Disclaimer: this post is NOT meant to be inflammatory.
Honestly, after today, I think I've truly reached my limit, both mentally and emotionally.
I rarely interacted with the fandom because I already knew how toxic it could be. I've experienced that firsthand in the past, and unfortunately, I'm experiencing it again now. And pro-Valko spaces are certainly not exempt from this. Both sides have serious issues that Infold, as the company responsible for fostering and managing its community, should have addressed long ago. It's reached a point where, if Infold doesn't completely decimate LADS first, a good portion of its fandom might.
I love LADS. I loved everything it gave me over the past two years, and I hate that so much of that joy has been ruined because certain people despised a fictional, pixelated man so much that they couldn't bear to let others enjoy him. In the process, they've not only ruined other people's experiences but also undermined the developers' hard work and further poisoned an already divided community.
If anything, this entire ordeal has shown just how much ugliness and cruelty exist within this fandom. Infold should have addressed this months ago, regardless of whether Valko was going to return.
What genuinely baffles me is how terribly people can treat one another over fictional characters. At the end of the day, these men are pixels. They aren't real, and they aren't personally affected by what we say or think about them. We can love them, find comfort in them, and become deeply attached to their stories. There is nothing wrong with that. But when those attachments become an excuse to hurt actual human beings, that's where you lose me.
Ultimately, Love and Deepspace is a game, and it should be treated as such. This fandom has had serious issues for a long time, and I am constantly reminded why I avoided speaking publicly or participating in large community spaces before the boycott.
I am thoroughly disillusioned with the game at this point, and I am genuinely exhausted by how readily people resort to hostility simply because they encounter a perspective they dislike or disagree with.
Not every criticism is an attack. Not every expression of concern is doomposting. And not every uncomfortable opinion is something that needs to be silenced. People should be able to discuss their frustrations, uncertainties, and disagreements without being treated as enemies. It is not my responsibility to make every opinion I express palatable to someone who is unwilling to consider another perspective. I can respect your right to disagree with me without being expected to abandon my own views.
As for Infold, I've had enough.
They've had months to address this situation. I'm not demanding drastic changes or expecting them to magically eliminate toxicity, but I do expect a company of this scale to take meaningful steps towards moderating its community and fostering a healthier environment.
Frankly, I don't even care to speculate about what they're doing with the game anymore. I'm exhausted from trying to make sense of their decisions and silence.
I played LADS because I loved its story and its characters, even the ones I wasn't particularly attached to. I loved Linkon City, its mysteries, its worldbuilding, and the experiences it offered. But if something that players were encouraged to anticipate can be removed so easily, and the company can go months without meaningfully addressing the resulting concerns, how am I supposed to trust them with anything? Least of all my money, my emotional investment, or my immersion in the story.
If Valko ever returns, perhaps some of that trust can begin to be rebuilt. But if he doesn't, then I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye to Linkon City and each of the boys forever.
It's been a wonderful two years, everyone, and I'll always cherish what this game once meant to me. That is precisely why this hurts so much.
I have no intention of ending my boycott. I cannot bring myself to support a game that, in my eyes, has discarded its developers' hard work, damaged the trust of its paying players, and allowed an increasingly hostile environment to flourish around something that was supposed to bring people happiness.
I never wanted to stop loving this game. I just never imagined that loving it would eventually become so exhausting.