Baldur's Gate 3 Showed Me Gamers Suck
It seemingly started with an admittedly quite sensitive and prepared opinion by writer and game designer Xalavier Nelson Jr., coming out with a lengthy, but well-intentioned warning towards the general gaming public upon the release of the massively successful Baldur’s Gate 3.
In the thread, Nelson argues that the development of Baldur’s Gate 3 is an exception to standard game development. The project was a six year long passion project, heralded as a return to the increasingly popular Dungeons and Dragons IP in the video game medium, and on a massive scale never seen before. He offers a variety of other very sound reasons for why BG3 should be appreciated, but considered carefully when compared against the work of other studios, both large and small.
That seems fine. Nelson isn’t attacking anybody in particular, lambasting Larian, or any other developers, only pointing out the game for what it is–a special circumstance.
But the internet, particularly in its sweatiest, Dorito-munching, Discord-lurking corners, has shot back against this professional opinion with offense and anger. Games journalists, content creators, and social media have blown up with counter criticism, demanding that the game be respected for its triumphs, and taken as a lesson to larger AAA companies who have sullied their reputations with years of in-game microtransactions, live-service models, day one DLC, and countless other efforts to pinch just a few more pennies out of the consumer. A cursory Youtube search will lead one down a rabbit hole of countless clickbait titles praising Larian only as an excuse to voice frustrations for the AAA industry’s current state.
At first glance, that’s entirely understandable. It seems more often than not that massive AAA projects, even the seemingly singleplayer types that should come as a singular purchase, are always begging the consumer for just a bit more. To the industry’s credit, it’s weathered its signature 60$ price point for a new video game for decades at this point, maintaining its price point despite the natural rise of inflation, though that absence is paid for using those previously mentioned business tactics.
So what’s there to disagree with? I mean, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a very, very good game, and I speak from personal experience, having clocked in about thirty hours of this chunky 150+ hour, miraculous adventure, and it hasn’t asked me for my credit card once. Its quality, polish, and passion shine through every detail, and I have nothing but praise for Larian and their staff.
But that gives people no reason to lambast developers, even for AAA companies. Most forms of media, most especially video games, are servants to capital, and like most businesses, will seek the path to the highest profit, rather than whatever their internal teams might be personally passionate about. They will harass, demand overtime, restructure, fire, and of course, crunch to meet and surpass consumer expectations, with no care for a developer’s health or personal opinion.
So when a release like BG3 surprises and stuns the gaming world, and the chatter around the release is how it “sets a new standard”, it doesn’t magically improve the working conditions or raw ability of the developers, especially when they’re working on entirely different games that demand an entirely different form of development cycle. Instead, that praise tends to shift the opinions of a company’s business, like a shark quickly catching the scent of blood in the water. All of these high expectations will inevitably lead to even more of an unhealthy environment for developers to work under.
It’s fine to want better things–video games have doubtlessly evolved more than any other medium within the past few decades. It’s fine to even expect good things when they’re promised. What’s not okay is to expect that with nothing in return. I haven’t heard of anybody suggesting a new defined 70$ to ease microtransactions, or longer development cycles to handle constant crunch, just a firm belief that Larian’s quality should be replicated.
I’m sure to anybody who’s voiced the opposite of what I’m saying, that those desires are inherent, and needn’t even be said (particularly about crunch). Perhaps they’re upset at a particular developer’s tweet or opinion, or a company for its constant controversy (here’s looking at you, Blizzard), but that singular developer, or even developers in multitudes, don’t really have a way to change things internally. Those complaints should be directed to, again, the company’s leadership. But even then, if the true issues of crunch and monetization won’t be mentioned, nothing will change for the better.
So yes: Gamers, please be better. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating quality, because I sure am, but if this is the game that makes people question why games can’t be better, try to understand what’s really holding them back.
