Is it that hard to be neutral about it? I can see why something that's technically violence would not appeal to someone in the context of sex, but it's a by all accounts very light application of the fetish in this game. And it's not exactly a rare fetish either. You see it all the time in porn and other media so I just don't get why someone would get so riled up about it to complain about it over and over again.I imagine that it's kind of one of those things that are really hard to be neutral about. I mean, think about it. BDSM in general but spanking especially is the application of physical harm in a loving way. And that just gets a lot of wires crossed.
It's kind of like pineapple on pizza. Is it sweet or is it savory? Is it disgusting or is it good? Matters of taste either way. But even those that like it must admit that it works in spite of the fact that it should not be there.
Besides this game makes it unmistakenly clear very early on that spanking is one of the main fetishes here. If you don't like it that much, just play something else.
Honestly I find your comparison kindof funny too. I don't like pineapple very much myself. But are people seriously that upset about it because it's sweet and savory together? How culinarily starved do you have to be to think that those things are incompatible which each other? Have they never had sweet curry? Meat with a fruity sauce? Pancakes?