Soft disagree, I think you're describing one hand clapping. I think that overton shift you mention happens mainly because of much more sophisticated subversion in the form of KCD1&2 (2 doesn't work without the bait of 1), BG3, Ghost of Tsushima, and most likely Witcher 4. On their own, Dustborn, Veilguard, etc. actually are incredibly damaging to woke ideology, because they give even normies an idea of what to look out for to help realise when they're being shamelessly propagandised to, and they suck.

The problem is when the masses are simultaneously being brainwashed by other more subtle shit that their herd is still forming a protective circle around.

If I thought our enemies were playing 5D chess I'd agree with you harder, and I do agree with the kernel of your point, but I do think the devs are true believers in the message and messaging potential of the games which have disastrously flopped. I'd like to encourage them to make more in order to keep destroying themselves. But it's true that they are at the same time a big distraction.

Soft disagree, I think you're describing one hand clapping. I think that overton shift you mention happens mainly because of much more sophisticated subversion in the form of KCD1&2 (2 doesn't work without the bait of 1), BG3, Ghost of Tsushima, and most likely Witcher 4. On their own, Dustborn, Veilguard, etc. actually are incredibly damaging to woke ideology, because they give even normies an idea of what to look out for to help realise when they're being shamelessly propagandised to, and they suck.

The problem is when the masses are simultaneously being brainwashed by other more subtle shit that their herd is still forming a protective circle around.

If I thought our enemies were playing 5D chess I'd agree with you, but I do think the devs are true believers in the message and messaging potential of the games which have disastrously flopped. I'd like to encourage them to make more in order to keep destroying themselves. But it's true that they are at the same time a big distraction.