A lead Starfield developer complains that gamers are "disconnected" from "the realities of game development". In the lengthy thread, Bethesda's design director Emil Pagliarulo argues that many critics don't understand how games are made, saying, "Don't fool yourself into thinking you know why it is the way it is."

This comes after Starfield has faced a lot of backlash from general audiences, particularly on Reddit. Bethesda was hit with further criticism when it was found to be arguing back with negative Steam reviews, infamously stating that some of Starfield's planets are "empty by design - but that's not boring".

Similarly, Pagliarulo defends Bethesda's work in posts spotted by PC Gamer, suggesting that some players who complain about the game don't understand what they're talking about.

(15/15) But... just know that the game you're playing is in some ways a freaking miracle in and of itself. Normal people have come together to work FOR YEARS for one goal - to bring you fun and happiness. So it helps to remember that... and them! 🤓♥️

— Emil Pagliarulo (@Dezinuh) December 13, 2023

"Funny how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development, and yet they speak with complete authority," says Pagliarulo. "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."

While admitting that part of him "really gets it", sympathising that gamers have to spend a lot of money on games they might not enjoy, he takes issue with fans and critics speaking about game development when they have little to no experience in the industry.

"When I was writing game reviews for the Adrenaline Vault forever ago, I was absolutely that person who would say whatever I wanted about a game, good or bad," says Pagliarulo. "[...] 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."

The response to this thread is far from positive. This is compounded by Pagliarulo previously being targetted by fans disappointed with Starfield's quality, with some being outright abusive. In fact, a Reddit post on this very Twitter thread had to close off comments due to personal attacks made against Pagliarulo.

Despite the drama, Starfield isn't necessarily being reviewed poorly by fans. It has a Metacritic user score of 7.0, and a critic score of 83. Admittedly, over on Steam, it has mixed reviews, but this still isn't an overall negative performance - just perhaps not the kind of reception that single-player Bethesda games typically receive.

Posted: Dec 20, 2023 11:27 am
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/starfield-dev-complains-about-disconnect-betrween-gamers-game-development-criticism/