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« on: November 18, 2012, 09:24:46 am »
I do think that there is a lot of pandering to the common denominator happening, however, I think that it's more symptomatic of a highly business oriented consumerist approach to entertainment. Interest is generated through dramatic tension, and in its simplest form, dramatic tension boils down to base conflict. It is far easier for a creative studio to invest a smaller amount of time and money in a more direct approach that will draw more quick sales and be forgotten, than it is to create something that has rich, layered content.
From a consumerist perspective, it makes more business sense to focus on the former model, since it will reliably generate revenue with each successive iteration of the same basic premise. And since many of these ventures are quite forgettable, it makes it easier for it to be rehashed. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that big release titles get more exposure due to higher advertising budgets, and are more accessible due to their delivery being more widespread. You can make a heart-wrenching tour de force of a film or game, but if it doesn't reach its audience, nobody will care. The same problem pervades politics, but I'm not going to touch that with a barge pole for now.
The main point I'm making here is that nobody is talking about Chrono Trigger in the social circles of these people. Or at least, not enough people. Not enough to get a look in above the noise that everything else makes.