The debate over Final Fantasy VII Remake is between the rational and the irrational.
Now, I don’t mean the smart and stupid. Smart people can hold very irrational beliefs, like thinking that a deities is talking through nature to them, or letting their favorite color dictate their preferences. Stupid people can hold very rational beliefs, such as carrying an umbrella outside just in case it rains, or always having enough money on hand just in case they need it.
No, I’m talking the difference between thinking and feeling.
Think of a child and a parent. A child thinks “I want to go to a theme park. The mascots! The rides! The candy! Yay!!!”A parent says “While I think this theme park will provide a nice break for me and my kids, I have to plan out trip. When do we leave? How many days will we be gone. Should we pack in advance? Where should I make reservations. Should I buy tickets now? How much can we budget for food? Should I allocate money for any souvenirs? Do we have enough money for this?”
This is essentially the environment surrounding all video games, but especially with the Final Fantasy fandom. We have fans of hype, who are excited for Final Fantasy simply because everyone was excited for Final Fantasy. They may not have even played the original game before. But when they saw the compilation of people screaming in ecstatic jubilation, they screamed too. Why? Because they were excited. Why were they excited? WHy not, everyone else was. So now they want the remake.
“Yay! Cloud Strife! Awesome graphics! It sounds so good. Plays well!”
But there are fans who, while they might have cracked an approving smile, still have questions.
This looks good, but will there be another game?
If so, when?
How many?
How will data saves carry over?
Does the remake need to be this long?
Why only Midgar?
How will the length of the remake affect the pacing of the narrative?
Is there a writing problem with the dialogue?
Will there be translation errors?
Will I cringe at the dialogue?
Who are all of these new people and how do they serve the narrative?
Will a better utilization of my money be saving it for the whole package, or should I buy the Playstation 4 version?
Will there be a Playstation 5 version?
Of course, don’t ask questions. Just consume product and be excited for next product.
The rational always ask whether or not it’s worth it to invest in something at the moment. The irrational does not ask question. They just consume product and get excited for next product.
Why is this? What you have to understand, is that corporations have succeeded at brainwashing people into parrots with talking points. What’s sensible is to save your money. When you play the game it’ll still be new to you. Everyone should wisely spend their money, and hold Square Enix to making the best product possible.
Yet everyone else tries to make others feel bad for not spending their money just to get the new thing. To not be apart of the “in-crowd”. They’ve literally become corporate zombie shills for a company they don’t work for. If one doesn’t give the company their money, these fans feel the need to ridicule you until you step in line.
If people knew the implication of acting like a drone/hand puppet for a company that doesn’t acknowledge them as an employee, they’d be horrified at how far gone they are. They’d feel depressed. And then they’d wake up.