While I don't disagree with this in principle, a big part of the problem is that a not small subsection of fandom has become ridiculously reactionary so "the fucking room" in this scenario has become beyond retarded and should be thoroughly ignored.
Itr shouldn't be ignored because it's costing these companies real money. Pretending that the opinions of the people you are trying to sell a product to should be dismissed when you don't like them is financial suicide. When you aren't serving your customers, you have to either pivot to the market demands or, I don't know, be bought out by Tencent.
The shit I've seen accused of being "woke" the last couple of years is straight up fucking embarrassing. Like yeah, making all the women uggos in games, the complete elimination of redheads, making established characters gay for no discernable reason other than "REPRESENTATION". Sure... that stuff is annoying and a proper balance needs to be struck between making tweaks and updates and not just curb-stomping things people like because "fuck what fans want".
So you DO understand the problem.
EDIT: What these fans call 'woke' is a term they're using as a shorthand for all the things you mentioned in your comment here.
Yes, it's become trendy to use the term 'woke'. But maybe, just maybe people are tired of spelling it out, especially when their legitimate criticisms are ignored in the discourse as the angry whingings of 'toxic manbabies', which is even more insufferable a gaslight than using the term 'woke'.
They took all of our cool shit from us, shit all over it and then blamed us for it becoming awful as a result of what they did to it. Lunacy. They are the epitome of the crappy kid sister upset that she can't play with your toys, cries to the parents who then force you to 'share' and then when you're outside riding your bike, she smashes them all and laughs at you about it for caring about it.
Fuck these people.
However, any product with a non white-male lead gets an immediate barrage of ragebait now (regardless of any indication of quality) and people scream and cry and rend their garments about pretty much any attempt at inclusivity no matter how insignificant. It makes having rational discussions nearly impossible and just makes the blue hairs completely entrenched in their belief that they're right and that fans should just be ignored.
There is this thing called 'pattern recognition'. You're smart enough that I think you know what that is.
There is a small subsect of people that will always act this way.
Right now....it's more than a few people that they can just be ignored. It's a roaring sea of people that are using their memory as intellectual self defense.
Forget media literacy. We have crossed the Rubicon on that count and expecting average thinking human beings to suddenly gain wisdom is folly.
This is a problem the corpos created. Not the fans. The fans don't make the games and they are under no obligation to accept what the companies put out.
Telling them 'it's all just in your head' is both a lie and dismissive of the people you are trying to sell products to.
Gamers don't want to be preached to. These companies manufacture products and sell them to...
...wait for it...
...gamers.
As usual, the internet has ruined discourse (social media in particular) because it prioritizes engagement over rationality which means only the biggest, dumbest, most hyperbolic takes suck all of the air out of the room so you either have to engage in the dumbest possible version of every conversation or simply not be heard.
And any corporation that acts as though social media is something that can be dismissed deserves to die.
Perception is reality, my friend. It
shouldn't be, but it is.
The market shouldn't be adjusting to the messaging they are receiving in these games. That is moral authoritarianism to demand that of the market. And the human spirit will never be defeated by these people. There's a part of that which is pretty inspiring, actually.
The company should be adjusting to the market.
Or get gobbled up by Tencent. If that's what they want, mission accomplished.
But I don't think it's what they want.
www.gamesindustry.biz
