I think the heavier elements exponentially speed up stellar death. In part, the fusion of elements makes the core denser and denser each step of the way. Going from hydrogen to helium is twice as dense, but helium is still a good fuel so it isn’t an issue. As fusion continues through carbon and oxygen, it shrinks but still burns. Iron is the tipping point though because it doesn’t work as a fuel at all - it triggers a core collapse, the surface falls into the void, and everything heavier than iron is instantaneously fused and thrown into the universe.
So I would guess the lesser abundance of heavier elements early on delayed that process compared to today’s standards. Sort of like making a snowman in fresh powder and having to melt/wet the snow to make it pack vs having a little rain and higher temps after the powder to wet it
Do you wear jewelry? Do you have a nice watch that tells time just as well as a casio? Does your car feature upgraded wheels or upcharged paint? Have you paid more for fancy curtains when basic ones do the same job? Have you repainted a room just because you wanted a different color? Art, collectibles, novelties? Video game cosmetics are valuable to anyone who wants to express themselves the same as any other real life cosmetic. It can be especially important to young people who don’t have other avenues.
That being said, fortnite is predatory as fuck and is one of the worst offenders for addictive design, FOMO engineering, and maximizing DLC purchases. It’s what the annual sports games wish they could do. It’s what CoD started to do. It’s fueled by social media and by glimpses of random players in each match with the latest skins.
Subsequent playthroughs of Ace Combat 4, knowing the full story of Yellow 13 and 4 with the Spanish guitar accompaniment (even though blah blah war crimes etc). I guess because I know I did it while jamming to rock ballads with qaam spam. Mihaly of AC7 was such a weak arc by comparison.
Assassin’s Creed Unity in the post-Templar part, my 3rd experience with Ubisoft avoiding happy endings but my first Assassins creed