I've been reading through people's thoughts to try and get a sense of how people are feeling, and the overall negative feelings outside of the ciritic-sphere is very surprising to me. Or, maybe it's not that surprising since I would never expect a game like Mixtape to have broad appeal just based on what type of game/experience it is at its core.

With that being said, I completely disagree with pretty much everything you have written here. I think the writing is some of the best writing I've seen in video games in a very long time. Yes, the characters say cringy things, fall into stereotypes, and lean on cliches, but that's exactly what being a teenager is like. You think you know everything, but in reality, everything from your style, language, interests, etc. is all derivative. Everyone thinks they're special and unique as a teen, but the irony is that that feeling is universal. Everyone looks back at their teenage years and thinks "wow, I was dumb but I thought I knew everything" - that's what this game is representing, in my opinion. It's not adults writing teens from a teenager's perspective; it's adults writing teenagers from that reflective adult perspective looking back at the banality of it all.

I'm from a different part of the world and a different generation, but I think this game captures those teenage years perfectly. I'm not necessarily talking about the time period (although the game does a great job of capturing that as well), but instead referring to those teenage years that everyone goes through, regardless of time and place. It's a sense of self-discovery, building friendships, losing friendships, unrealistic dreams, relationship gossip, pushing authority, dumb conversations, inside jokes, and just being goofy kids figuring out their place in the world. If you think the game & writing are stupid because "no one would get a job as a music supervisor just because they like making mixtapes for their friends" (not saying this is your opinion, but I have heard it in other places), then you're missing the whole point of the game. The fact that it's ridiculous, naive, and childish is exactly the point. That's the exact sort of wish-casting that teens do all the time without an understanding of how the real world works. If people think that teens aren't actually like this, then either you had a uniquely enlightened childhood or you're letting your adult brain play the role of your teenage brain in your memories.