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If you're wondering why #ReadyPlayerTwo is getting such a brutal reception, I'm happy to explain.
A thread. https://amzn.to/2HvRBEp
A thread. https://amzn.to/2HvRBEp
At some point in the late 70s / early 80s, corporate America realised it needed a way to market products to young white American men.
It settled on science fiction - rebranded as scifi - as the perfect vehicle.
It settled on science fiction - rebranded as scifi - as the perfect vehicle.
I've written in detail about how corporate marketing defined the geek / nerd identity.
Scifi became the generalised label for any and all content designated for this demographic. https://twitter.com/damiengwalter/status/1309130738554548228
Scifi became the generalised label for any and all content designated for this demographic. https://twitter.com/damiengwalter/status/1309130738554548228
TLDR
This entailed a degradation of science fiction, from a strange boundaryless art form of wild futurism and philosophical speculation, into trash culture.
Not surprisingly, people who remember what science fiction was (and often still is) feel kinda sick over this.
This entailed a degradation of science fiction, from a strange boundaryless art form of wild futurism and philosophical speculation, into trash culture.
Not surprisingly, people who remember what science fiction was (and often still is) feel kinda sick over this.
It also resulted in the sad and sickening re-definition of "scifi" as a near exclusively white, male and American thing
where before it had been global, diverse, experimental
to exploit science fiction as a marketing vehicle aimed at American boys, it's diversity was deleted
where before it had been global, diverse, experimental
to exploit science fiction as a marketing vehicle aimed at American boys, it's diversity was deleted
This artificial narrowing of science fiction is what the war over the Hugo awards back in 2015/16 was about
the Sad Puppies wanted science fiction to stay narrowly aimed at them
fortunately, the Rebel Alliance blew up their Death Star, and the Pups are still hiding
the Sad Puppies wanted science fiction to stay narrowly aimed at them
fortunately, the Rebel Alliance blew up their Death Star, and the Pups are still hiding
What does this have to do with #ReadyPlayerTwo you say?
Welp.
Having fought a culture war to claim back science fiction literature as something more than a corporate marketing vehicle for the selling of shite to American boys
here comes Ernest Cline to take it right back
Welp.
Having fought a culture war to claim back science fiction literature as something more than a corporate marketing vehicle for the selling of shite to American boys
here comes Ernest Cline to take it right back
The Ready Player franchise is a singularity in the space time continuum of all that was most degraded and wrong with scifi
an Ouroboros of white male fan culture eating it's own tail
a Nerd Centipede re-consuming its own bullshit narrative of self-glorification
an Ouroboros of white male fan culture eating it's own tail
a Nerd Centipede re-consuming its own bullshit narrative of self-glorification
Not only was Ready Player One the product of the degradation of science fiction into a corporate marketing vehicle
it was simultaneously a CELEBRATION of that degradation
a Greatest Hits of the the emptiest, cheapest moments of Scifi-As-Marketing-Strategy
it was simultaneously a CELEBRATION of that degradation
a Greatest Hits of the the emptiest, cheapest moments of Scifi-As-Marketing-Strategy
Now here we are almost a decade later
Armada was panned even by people who loved RP1
Spielberg's RP1 was an epic flop
AND the science fiction book community has irrevocably changed from where it was in 2011
but here come the publishers...
Armada was panned even by people who loved RP1
Spielberg's RP1 was an epic flop
AND the science fiction book community has irrevocably changed from where it was in 2011
but here come the publishers...
...spending 90% of this year's total marketing budgets on pushing #ReadyPlayerTwo as the big hit of the year
you WILL pay attention to this book
at the expense of many, many much better works of science fiction, by many more gifted authors
you WILL pay attention to this book
at the expense of many, many much better works of science fiction, by many more gifted authors
So that brutal response to #ReadyPlayerTwo is basically science fiction's immune response kicking in
Ernest Cline is a toxic pathogen infecting our respiratory tract by way of being forced down our throats
brutal criticism of his shite writing is our t-cell's working
Ernest Cline is a toxic pathogen infecting our respiratory tract by way of being forced down our throats
brutal criticism of his shite writing is our t-cell's working
