Alexandr Wolodarskij

Of course, it would be nice if the transfer happened before Halloween, as intended, but even later is better than never.

Still looking forward to some action on the publisher’s side.

For those unfamiliar with the original Secret Hitler game, it is worth googling.

The player who fails to provide an explanation is eliminated. If everyone succeeds in giving an explanation, a random player is eliminated.
If no one is willing to lie, Hitler is eliminated.
The majority can win at the first turn just by being honest, but then it will be lame and no fun, right?

I am thinking of a board game called "Not Much of a Secret Hitler."
There is a player who is Hitler, and everyone knows he is Hitler. He behaves and talks like Hitler.
Other players must persuade each other that there is no Hitler around by coming up with new justifications for his words or actions.

If German politicians could still find some Rückgrat (backbone), they would use Musk's "salute the sun gesture" to effectively minimize his influence on German and overall on European politics. He had essentially played into their hands, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

A funny paradox: people who most strongly deny that Musk made a nazi salute are the ones most convinced that he did exactly this. They just like it.

Happy to have contributed to this important research as a commentator: "Russian Cultural Diplomacy in Germany: Actors, Narratives, and Achievements", published by the Ukrainian Institute: https://ui.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/russian-cultural-diplomacy-in-germany.-ukrainian-institute.pdf

Other developers should follow this example. Just donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, make your support of the Ukrainian cause vocal, and your game will be protected from piracy without any clumsy and inconvenient external tools.

By the way, it seems that GSC Game World has accidentally discovered a new kind of DRM. Russian pirates are refusing to distribute illegal copies of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 because they fear persecution—not for piracy, but for so-called "pro-Ukrainian propaganda".

I've said this before: the sign of a truly good game is not the absence of bugs. The sign of a good game is the strong desire to play it despite any bugs and inconveniences.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is definitely a good game.

They even play victim: "We're overwhelmed with crime and can't even protect Jewish communities. It's not intent; it's weakness." As long as Germans view antisemitism solely as an "Other's" issue, it will flourish.

This perspective removes German moral responsibility. It's not seen as guilt, but something to be dealt with by removing the "alien element".

It feels like violent antisemitism is just being outsourced to immigrants, like other "dirty jobs". In German media and politics, antisemitism discussions often revolve around "deportation", presenting it as something foreign and inherently not German.

I have a strong feeling some "real Europeans" lean on "Islamic" antisemitism to justify their own and make it appear insignificant. With extremists attacking Jews and burning synagogues, "normal people" can casually spread conspiracy theories, or undermine the Holocaust without being called out.

The AFD crowd is whining. Their party chief is in the hospital after allegedly being jabbed with some poison. Two scenarios: either the Nazi and Putin’s buddy used bad drugs and is dodging an awkward situation by playing victim, or antifa are getting creative. Highly appreciated if it's the latter.

I have already de facto left Twitter and Telegram, but using Facebook as the main platform is a scarier sign of aging than my gray beard. So, I am trying to become active here. Lately, Twitter has been suggesting completely irrelevant "trending topics", but today it got it right.

Regarding Russia's collapse, Western politicians (and not only them) have transitioned from denial to bargaining, almost skipping the anger stage. Depression is imminent, with acceptance to follow.