"Sick of all the hatred from gamers" open letter from Anonymous game dev. via Kotaku

[Minttunator]

A part of me sort of feels bad for the guy, as a large number of gamers are indeed assholes - but if he's making AAA+++ shit then he shouldn't be surprised that his target audience operates at the maturity level of a 10-year-old. It really is like the old saying about pig farmers complaining about the smell of pig shit - or David Gaider complaining about the subhumans that populate BSN nowadays.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

You have to be seriously deranged to expect someone to shrug off death treats. Try to imagine that kind of a reality for yourself. Dozens of Rogueys and hivers stalking you, flaming your work everywhere. "But it is just the Internet!"

Well, I don't think I could grow a skin thick enough to handle that, and I've had death treats in real life. It is probably easier to get over a threat you get face to face than constant anonymous barrage.

I doubt any of the posters whose emotional capacity is limited to posting "butthurt detected" could handle it either themselves.

Yeah, having someone stare you in the eye while they threaten to kill you is a lot less scary and probably easier to deal with than a random kid on the internet saying they'll totally kill you because you nerfed their favorite character in DOTA2.

 

[FeelTheRads]

The internet: +2 to intimidation.

 

[DeepOcean]

People really care with what 12 years old with bad manners say on the internet?

 

[deuxhero]

Only 30+ year olds with bad manners.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

People really care with what 12 years old with bad manners say on the internet?

It's strange that he says there are millions who love the games and just a few who violently bash them, yet he focus on the negaative people as if the ones who love the games are worthless. Shouldn't he be satisfied with the certainty that more people like the games?

 

[Haba]

Yeah, having someone stare you in the eye while they threaten to kill you is a lot less scary and probably easier to deal with than a random kid on the internet saying they'll totally kill you because you nerfed their favorite character in DOTA2.

You'd be surprised what sort of harassment people go through. The childish ones are easy to dismiss, but the creepy obsessive ones are not.

With face to face threats you'll be able to evaluate the threat (guy is drunk, low risk), you have a face to connect to the words (i.e. you know if the next threat is from the same guy or not) and potentially you have the chance to also end it there. No such luxuries on the interwebz.

 

[DeepOcean]

Yeah, having someone stare you in the eye while they threaten to kill you is a lot less scary and probably easier to deal with than a random kid on the internet saying they'll totally kill you because you nerfed their favorite character in DOTA2.

You'd be surprised what sort of harassment people go through. The childish ones are easy to dismiss, but the creepy obsessive ones are not.

With face to face threats you'll be able to evaluate the threat (guy is drunk, low risk), you have a face to connect to the words (i.e. you know if the next threat is from the same guy or not) and potentially you have the chance to also end it there. No such luxuries on the interwebz.

But in this case there was a physical link, the scumbag knew the woman and had a relationship with her. There are weirdos around, no doubt but the anonymus developer sounded to be butthurt with generic internet "You suck." negative reaction.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

I am honestly very surprised that anyone would bother to email death threats to some rank and file AAA developer. So surprised, in fact, that I would kindly like to call bullshit on that. More prominent, visible people, sure, and there was indeed the case of that Call of Duty guy in charge of balance, who got "threatened" by children on twitter. But then again, Anna Gunn apparently got some major hate over what her character did in Breaking Bad, and you would expect those to come from adults given that show's audience, so I really don't think video games should be singled out for typical Internet bullshit.

Also, I laughed at his plea not to rate games 0.0 on Metacritic. I wonder if he's against games getting 90+ from the press as well.

I will say one thing though, it is unfortunate that console kiddies are so fucking stupid, or else their anger could be directed at the truly responsible - the publishers. Bobby Kotick could do with some tasteful death threats.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Yeah, having someone stare you in the eye while they threaten to kill you is a lot less scary and probably easier to deal with than a random kid on the internet saying they'll totally kill you because you nerfed their favorite character in DOTA2.

You'd be surprised what sort of harassment people go through. The childish ones are easy to dismiss, but the creepy obsessive ones are not.

With face to face threats you'll be able to evaluate the threat (guy is drunk, low risk), you have a face to connect to the words (i.e. you know if the next threat is from the same guy or not) and potentially you have the chance to also end it there. No such luxuries on the interwebz.

Given the general "venting" tone of the letter, and some specific passages ("I hope the idiot people who made this just kill themselves after they kill their family" - herp derp ; "insults I see on message boards, or on social networks, or in colleagues' email inboxes" - only the latter is somewhat worrying, and even then only if it's a personal e-mail instead of one that is plastered all over facebook for the world to see), I don't think the writer was talking about borderline-criminal obsessed stalkers, who can target anyone for any reason, being crazy and all. (not that you'd even write letters for those guys - Pls stop following me on the way home from work, it's kind of weirding me out. kthxbai)

 

[Darth Slaughter]

But then again, Anna Gunn apparently got some major hate over what her character did in Breaking Bad, and you would expect those to come from adults given that show's audience, so I really don't think video games should be singled out for typical Internet bullshit.

In this case, actors normally feel flattered on situations like this, since it indicates a job well done as people mistake the actor for the character...

 

[felipepepe]

and maybe think twice about degrading the people who put their time and energy into making games

People who make games are special. Can't say bad things to them and can't resell their products. That's just how special they are. Hurray for people who put their time and energy TIME AND ENERGY MAN WHO ELSE DOES THAT I ASK YOU?! into making games.

I can only imagine the lifestyle of someone that uses "but he made an effort to release this shitty game" as a argument. He probably gets depressed when his mom doesn't praise him for making his own bed.

 

[abija]

...RESIGN!!! And find yourself another job. There's plethora of those.
If you work 80 hours a week that means you:
a) actualy love your job and prefer working over having some free time
b) are showered with $$$ every day and you just can't let it go
c) are a fucking moron

d) he works in fact something like 5-6h per day on average and only remembers the occasional crunch time.

 

[shihonage]

Sounds like a COD developer - they routinely get 0 ratings on Metacritic and death threats for changing a weapon timing by 1 millisecond or grenade explosion range by 1 millimeter.

COD audience is the worst audience.

 

[Whisky]

Bioware dev?

 

[NotAGolfer]

And as I come to a close on another one of the AAA titles I have worked on, I begin to get excited for all of the people that will love our game, and I begin to loathe those who will hate it.

Stopped reading there. No wonder most games have such infantile stories/gameplay if dumbfucks like this one are behind the steering wheel.

 

[Whisky]

Fuck da haterz, you don't know me! I can do whatever I want!

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

this level of butthurt? he's derek smart, or we have a serious contender.

 

[Whisky]

this level of butthurt? he's derek smart, or we have a serious contender.

Derek Smart working on a AAA game? Unlikely.

Well, AAA in his head maybe.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

Tim Shafer?

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

derek smart thinks of himself he's working on aaaaaa++++ titles. and also throws bullshit around as a crazed monkey.
he has a stone from mars and a phd, don't you know?

 

[Echo Mirage]

Its a CoD dev.

 

[pakoito]

"I'm not cliffyb but..." shoulda stopped reading right there boys.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

Ideally, game development should be people making the game they themselves would love to play, and hoping enough people share their tastes.

By that standard, you should be able to judge for yourself whether you've done a job you can be proud of.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Ideally, game development should be people making the game they themselves would love to play, and hoping enough people share their tastes.

By that standard, you should be able to judge for yourself whether you've done a job you can be proud of.

So basically kickstarter games like Wasteland 2?