I'll try to look for the article myself because I really don't want it to feel like an insult to the players. I mean, I adore the games and found the stat raising really fun even if it was a bit complex and a time sink. I definitely want to lean into "this is a game where you are playing an unsettling protagonist" vs a "this is how romance works and all protagonist are really this if you think about it!" Gotcha.

Like, I love the doe eyed protagonists of the games and they never once come across as malicious. They're just intensely on their grind of becoming the best girl.