Jim, I agree with you that this GDC seems to be populated by shitty panels and panelists that spew crap with the conviction they were saying a gospel. But, if your answer on how to reduce backlash on the Internet is "don't do it", you are missing the point: Everything is going to create fan backlash.
Many of the decisions designers make are "damn if you do, damn if you don't", because no matter how you promise the game with give them free ice creams, cynics on Internet will turn it around that: "which flavor? because if it isn't banana split with dark chocolate, I am not interested" or "they give me ice cream? possibly is to pass on the shitty flavor in my mouth the shitty game is going to left"... In other words, if you are going to make anything so that it won't piss off anyone at all, or cause any possible backlash, you might as well give up and go home.
Many of the decisions designers make are "damn if you do, damn if you don't", because no matter how you promise the game with give them free ice creams, cynics on Internet will turn it around that: "which flavor? because if it isn't banana split with dark chocolate, I am not interested" or "they give me ice cream? possibly is to pass on the shitty flavor in my mouth the shitty game is going to left"... In other words, if you are going to make anything so that it won't piss off anyone at all, or cause any possible backlash, you might as well give up and go home.