Trap of Dissociated Feedback

Let's take a deep breath here. Lots of pictures and data, lots of comments. Here is the main idea that we can take out of these charts: No matter of our initial perception of the release - bad for BF2042 compared to BF6, bad for Civ7 compared to Civ6, or good for both Hollow Knights - we clearly see that "dynamics" get much worse for newer titles. Looking only at those charts, we can say that Silksong and BF6 got "too much" hype at the start, while Civilization 7 got "bombed too much". We, as players, think of Civilization 7 as a somewhat "bad" game, but the more you play it - the more you like it. But because of the initial perception, we wouldn't even try. We, as players, think of Silksong as a somewhat "great" game, but the more you play it, the more you dislike it. We, as players, think of BF2042 as a somewhat "terrible" game, but the more you play it, the more you like it (remember that chart from the start, BF2042 rating keeps growing). And lastly, we, as players, expected BF6 to be somewhat "great", but the more you play it, the more you dislike it. And don't get me wrong, I am not trying to judge the quality of games here. I am talking strictly from the perspective of an abstract "average" player, who, "statistically" experiences this discrepancy. And this is the key insight on the dissociation trap - mismatch of expectations, either to the bad, or good side. It leaves players with a strong feeling of being "deceived by marketing", and "disappointed" in the game, or sometimes in the game industry. It leaves the developer with confusion and sometimes panic, which further leads to distorted decisions, which can worsen the problem even more. But maybe those games are just BAD?