imma be real with u i can not comprehend how u can hold that view unless u only play “aaa” slop or very few games at all. because this just doesnt hold with reality, i dont think i even know of a single successful indie game where the love for the medium itself doesnt come across perfectly clear, there are indie games out there that were clearly just made for money but guess what those dont go anywhere because people can tell its soulless, its also true for most AA/small studios. And while someone just fucking around with a medium in their free time could maybe express themselves more (tho that is debatable too) i dont think it shows that they love games more than someone who made it their fucking life. Also being able to express themselves more because they arent limited by capital is a far cry from loving or caring about the medium more.

Also this doesnt even make sense, most of the biggest open source games out there are extremely derivative, basically copies of popular games and if anything display more of appreciation for the concept of open source software than video games.

Also also genuinely curious how does this view extend into other mediums do u regard all professional authors are hacks because they make money from what they write, what about musicians and other kinds of artists. Or is it only video games cuz u like open source stuff.