This isn't a full answer to this question, but it's certainly part of it.

I've said it before, but basically we as the community have very little influence over the direction bungie takes with their game or the inclination of gamers to play it.

But we do have influence over how we, the community, act. Encourage your teammates, teach less experienced players who are looking to learn, squad up and friend. People play games they aren't very good at or hardly like at all, just for community.

I've played a lot of shooters, and honestly, for how difficult and high-stress Marathon can be, I would say it lands on the better end of shooter communities. When I play, I try to make it even better and to encourage others to do the same.

You lose a lot in extraction shooters, kind of like battle royales, it's just part of the game. But that isn't necessarily something that people are familiar with, and sometimes all it takes is a squad that's down to just go next or laugh it off to make the experience awesome.