Loooong🧵 (1/15) 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. (2/15) Part of me really gets it. When you're a consumer and spend money on things, that gives you the right to complain about those things. I spend a LOT of money on games every year, and sometimes it takes a lot for me not to scream into the internet's collective consciousness.

🧵 (1/8) Time to talk about other (more) deserving folks. It's been impossible for me to work on Starfield for so long without constantly thinking about the devs and games that have served as so much personal inspiration, for so many reasons. Long, and long overdue post incoming. (2/8) First up, ex-BGS dev and all around awesome dude Brendan Anthony. The work he's done (BY HIMSELF) on Rodina (@EllipticGames) is just so fun, impressive and inspiring. It's the kind of stuff that makes you want to geek out and say, "I know that guy!"

🧵 (1/4) I'm still pretty numb over the news of Ferret Baudoin's passing. I worked closely with Ferret on so many different things at BGS over the years, from his zany robot Ironsides in Fallout 4 to stuff I can't even talk about yet in Starfield. facebook.com/groups/longliv… (2/4) He was unstoppably creative, always inspired, and he worked hard because to Ferret, it wasn't work. He LOVED making games. Almost every design conversation we had ended with us looking at a piece of content and agreeing on how to make it better, make it more fun.

🧵My God, @Battlefield 2042 squad commanders who don't assign objectives, you're killin' me. So many free points just left on the table. Also... This game is seriously underated. Sure, rough launch. We've all been there. 😬 But it's getting more content, they've made some big improvements, and it can only get better. 2042 just FEELS different. It's like the tech is affecting the gameplay now in ways it never did.

🧵Know what sucks? Game rivalries. Between gamers, devs, consoles, whatever. It's always felt so... petty to me. I spend a lot of money on games, and a lot of time making games. And I don't think I've ever felt anything but wonder, fun, and appreciation for the games I've played.

For those who read my Tourette's thread yesterday - thank you! I did want to share one other thing about it, this time, a much lighter take. (Small 🧵) For years, I have referred to my occasional and slight tic as my "bro nod"... and Tourette's as the world's most sociable neurological disorder. Here's why...

Most people don't know I have Tourette Syndrome (Tourette's), because I don't really talk about it, but I've done enough promo videos and speaking gigs where folks have noticed my head tics. (Shout out to @TouretteAssn!) Long🧵incoming! Generally speaking, my symptoms have gotten much better as I've gotten older. A far cry from my baffled aunt demanding that 8 year-old me "stop making those stupid R2-D2 noises." (true story)

I'm so fascinated by video game writing, and different studios' approaches to the subject. There are just so many individual elements, often crafted by several different people. High level concept, characterizations, narrative, NPC dialogue, player character dialogue, cutscenes. With Elden Ring, George R.R. Martin said, "Of course, almost all the credit should go to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his astonishing team of games designers who have been laboring on this game for half a decade or more..." He created the lore and mythos, the team took it from there.