Former BioWare director Mark Darrah, best known for his work on the Dragon Age franchise (having departed in 2020 but later contributing to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as a consultant), recently released a video titled "Your $70 Doesn't Buy the Right to Abuse."  In it, he dissects the problematic trend of blaming individual developers for perceived game flaws, emphasizing how legitimate criticism frequently devolves into personal attacks and online harassment.

The video focuses on the unhealthy ecosystem where players resort to social media to harass developers over game shortcomings. Darrah acknowledges the vital role of constructive feedback in game improvement, but he stresses that online aggressors often unleash their vitriol without any understanding of the development process. He elaborates on how project management issues, flawed high-level decisions, or even simple bad luck can contribute to a game not meeting expectations. Darrah points out that leadership should act as a lightning rod for criticism, yet online outrage often targets readily accessible developers on social media—even if they have no decision-making power over the aspects being criticized.

Darrah makes a passionate plea:

"Be human.  Be empathetic. Stop the abuse.  Stop celebrating people losing their jobs when you don't even know the root cause of your anger.  People deserve better.  If you cannot offer this empathy, disconnect.  You have every right to your opinion. You have every right to be mad about a game you bought. You paid for it. But it's a game. Above all else, do it without cruelty. Do it without targeting individuals.  Do it without causing harm.  Do it without cheering for other people’s misery. Give your feedback to the game company. Tell them what you like and don't like.  That's how you get better games. But when you target individual developers, you’re out of line - and often directing your anger at the wrong people."