At first glance, the video game industry seems to be about as far removed from the American political situation as it is possible to be. Nevertheless, the debut of a new blockbuster title suggests something revealing about the nature of our unhealthy polity: that its dysfunction might well proceed from the cynicism which drives almost every aspect of our culture.
The video game industry has recently celebrated the release of a new numbered entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. In the past, the advent of a new Final Fantasy game would have been the occasion for unqualified excitement. But even as the YouTube influencers paid to drum up support insisted that the new title is “the best Final Fantasy game ever,” a freely-available demo, presenting the first two hours of the title, was leading more than a few players to other conclusions.
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