I brought up that "heavy metal scene" example already a few days ago. When, in late 90s, more and more metal bands started to introduce keyboards to their lineups (even extreme metal bands did that), there was a similar outcry, because "purity" and "it's is not teh metalz aNyMoRe!!11".
Similar situation here, it's like a deja vu.
it's funny you bring that up because I use that same argument in the opposite direction. I understand that things change and especially culturally I also want things to change. That being said, if I want to listen to some 80's heavy metal or early 90's black metal, that's just what i''ll do, I don't need today's bands to "re-create" those already existing records. On the other hand, there is only so much a certain genre can be 'stretched' before it is more another (new or different) genre than that which it claims to represent or speak to. And this is not about identities or conservatism towards additions, actually the opposite.
Consider BG2 having a D/N cycle, many interchangeable companions, NPC routines, random encounters, etc. etc. one can rightfully ask why these elements - which for some made up the crux of what they liked in the old BG games- are no longer present anymore. So while I admit that people can become a bit too attached and invested in meaningless sectarian genre arguments, yet if you want to play David Bowie covers on an ukulele and call it metal music you would need to convince me why exactly - besides the self-labeling - you consider your ukulele covers of David Bowie metal. Maybe the ukulele has distortion, maybe the vocals are growled, but in any case if something defines itself as related to something already existing instead of portraying itself as something new or different, people will make the comparison and evaluate that claim based on their own perceptions of what makes something 'metal' or 'baldurs gate'.
That's just how it works and this doesn't necessitate labeling people on either side of the debate as reactionaries of sell-outs, rather it could provide a starting point for an interesting discussion on what constitutes the genre.
For me for instance, the absence of day/night was so surprising that if I had to equate it to metal terms, it would be like someone calling Bob Marley and the Wailers a metal band because they have guitars, drum, and bass.
