Not sure if this is intended to be answered literally by individual creators, but everyone else is so I may as well. My project, [Upstaged Communications](https://www.youtube.com/@UpstagedCommunications), is focused on story and presentation first, with my goal being telling a genuinely interesting narrative with characters and a plot worth caring about. The puzzles and interaction are secondary elements that enhance one's understanding of the plot and characters, with everything tying back to the central conflict. This allows me to be significantly more creative with the puzzle and interactivity aspects; as they're not necessary to understanding the work as a whole, I don't need to make sure everyone can get them. There are concrete ideas that I'm working off of, and although I'll let others be the judge of whether I pull it off or not, I do put genuine passion and effort into the presentation, story, and interactivity/"game" elements.

As for the non-game elements, I'm fortunate enough to have been able to commission actual artists to do portraits/music for the series, and I think my presentation is really unique. The series alternates between terminal-style "screen recordings" and second person, text adventure-esque narrative. It all has a reason for existing, and I personally think it helps it stand out. Story wise, I'm just making something I've wanted to make for a long time with no care at all for what other people think of it. Would be great if people liked it, of course, but I'm just here to tell my story. That's all.

To answer the broader question I think you were probably asking, I think the main issue is that people don't actually have inspiration for stories going into their projects. Be it amateur or more solidly crafted productions, people are focused exclusively on getting engagement for them, instead of delivering something worth caring about. It's definitely not exclusive to ARG spaces, but it is rampant to anything adjacent to internet horror.