A game developer of dad games attempting to flip the phrase "dadification" to criticize games journalism is certainly... a thing. https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann/status/1282762448550817792

For context, the phrase "dadification of games" was a commentary on games like The Last of Us, Gears of War, The Walking Dead, and many more that tried to justify their violent nihilism by framing player violence as the act of a gruff warrior raising a child in a violent world.

The trend was criticized, broadly, because it was a flimsy justification for smothering traditional action gameplay loops (shooting, killing) in an emotional context (defense of/education of The Child in preparation for entry into a Fundamentally Violent World).

To argue that critics responding to a game about a character's adopted daughter by referencing their own chidlren represents the "dadification of games journalism" is a profoundly cynical misreading of that original criticism.

But hey, Neil Druckmann congratulated GamerGater and noted absolute shithead Colin Moriarty on his recent game release, so hey. It's not like we're dealing with a particularly smart visionary, here.

Like I have a lot of smart, semi-nuanced, interesting things to say about The Last of Us 2 (as far as I can, anyways).

All of them require me to not say anything about Druckmann, who has spent months showing his entire ass to the internet and reduces me to swearing in tongues.

Like, between the labor issues, and the fights with journalists, and the circlejerking alt-right figures, and the constant need for unqualified validation, I have this like, JK Rowling/Orson Scott Card/Why Is This Particular Guy in Charge Of Anything stance here.