I was listening to this video and it made me realize something: there’s a culture of forced memes within the Final Fantasy community that shows not only that fans have the Final Fantasy “disease”, but that they’re stuck in cognitive dissonance.

For example, take Final Fantasy IX. Lots of players believe that fans hate Final Fantasy IX for its “cutesy” style. But I’ve never heard anyone say anything really negative about Final Fantasy IX style – it’s a highlight of the game. Final Fantasy IX is a cult classic. Fans say they want a remake of Final Fantasy IX and it’s what a Final Fantasy should be like.

I think people like the idea of supporting Final Fantasy IX’s alleged underdog status. That gives it a boost in popularity. A lot of people love supporting the underdog. I think they might also pine after the past when Squaresoft made games like they did in the old school. Yet, it’s clear that Final Fantasy evolves beyond this.

Speaking of which, fans want to go back to turn based? OK, then they’ll complain the battles are slow and unrealistic. Do they want ATB? Then they’ll complain about how they can’t dodge. Do fans want Final Fantasy XII’s semi-real-time battle? Why wait to do anything? It seems that what they want is ARPGs with real-time, fast-paced sporadic combat. But their childhood and nostalgia don’t quite allow for that. Fans want something completely new that reminds them of more of the same.

Are Final Fantasy VII fans are obnoxious? I haven’t heard from any. Some fans loathe hearing how great Final Fantasy VII is, for example. Then they project their annoyance onto the “fanboy”. The “fanboy” takes personal offense and nerd rages for what they seemingly always hear. But many Final Fantasy VII fans are just stating their opinion, sometimes even dispassionately. So where did this meme come from? Projection.

And then the infamous Tidus laugh. C’mon lol Even after it’s been explained by the voice actor himself, fans still don’t accept it in context. Cognitive dissonance.

Same with the leveling system of Final Fantasy VIII, which many won’t give a chance. Fans can’t believe the monsters level up with the characters in that game. You know what other game has monsters level up with the main protagonist? Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. Yet, no one complains about the latter.

And Final Fantasy has others, from Final Fantasy XIII’s hallway simulator to GOATFFVI to FFMMOJRPGs are bad. Fans repeat what they’ve heard for the approval of others in the hopes they feel apart of a fanbase. And the fandom rarely grows in enlightenment, because everyone keeps holding on to the same thought even despite the evidence.