#can't say that for datv which prompted me to write this

[lizzybeeee]

"'BioWare Magic' exists to serve man, and never to rule over him." Faded words found within the pages of a dust-covered 'BioWare Employee's Handbook'

I think one of the most messed up parts about BioWare is that they renamed crunch to 'BioWare Magic'. Because they did make magic. They made such magical worlds, stories, and characters that managed to captivate so many hearts and minds - that potentially left such a profound mark on the lives of those who experienced those stories. These games were one of the reasons I got into drawing as a hobby! They inspired me so much!

We're they perfect? No. But in some of the darkest times of my life I found an escape - a distraction that gave me some comfort and allowed me to escape the stresses of my life for a little while. Something that gave me a genuine feeling of joy when depression hit me particularly hard. I still hear tunes like the theme for Castle Cousland or the Inquisition menu theme and just get this rush of emotion within me because I have so many happy memories associated with the first three games.

I got to go on adventures -> I made my own character who got to influence change in this lovingly crafted world, and who could be as daring and strong as I wished I was in real life. I got invested in these characters -> they became friends, companions, and fell in love and I was there every step of the way. I got lost in the story and lore of this world in a way that no other fantasy game has managed to grip me.

That is magic.

It's vile that they called crunch - the most toxic and disgustingly prevalent aspect of gaming development 'magic' - it is the complete opposite. Reading about the burn out, the stress leave or a 'stress casualty' when a developer left for good. Getting a job in the industry you love, to create things that you love, only to have that love twisted into this corporate psychological dumpster-fire of a work culture...

A healthy, well-run studio would not have had four iterations of the same game, their core developers hemorrhaging with every new iteration, before being dumped at the finish line with this frankenstein mess of a game.

There is no alternative to Dragon Age - it's the only thing like it. It's just so sad that it ended the way that it did.

[mythals-whore]

"The worst kind of person is someone who makes you feel bad, dumb, or stupid for feeling excited about something." -Taylor Swift

I've been putting these thoughts together for a while now, but while there's discussion going on today about so-called 'toxic positivity' as well as some of the other Veilguard critical takes, I'm finally going to write it down.

I liked The Veilguard. A lot. And I'm not going to qualify that with some statement about the things that could have been done better or even about the development hell it went through. Because "I liked The Veilguard" is a complete sentence, and in fact maybe I'll start saying it more, just like that. (:

Something about me is that I like Taylor Swift (I'm making a point) and I have liked Taylor Swift since I was eleven. And for 90% of that time, people have laughed at me for it, or told me that she isn't even a good singer or that she dates too much or that her music is immature. My own sister brings up how much she hates Taylor Swift constantly without prompt. And guess what?

I don't care.

I Do Not Care.

That may be your opinion. And believe it or not, that's fine!

It is, however, very weird when I am asked my favorite artist and I say Taylor Swift and people feel compelled to tell me how much they hate her/her music/that she's not talented. And then I am expected to argue and somehow try to justify why I like her/what her music means to me/why i connect with it.

Spoiler Alert: it never ever matters what I say.

And it's actually fine if you don't like the same things I like!! What's weird is to come into a space where people are talking about how much they like The Thing and you feel compelled to tell them they're wrong!

And admittedly, it's a little funny to me that the same Veilguard critics who say that DATV is "too black & white" also can't seem to see that they're doing the very thing they're critiquing!! "I am good and smart for disliking this game and you are bad and stupid for liking it" is just a silly opinion to have on a video game and some of them say it with their whole chest.

So if you're a Veilguard critic and you're coming into the replies/reblogs of VG Positive posts just to talk about how we're stupid and wrong that's really odd!! And then, when we participate in the discourse you created, you call it 'toxic positivity'! It's almost like you're starting a fight you know we can't win because you're unwilling to change your opinion and you just want us to feel bad about ours!!! Which is, in my opinion, a strange way to spend your time.

In conclusion: You're weird for that, knock it off.