler-free. In recent years, it seems like that approach has flown out the door. In an attempt to one-up the competition or strike first with the juiciest features, outlets are now putting spoilers front-and-center. You no longer have to click before being hit with specific details, as they’re right there in the title or thumbnail.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been looking forward to a movie, anime, game or what have you, and it ends up being spoiled literally hours before I’m about to interact with it. I have been absolutely flabbergasted by some of the articles, video thumbnails and features I’ve seen. It’s clear that the directive at these outlets is to scream the fresh details at the top of their lungs, spoilers be damned. This year alone, I’ve had movie endings revealed, game characters disclosed, story beats dropped, and more…and it’s all happening without a single click from me.

Again, I get it…I really do. It is harder than ever to get eyes on your content on today’s internet. There’s so much to compete with in terms of videos, websites, social media and so on. If you’re trying to keep your name afloat or you’re just trying to break out, you have to make the biggest splash possible. Unfortunately, it seems many outlets have decided to do that by going the quickest, easiest route, which means spoiling things from the get-go. No headline is safe, no thumbnail is shielded.

I want to stress that I don’t take any issue with outlets and publications creating spoiler-filled features. Reveal all the secrets you want, do a deep dive into every character and all the things they experience. I just ask that that kind of stuff is kept to the confines of the feature itself, rather than the first thing that crosses my eyes. I shouldn’t have to go on an internet blackout every time I want to read a book or play a game. With the rate at which things release nowadays and how much entertainment is available, it would mean I’d pretty much have to remove myself from the internet altogether to stay truly spoiler-free.

I know some will say that the problem is on my end and not the outlets. They’ll say I’m going places online that I shouldn’t, and I have no one to blame but myself. They’ll suggest I steer clear of social media if there’s a movie I’m going to see later that week, or I should skip YouTube if I don’t want to see a scene-by-scene breakdown of a new anime via a title or thumbnail. I want to push back on that by saying I do tread very carefully nowadays with just how prevalent spoilers are from big-name outlets, but even I can’t escape the almighty algorithm.

The internet has fundamentally changed in recent years, and it’s always looking to feed you more of what it thinks it wants. The internet has learned who we are and what we’re into, at least to some degree. That means the algorithm is going to feed us content it thinks we’ll be interested in, and that goes for everything from YouTube suggestions to ads. Couple that with how all major platforms/sites nowadays are injected with suggested content left and right, and it means you are one bad swipe/click/scroll away from something being spoiled.

Even when I do approach the internet extra cautiously to avoid spoilers, I’ve still fallen victim…and quite a few times. A video will auto-play that hits me with surprise details for a game, a suggested article ad list will feed me headlines absolutely exploding with spoilers, a live-stream will randomly display with an outlet showing spoiler-filled scenes with arrows and circles pointing out every detail. Unless you literally go cold turkey on the internet altogether, being bombarded with spoilers is practically a given.

I know I’m shouting into the void a bit with this one. I don’t expect outlets to take this to heart, as the bigwigs at the top are just looking to turn a profit. They’re going to keep cranking out those in-your-face spoiler features, as there’s money to be made in them. It’s the nature of the beast, and I honestly think it’s only going to get worse. I don’t even fault the people at these organizations making the content, as I know they’re just following orders and making things as directed. That still doesn’t make me any less depressed though.

I’d just like to think there’s some sort of happy medium we could find. What about thumbnails that use silhouettes instead of full reveals? How about titles that don’t share that there’s a surprise ending, but instead mention how a movie/game/show has a moment that NEEDS to be talked about? Perhaps some extra care in labeling things with “SPOILER WARNING” in an image/headline would be enough. There’s ways to entice readers that doesn’t involve pulling back the curtain completely, but it seems we’re in a time that’s hellbent on doing just the opposite.

I feel like that meme from The Simpsons right now, “Old Man Yells At Cloud.” I know there are far more terrible things out there that should rile me up, and trust me, they do. That doesn’t mean I can’t also have the prevalence of spoilers as a proverbial bee in my bonnet. I was going to say that hopefully someone else out there feels my pain, but I don’t want that to be the case. As someone who clearly takes spoilers very seriously and they’ve bummed me out multiple times, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be lumped into this group!

As things stand, I don’t expect much to change. I’ll just have to continue being incredibly careful with where I go, and recognize that will never be enough. I’ll keep on dodging spoilers left and right, but know in the back of my mind that they could be seconds away. Such is the internet in 2024…now let’s cross our fingers it doesn’t get any worse!

Did you enjoy this feature? You can find many others like it on the GoNintendo Patreon! There’s a new post there every single day, and best of all, you get access to absolutely EVERYTHING for just $1!