#again: sometimes we use players' well constructed complains are support pieces to push for actually making things better! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rawliverandgoronspice · 1 year ago

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It's genuinely wild to me how we managed to equate criticizing a game we are disappointed in with entitlement and gamedev harassment.

It's fine to have negative emotions about art somebody else made and express those emotions. It's literally fine. It's fine to disagree on what brings value to something and what doesn't (imho that matters WAYY much than complaining about bugs or fps drops or whatever, which are, on the other hand, always welcomed criticisms even though they are like the level 0 of game criticism but ok). Doesn't mean the companies have to cater to the fans or their opinion (what would that even mean), but passively taking anything made and only ever being allowed to express nuanceless joy is such a strange attitude to encourage? Disagreement is not bad! Conflict isn't bad! Conflict of opinion is not only inevitable; it can even be done respectfully!

also do people realize the first haters of a game are generally the gamedevs themselves --do you have any idea how hard the rants go when we got out for a beer after particularly spicy review cycles???? I'm literally incapable of stopping once I begin to rant about many game I worked on

made this for twitter since most people here that engage with my totk rants are the like-minded people my rants are intended for but i thought its kinda funny too and maybe it clears something up for anyone potentionally confused why i rant so much about it

#thoughts #totk #totk critical #gamedev #tbh it's not the popular gamedev opinion #I'm at odds with a lot of colleagues in that regard #there's this sort of blanket solidarity especially among AAA devs #that I doooon't love?#like sometimes the game you worked on kinda sucks on X and Y and it's fine it's not your fault #it doesn't even say something about you even if you thought it was fine sometimes we disagree on value once again #it's like a circle of protection to ward off the angry gamerbois in the mentions #I find it a little unproductive?#but also #it's SOO weird to have your work flattened in the public eye into very basic arguments that often miss the point #or couldn't possibly know that the Problem Thing is already a compromise on a MUCH worse version #that took everything out of the team so it wouldn't be as catastrophic and you burned out twice for this etc #so it's really hard to detach yourself emotionally #but #I personally don't like this culture of denial that sometimes what you make isn't great #or that it came from a shallow place because AAA demands or directorial blandness or whatever #again: don't fucking @ individual gamedevs or even companies (aka community managers) to complain that's rude and useless #there's spaces for opinions that are not construed as an attack (like tumblr for example!)#and of course argumentary critiques are always more valuable #again: sometimes we use players' well constructed complains are support pieces to push for actually making things better!#because sometimes devs are not heard but the consumers can be if they are not being assholes about it #it's complicated #(sorry for the novel in the tagssss againnn)

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