I think that's just an argument for why romance should not neccessarily be a central selling point of a video-game. People get their hopes up too much and then they are disappointed, even though the game was never supposed to be a dating sim in the first place. Again, I'm not against romances, but at this point they became so central to how we judge a game that it's positively unhealthy.
Companies should sell an adevnture first and foremost and then sprinkle romance on top.
This brings up a good point, but I'd like to add to it. Romance is overmarketted (sex sells, I guess) but will almost always underdeliver. Part of this is due to the fact it's seemingly impossible to replicate "romance" in a videogame. It is either extremely cringe, pornography, or both.
I don't really have a problem with player-sexuality, although it's connected to the discussion of "what gives the player more options" vs. "what makes the player more immersed," but think it's a big mistake to put romance front and centre. Dangling it in your face. I can see the value of it as something on the side with just enough meat for imagination to do the rest, but even as a teenager I was never a fan of more than that.
For the record, I cringed so much during Lae'zel's "scene" that I actually felt ill.
oh come on how can you not laugh at that scene, it's jank af atm with very placeholdery animations and it even fades to an 'under construction' fadeaway lol
that whole segment was hilarious if you ask me, but if you think that one's bad
