That Awful Forspoken Ad Reflects The All-Consuming "Jossification" Of Video Games

gamespot.com:

By now, you've probably seen it: the young heroine of the upcoming game Forspoken flits her way through empty fields and hadokens bad guys into pillars of ash, quipping all the way. «So, let me get this straight…» she begins, adopting the ironic, mocking tone of so many contemporary pop culture heroes. Throw in some mentions of «freaking dragons» and «killing jacked-up beasts,» and you have the makings of an instant internet meme.

A beautiful and cruel new land? Twisted monsters? An array of magical abilities? Sentient jewellery!? Welcome to the world of <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/Forspoken?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#Forspoken

. pic.twitter.com/46diiLnQ7M

It didn't take long for people to start cracking jokes at the ad's expense. Content creator and voice actor ProZD was one of the first to get in on the action:

so let me get this straight pic.twitter.com/la80aJ6gDf

FunnyWes from Bloodborne PSX put together an amusing take on FromSoftware's beloved game:

https://t.co/1CCDZjh0jK pic.twitter.com/9IpBvw06a5

And my personal favorite is this Tony Hawk-themed contribution by BobVids:

https://t.co/riyBDxeY8X pic.twitter.com/E6Xh8Vl7XJ

As a whole, it's tempting to laugh at these goofy memes and move on with our lives. After all, the game community will find something new and embarrassing to laugh at in the next few days. And since the game is still in the oven, we have no idea if this ad will reflect the final product. But, to me, the regrettable writing in this ad speaks to a greater problem in game production, one that has been bubbling for the past five to 10 years. I'm referring to the abject "Jossification" that has taken hold of gaming at its root, especially in the triple-A space.

If you play a lot of video