Struggling to explain my choices about what's haram in games to my non-Muslim friends - need advice

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. I ran into an awkward situation last night. I told some non-Muslim friends I couldn't join them in playing a game called Genshin Impact because the character interactions involve things that feel like shirk to me - statues and similar stuff. When I say I’m being selective, I mean this: with video games and other media I usually see two common takes. 1. It’s just fiction, it’s a game, so what you do in it isn’t a big deal. 2. What you do in a game that’s haram still counts as haram for the person doing it. For Genshin Impact most of my friends lean toward view #2. They don’t like that I apply that stricter view to Genshin but treat other games, movies, cartoons, etc. more like view #1. They’re right that it looks inconsistent - I’m holding firm to my reasoning about Genshin specifically, but I still play other stuff where I’m more relaxed. I get why they question it. The problem is if I followed view #2 across the board and stopped everything, it would really hurt my mental health, and probably damage these friendships. I’ve known these people for years and I don’t want to lose them. I’m looking for advice on how to explain my stance kindly and keep the relationship intact - preferably without anyone feeling judged or insulted. Any practical suggestions on how to communicate this calmly and respectfully would be appreciated. JazakAllahu khair.