Confessions of a Quirky Christian Artist

Ok. So this is a big ask, but if you want to follow my thoughts here you’ll need to actually read at least this first article.  Then the conversation I had with a few people on Facebook about that article. … ONLY THEN will my thinking below will make sense.  In other words.  Turn back now if you don’t have a solid hour to work through this stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/lionel-shrivers-full-speech-i-hope-the-concept-of-cultural-appropriation-is-a-passing-fad ? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/10/as-lionel-shriver-made-light-of-identity-i-had-no-choice-but-to-walk-out-on-her Josh Foreman Shrivers was a very interesting talk. I'm of two minds on this. First, I feel like I agree with almost everything she says about over-sensitivity and the slippery slope of having to write only memoirs if one takes the cultural appropriation movement to its logical conclusion. However,

Here's a quote from a book I read by Spelunky Creator Derek Yu called, not-surprisingly: Spelunky.  In it, he's talking about the first Zelda game vs. the rest of the Zelda franchise.  He's quoting Tevis Thompson's 2012 essay "Saving Zelda". "Hyrule must become more indifferent to the player.  It must aspire to ignore Link.  Zelda has so far resisted the urge to lavish choice on the player and respond to his every whim, but it follows a similar spirit of indulgence in its loving details, its carefully crafted adventure that reeks of quality and just-for-you-ness.  But a world is not for you.  A world needs a substance, and independence, a sense that it doesn't just disappear when you turn around (even though it kinda does). It needs architecture, not level design with themed wallpaper, and environments with their own ecosystems (which were doing just fine before you showed up).  Every location can't be plagued with false crises only you ca