The "player felt a negative emotion for a moment in a playtest, that's now a Pri 1 problem" instinct in AAA prod is a huge tarpit for our industry

Watching new reviews for EU5 happen where people with 30 minutes give it a thumbs down for "not understanding what they're doing, as EU4 veterans" is so funny, like didn't we all joke the tutorial is 1444 hours long?? Is that not our very own "git gud" in a sense?

No you see, they did read it, they just have like a negative value to media literacy

I feel like "solitude" "Isolation" "dead(ish) world" are all strong keywords that would come up in almost every positive review, exploration, video essay, or ramble about the games... and yet....

Yeah

Still thinking about that Gothic remake trailer. That was like a watershed moment for me where the "talks all the time for some reason" protagonist was truly and rightly crucified.

As a certified "I played 600 hours of ACNH and have concluded it's the worst Animal Crossing to-date" tier hater, yeah, absolutely.

Leliana being *easier* to romance/be intimate with as a female character added to her character. I've never forgotten that small touch, because it *says* something about her.

DA:O I think found the line in some sense. I know people have personal disappointments over like "noo I wanted Alistair to be gay" and I get that and all, but I think for queer characters and romance to have a meaningful distinction, they need to be... distinct? It becomes part of the character then

The "protago-sexual" openness of choice is seldom followed through with actual meaningful writing changes, and can even make it feel like the platonic friendships are just "strictly less content" a nigh failstate.

Nothing feels accounted for enough to be grounded and real to the identity of anyone.

Games tend to do romance as some kind of last minute or 2/3rds of the way down a friendship "toggle to activate romance cutscenes" conversation option.

Like, it's not "straight erasure" but it has led down this line where theres ever shrinking space for platonic dynamics. Granted that probem is bigger than just queer relations in games, what with FE3H's M-F A supports ALL being blurry on the romantic and platonic (in a bad way)

A connected point to the broader video that I've spent a lot of time thinking on, but committed little writing to, is the way that having a genderless game experience in a bioware "queer options are available" way ostensibly helps obliterate gendered interpersonal relationship stories.

Lol, one-upping you on the yikes scale, I just realized today that the author of my main source for the next video has what we'd call "credible accusations" against him...

It's not relevant to the topic or work quality, buuuuuuuuut. Now I have to consider what to do with that info.

Good timing on the bizarre Devil Wears Prada 2 announcement lol