pretty much a part of the job unfortunately, just like anywhere in entertainment. i never worked in the industry but i imagine it must be soul-sucking for the designer...

also, it might sound obvious, but game designers should focus on making fun games in general, and i think, at least in the AAA space, most of them are too focused on not bombing a game by "innovating too much", and it kills creativity. its absolutely boring. every AAA soulslike plays the same lmao

this is actually so true, not only for action games. i feel like some game designers are too attached to the "boundaries" of the genre they have in mind when creating a game. most great games derive their mechanics from other genres and incorporate into a solid base from its peers.+