Ah, that's true. The belonging bit. Gen Z grew up a lot on social media, where those sort of permanent presences were expected. Outside of Tumblr - since everyone there bullies corporate accounts off the site whenever they try and aggressively mocks all forms of monetization - that kind of stuff is a part of life for them. Sarcastic wendys no doubt caused a lot of harm for that reason, too. Same with the horrific advertising that's naturally integrated into the everything. It's always been everywhere for them, rather than it being one banner on the top and bottom, and maybe a square on the side if there was spaceIt seems like brand loyalty and nostalgia play a big role, especially when companies market their products with a sense of community and belonging. It's interesting to see how that shapes their relationship with those "overlords."
And people with some real-world experience can see the bullshit they are trying to pass off as "We are your friends" when the consumer is little more than a small piggy bank to them. Cigarette companies used to pull this tactic with birthday gifts and cards, small, little made-in-Taiwan items that they got for cents and not dollars. I mean cents.
It super is, yeah. Just really does not feel like it means anything when those loud voices spend so much on a gambling game that Genshin made as much money as Elden Ring in the latter's release year. People will flock to the most popular predatory systems and throw their full support behind it. Individual support means nothing, and the people who fork over their credit cards either lack the control, or simply do not care to change. While other issues - thinking of Dragon Age Veilguard - have the suits see the poor sales and think the issue isn't that it sucks, or that the edges were so sanded down it's now a circle, and see the issue is that they didn't monetize it enough because we all know that would've actually made it get more money.It’s frustrating to see how some gaming companies prioritize profit over genuine engagement with their audience. It often feels like they cater to the loudest voices in the room, losing touch with what truly matters to the players. Self-censorship and commercialization can dilute creativity and authenticity, which is what many of us love about gaming. It’s important for us, as players, to keep speaking up and supporting companies that value their player base over just cashing in on quick trends.
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