If Microsoft sold off their gaming division, I also just realized that GabeN would run Call of Duty. That would be a freaking trip.

GabeN being given the keys to Windows would be hilarious though, as the number of people responsible for ensuring he doesn’t set it on fire would consume a sizable portion of the budget.

And it would be good for a company that makes gaming devices and personal computers to no longer be tied into a company trying to shove Fake Intellect into everything so they can focus on what matters: actually using the device. I don’t think Valve is, like…experts, in that respect. But they’d learn

A company that makes Office software and sells data center usage and works in Fake Intellect (I’m sorry, “artificial intelligence”) shouldn’t necessarily care what operating system you use. One user-facing benefit of software subscriptions is portability. Not being tied to Windows is therefore good.

I have wished in the past that Microsoft would split into two companies. That’s not “I hate big corporations” speaking, I legitimately believe that doing so would allow them to create two super-companies. But another intriguing concept would be for them to simply sell half the company to Valve.

I feel like I should watch it again, but the things that I remember liking were not the Upside Down, but the character interactions that happen outside of it (when it wasn’t adding Drama For The Sake Of Drama).

Maybe there exists a story so good it justifies explaining things more. But I doubt it. “Because it’s fucking cool” was all the explanation it needed.

And the thing is, they didn’t some interesting things that justified it going past season one (as Victoria said, an anthology would’ve been better).

Except…

They made a fantastic story that was meaningful and impactful. They paid good money to have it made well. It didn’t need to exist because Star Wars was lacking, it needed to be told because the story they wanted to tell was so good and meaningful.

Stranger Things ain’t on that level.

Andor was even more of an anomaly.

I never wondered how the plans got on board the Consular-class Corellian cruiser. I can’t imagine caring. And then they decide they need to tell me how that one dude whose story I didn’t need to hear wound up deciding to be a rebel?

Who the heck would care?

Rogue One was a pretty good movie! It absolutely didn’t need to be made. Understanding how the Rebels got the plans doesn’t add anything to Star Wars. It doesn’t make it more meaningful.

BUT

It had a good cast and a decent story. It justified itself by being good even apart from everything.

And if the answer is “no”, but you want to tell that story anyway? Well, you should be questioning yourself relentlessly as to WHY you want that. And then you should make damn sure it’s worth it.

Odds are, you’re not making Rogue One.

I don’t actually don’t hate TRON: Legacy. I just don’t think it was great and the parts that made it weakest were all fan-service throwbacks.

It just isn’t a great fertile ground if you’re stuck with the connection to video games possible in the 80’s and ignoring what we do with them today.

You can’t just beat a meaningful story about AI into the vibes of TRON. The notion of “what if computer programs were people” doesn’t hit as hard when people grasp what programs/apps are and it doesn’t fit. All you have is visuals. And most of that fits “80’s video games” and not much else.

The things that make it potentially visually arresting don’t really matter for the purposes of making an adult story. It makes sense that for electricity/light on a metallic grid, you use a trail of energy as a weapon. It makes sense as a game.

It makes less sense if it curves and hangs in the air.

There’s no drop-in replacement for being able to get references that your peers make.

Obviously, blocking one series won’t make a kid an outcast. It’s just a consideration I think is important, and it requires talking to the kids about things (I don’t think OP is suggesting prohibiting them, FWIW)