Starfield's Design Director Says Some Players Are "Disconnected" from GameDev Realities
"I can guess what it takes to make a Hostess Twinkie, but I don't work in the factory, so what the hell do I really know? Not a lot."
Image credit: Bethesda, Fallout 76
Emil Pagliarulo, the Design Director for Starfield and other Bethesda games, recently took to Twitter to complain and express frustration regarding the lack of understanding some players have about the realities of game development. He also asked players to stop speculating about production details they have zero idea of.
"Funny how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development, and yet they speak with complete authority. I mean, I can guess what it takes to make a Hostess Twinkie, but I don't work in the factory, so what the hell do I really know? Not a lot," wrote Pagliarulo.
He agrees that players have the right to voice complaints about the quality of a game because they are spending their hard-earned money on it, adding that he also used to write reviews for the Adrenaline Vault website, in which he would criticize certain games. However, he no longer does this out of respect for his fellow professionals and the industry.
"But throughout that time, I actually had no inkling what game development was actually like. How hard the designers, programmers, artists, producers, and everyone else worked. The struggle to bring a vision to life with constantly shifting resources. The stress," he said.
Image credit: Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Pagliarulo adds that he's not trying to complain about his job but just wants to let everyone know how hard it is to create games. "Video game development is a series of concessions and tough decisions," he says, there are this "perfect" game you want to deliver and the one you "can" make.
"But in order to get there, in order to get it as close as possible to the vision, the team has to push itself harder and harder... often while dealing with devs being shuffled around (or leaving), looming deadlines, and creative decisions you wish you didn't have to make," writes Pagliarulo.
He emphasized that the development process involves significant challenges, including unexpected changes and difficult decisions. Therefore, players should avoid speculating about the intended vision or exact development process of the game. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you know why it is the way it is (unless it's somehow documented and verified), or how it got to be that way (good or bad)." Also, in his messages, the developer reminded fans that games are created by regular people who aim to bring joy to gamers.
In the messages, he didn't mention Bethesda's games but rather spoke in general about the whole situation game developers are in.
Also, speaking of Bethesda, it seems that the company declined Obsidian's multiple offers to develop The Elder Scrolls spin-offs. If you want to learn more, you can take a look at our latest article.
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