I dunno, I guess because the genre is pretty unwelcoming to people unless they are already fans of a very specific kind of game or culture. You kind of have to be okay with how very strange the way Japanese game companies write their stories, character, and how they seem to enjoy their games. Do you want to spend 70 hours playing through an incredibly difficult series of numbers, spreadsheets, multiple different menus for everything, and usually at least 2 different kinds of item crafting before you can get to the secret hidden content AFTER you beat the game? Because if you're not the kind of person who likes that stuff, then you won't like JRPGs as a genre. There's just a lot of cliches and preconceived notions about the genre that a lot of people REALLY don't want to take the time to get into.
I know I used to love the older FF games, the sprite based ones where you didn't have to spend half your game watching Titus' cringe-inducing mug smile at me for 10 minutes in between my play time, or listening to Cloud or Squall complain about things. Technology has just advanced to a point where all those game animators who wanted to make big long narratives now CAN through long CGI cutscenes. Those cutscenes just happen to be stylized very heavily from Japanese art styles. Specifically manga styles these days. A lot of people just don't like that. Not to say that anyone who doesn't like JRPGs is a CAW A DOOTY player who hates any kind of diverse color pallet, just that it's an art style that's VERY off putting if it's not something you've already accepted.
The games are usually notorious for being incredibly focused on numbers. Fighting enemies to increase your level, which increases your health/attack/magic/ect. All of which requires you to do a lot of trial and error to make sure your numbers are high enough to beat the enemies you're going to face in the upcoming area. This adds a lot of "busy work" to your game. Whether it's Pokemon or Final Fantasy, you're going to be sitting in one area fighting the same enemies over and over to level yourself up. Again, it's just not something that appeals to people.
I think the word "hate" has somehow been redefined as "Something I don't particularly like or have a strong opinion about" when we weren't looking, and we all just kind of accepted it. Do I like newer generation JRPGs? Not particularly, but I don't hate them. I find myself fully capable of ignoring them.
I also believe there's a crowd out there who will spew hatred for something they don't like and grief people who like things they don't. Usually a crowd associated with liking games that are specifically made to cater to people with short attention spans or people who need a constant sense of accomplishment or progression. Much like the CoD Multiplayer. They're the one's who will go online and start a flame war about how casual games are ruining the game industry or how gay the Wii is for not being marketed specifically to them.
All in all, why do people not like JRPGs? They're just a niche genre that appeals to people who either consciously or subconsciously have made the decision to like the art, culture, and narrative styles of Japan. Not everyone does. Kind of easy to see that.
I know I used to love the older FF games, the sprite based ones where you didn't have to spend half your game watching Titus' cringe-inducing mug smile at me for 10 minutes in between my play time, or listening to Cloud or Squall complain about things. Technology has just advanced to a point where all those game animators who wanted to make big long narratives now CAN through long CGI cutscenes. Those cutscenes just happen to be stylized very heavily from Japanese art styles. Specifically manga styles these days. A lot of people just don't like that. Not to say that anyone who doesn't like JRPGs is a CAW A DOOTY player who hates any kind of diverse color pallet, just that it's an art style that's VERY off putting if it's not something you've already accepted.
The games are usually notorious for being incredibly focused on numbers. Fighting enemies to increase your level, which increases your health/attack/magic/ect. All of which requires you to do a lot of trial and error to make sure your numbers are high enough to beat the enemies you're going to face in the upcoming area. This adds a lot of "busy work" to your game. Whether it's Pokemon or Final Fantasy, you're going to be sitting in one area fighting the same enemies over and over to level yourself up. Again, it's just not something that appeals to people.
I think the word "hate" has somehow been redefined as "Something I don't particularly like or have a strong opinion about" when we weren't looking, and we all just kind of accepted it. Do I like newer generation JRPGs? Not particularly, but I don't hate them. I find myself fully capable of ignoring them.
I also believe there's a crowd out there who will spew hatred for something they don't like and grief people who like things they don't. Usually a crowd associated with liking games that are specifically made to cater to people with short attention spans or people who need a constant sense of accomplishment or progression. Much like the CoD Multiplayer. They're the one's who will go online and start a flame war about how casual games are ruining the game industry or how gay the Wii is for not being marketed specifically to them.
All in all, why do people not like JRPGs? They're just a niche genre that appeals to people who either consciously or subconsciously have made the decision to like the art, culture, and narrative styles of Japan. Not everyone does. Kind of easy to see that.
