So, about writing.

Oversaturation

While I could've instead titled the chapter: "Tropes & Cliches," halfway through writing this passage, I realized that both of these things are just one small part of the larger problem at hand here. So instead, I'm going to talk in a broader, more all-encompassing term:

Oversaturation.

(This chapter is full of tangents— but it's for a good reason: To help put things into perspective.)

I'm not going to pretend as if oversaturation doesn't exist outside of the context of fiction, or even content for that matter. No matter what kind of scope of subjects you wish to discuss and talk about, oversaturation will have taken place somewhere, very naturally in our society.

All you have to do is take a step back and look all around you. 

From the movie releases of the past couple of years as of this date, how many of them aren't from a pre-established franchise, a reboot of some form, a superhero film, or a film without any semblance of romance, and I'm sure you'll find a very common pattern, at least in the western scene.

What about the very site we're on? Wattpad. 

List off as many stories that doesn't feature romance, werewolves, vampires, rich, brooding, perfect businessman who happen to be single and romantically interested in the female protagonist, some dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic society— or a setting within an educational institute (e.g. high-school, college, etc.)

Believe it or not, oversaturation boils down to one thing, and that's essentially: marketability.

After all, there's already a proven and well-established viewerbase of the things I've stated above, and a rather large one at that. So, by utilizing that knowledge and using those elements to increase the marketability of your content isn't unheard of.

The reason why cliches and tropes are so widely used is precisely because they've already been established as popular, and therefore, immediately attract an audience without needing to put in too much effort compared to establishing something completely fresh and new.

But think about how genius from a business-standpoint it is to reboot or recreate an adaptation. 

Companies like Disney don't have to spend money for advertising because the films they're recreating in live-action already have dedicated fans all across the globe, don't have to do any writing 'cause it's been done for them, even shot compositions, direction, and everything down to the point where they practically have less work to do compared to creating an entirely new film idea— but we're getting off topic.

In essence, these oversaturated ideas, trends, tropes, genres, etc. all stem from the fact that it's pretty much the most effective way to attract an audience due to the successes of previous works that have made use of them. 

It is the most effective tactic available[meta] that defines most of the scene. And in our case, it's wattpad.

Now, here's where things get interesting.

In playing a multiplayer PvP game, things that are considered "meta" are generally played and used a lot, because it earns a lot of victories.