So I think that there are always some pitfalls of getting caught up in the discussion and everyone may go further with it than intended from time to time. The itemized quotes and liking posts only of those who appear to be on our side and so on. Anyone can get caught up in some of that from time to time. I know I have in the past; I get stuck in the back and forth of it to the point where the context is totally absent from responses, and you'd have to trace the conversation back across pages to even know what's actually being discussed.
I've made an effort to do that less. I don't always manage, but I think I've gotten a lot better at it. I'm going to continue trying to get better at it. There's certainly room for improvement.
And I think maybe that's part of why I take part in these discussions about RPG theory and how games work and why, and all that. I've been playing for decades and until a few years ago, I hadn't really given more than surface level consideration about why I play RPGs and what I enjoy about them and how best to bring that about in my games. I've found conversation here to have been very helpful in examining that about myself and my games.
I think that's the point of any analysis. To see what's working correctly, and what's not, and how things may be improved. I've spent a lot more time considering my games and their processes and how those interact with what I and my fellow players enjoy. The result is that we're getting more out of our games.
So I tend to see analysis or critique as a tool that can help because that's what it's done for me. When I see people dismiss the importance of analysis or critique, my instinct is to push back on that. Largely because to actually dismiss analysis takes an effort. If someone isn't interested in analysis of whatever subject, they're likely not going to be involved in the conversation. They're either engaging with their game or book or movie at whatever level they enjoy and couldn't care less about analyzing that. That's perfectly fine. There are plenty of topics where that's my level of engagement and I don't seek anything further.
But I think it's something else to actively want to dismiss analysis because it's either all been said before or that it's empty posturing. To me, that's a take that is going to receive some push back, and deservedly so.