SPOILER WARNING: Ironically enough, this article about the evils of plot spoilers contains plot spoilers. The following games are spoiled in this article: Chrono Trigger, BioShock, Mass Effect, and Gears of War 2. I recommend not reading this article in its entirety if you have not played the mentioned games, unless you have no desire or plans to play the aforementioned titles.

“I got spoilers at school today,” my little brother Clay moaned as he slumped on our couch, with an annoyed expression spelled out across his face.

My brother, like most people, likes the Harry Potter film franchise, and has been anxiously anticipating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 to come to DVD and blu-ray. For those that don’t like reading, these movies have allowed them to become immersed in the truly magical world of Harry Potter and experience the wonderful story crafted by J.K. Rowling just like everyone else. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 hit theaters in the summer, my brother was unable to go due to the birth of our new baby sister.

For months, I have been sure to protect him from spoilers surrounding the epic conclusion of the Potter franchise. When my girlfriend was about to discuss critical plot details while at my house, I quickly had to snap at her to keep her from spilling any info that Clay might pick up, even though he was in the other room. He himself has yelled at people about to spill the beans, and he was able to keep the spoilers away for months, right until the movie finally was released on DVD.

Before he had the chance to watch the movie, a girl in his class blurted out the fate of a few characters, causing my enraged brother to scream, “SPOILERS!” at the top of his lungs. If I were in the same situation, that little girl would have been severely beaten and orphaned. I do not take kindly spoilers, and they should not be tolerated by anybody. Spoilers can ruin an artistic experience for anyone, especially when it comes to art that requires a significant time investment to enjoy…like with video games.

Spoilers: Ingredients for the most magical threesome ever!

Like my younger brother, I have also experienced the sting of spoilers at school. High school was the worst when it came to trying to keep the plot of something underwraps until I was able to enjoy it myself. Every time a blockbuster movie would release, people would be ranting and raving about it the next day, spoiling every last detail of the film in the process. This problem was the same when it came to video games.

In high school, I oftentimes found myself sitting at a different lunch table than my friends whenever a major game would release, or sitting at the table with my hands over my ears making humming sounds to avoid being spoiled. My friends certainly weren’t shy about spoiling things for me, and they did so purposefully on many occasions. While they usually just spoiled little things here and there, the overall impact of the spoilers detracted greatly from my experience with each game.

For example, when Gears of War 2 was released, my friends were quick to spoil the death of the second Carmine brother. This greatly annoyed me, and when he actually died in the game, it made it so I didn’t care. While the Gears games usually aren’t so great with character development, I never even had the chance to care about this character’s death. It robbed elements of the story from me, and that’s just something you can never get back. Once something is spoiled for you, it’s likely you will never fully forget the spoiler, meaning any piece of art can be forever ruined just by a person with a loud mouth.

My high school spoiled many things for me. From the results of professional wrestling shows to the many different endings of Fable II to the fate of Master Chief at the end of Halo 3. However, spoilers can come from many other sources as well, and as is readily apparent in this “information age”–some information is better left discovered instead of blurted out.

While scrolling through forums, I have come across a multitude of spoilers. Spoilers have drastically hurt the emotional impact of games for me, like with Mass Effect. I found out about Wrex’s (potential) death, which is incredibly significant in the first Mass Effect game. This one moment showcases the game’s amazing ability to play off player choices throughout to determine the fates of all the different characters in this universe, and having that profound plot twist spoiled ruined the impact it would have otherwise had.

Spoilers: Better looking than my prom date

However, no video game spoiler has been more detrimental to my experiences than when I had the timeless RPG classic Chrono Trigger spoiled for me. I had just ordered the game off Amazon for the Nintendo DS, and was extremely excited. I missed out on Chrono Trigger back in the glory days of the Super Nintendo, and it also somehow passed me by on the original PlayStation. Needless to say, I was stoked to finally have a chance to play this beloved classic.

The Chrono Trigger experience was forever damaged for me, however, when I accidentally stumbled upon a MAJOR spoiler for the game. You see, and I highly suggest you stop reading if you ever plan on playing the game…in Chrono Trigger, the main character dies. This is huge. This is incredibly original, actually, and if I didn’t know the spoiler, this moment would have blown my mind. It would have made the experience right then and there. It’s not uncommon for major characters to die in RPGs, but killing the main character in Chrono Trigger just feels so crazy because he is a “mute” character. Mute characters are oftentimes supposed to be an “extension of the player”. In Chrono Trigger, the developers don’t just kill Crono, they kill you. But because of inconsiderate Internet spoilers, what is one of the greatest moments in the history of the industry was completely ruined for me. I’ve put a little over ten hours into Chrono Trigger since I got it, but I haven’t gotten around to beating it, and in all honesty, I probably never will.

Spoilers: INTERNET YOU HAVE FORSAKEN ME!

A lot of people don’t see the big deal in spoiling a game for someone else. These people probably haven’t had something spoiled for them, or they simply don’t have appreciation for the art of storytelling. To purposefully ruin the plot of a game or a movie or a book or a TV show for someone is intellectually cruel, and those that do so, are insultingly idiotic.

Please, be considerate to your fellow gamers.