In video gaming, there’s a meme that goes, “I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and I’m not kidding.” To reassure you of the meme’s utter seriousness, the words are traditionally put into the mouth of Sonic the Hedgehog. The meme originates from a tweet in 2020, but continues to echo throughout games criticism.
I think a major reason for the meme’s popularity, is that it represents an alliance of two interests. You have people who are upset about the poor work conditions of game devs. And then you have gamers who are tired of the monotony and conformity of big games, who think “worse” graphics make a game better.
Of course, gamers far outnumber game devs. So the tendency is to emphasize the concerns of gamers, and treat game devs as an afterthought. It is assumed, or openly argued, that the two concerns are aligned, which is certainly convenient for gamers.
