Starfield’s design director says some players are “disconnected” from how games are made, “yet they speak with complete authority”
Starfield's design director Emil Pagliarulo has called out critics who are “disconnected” from the way games are made.
In a recent one X (formerly Twitter), Pagliarulo shared his thoughts on game criticism, saying that while it is fair and he recognizes that consumers have the right to complain, some players are unfamiliar with the realities of game development (via PC gamer).
“Funny how disconnected some players are from the realities of game development, and yet they speak with complete authority,” Pagliarulo wrote. “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 know anyway?” Not much.
“Part of me really gets it. If you're a consumer and you spend money on things, you have a right to complain about those things. I spend a LOT of money on games every year, and sometimes it costs me a lot not to shouting into the collective consciousness of the internet.”
The developer goes on to say that he personally doesn't complain about games on social media because he knows how hard it is to make them and he has too much respect for fellow developers, as well as the fact that he works for a studio and “It wouldn't cool and unprofessional of me to do that. But sometimes I want to. Oh boy.”
Pagliarulo goes further and laments the time he wrote game reviews for the website Adrenaline Vault, explaining that he “said everything I wanted about a game, good or bad”, and labeled himself “a sarcastic bastard” if the criticism was bad.
“But during that time, I really had no idea what game development actually looked like,” he adds. “How hard the designers, programmers, artists, producers and everyone else worked. The struggle to bring a vision to life with constantly changing resources. The stress.”
After a few more tweets, Pagliarulo says he's not trying to change anyone's mind: “But given my position, I can't share the truth. And that truth is that no one sets out to make a bad game. And most game developers are incredibly talented… even if the game they release is not up to par.”
Finally, the design director says that people can dislike or even completely hate a game: “But 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 this point.” be that way (good or bad).
“Chances are that unless you've made a game yourself, you don't know who made certain decisions; who did specific work; how many people were actually available to do that work; when there were challenges; or how often you had to do that; overcome the technology itself (it is HUGE).”
Pagliarulo doesn't talk about it specifically Starfieldbut it's hard to ignore that the game has received its fair share of criticism since the game's launch.
One video from the popular YouTuber NakeyJakey went viral days ago, with its creator calling Bethesda's sci-fi RPG “outdated.” It's possible that the developer's thread was inspired by the conversation sparked by the video.
In other news, Bethesda has confirmed that news Starfield New features are coming and players can expect them to arrive approximately every six weeks “with a regular series of fixes and updates.”
For more information, check out our list of the best RPGsas well as our list of the best story games from 2023.