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Do developers read ERA ? If yes, do we know some ?

CaptainKashup

CaptainKashup

Banned
May 10, 2018
8,313
I always wondered if Era had even a tiny bit of importance in the gaming industry.
I know some dev are on this very forum, sure, but I'm thinking more.. globally, studio-wise.
I remember the old place being referenced multiple times in games : Uncharted 4 and Sunset Overdrive for example.

But what about ERA ? Do devs lurk around to see what we think ?
 
CloseTalker

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,546
I'm sure there are dozens, if not hundreds. I assume a lot of them would want anonymity though. Me personally, I can imagine there being a much longer list of cons than pros for having everyone know what you do and where you work.
 
Faenix1

Faenix1

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,114
Canada
Doesn't ERA tend to run off insiders (I remember reading that in one of the Silent Hill threads), wouldn't surprise me if Devs would rather just be hush.
 
Ashlette

Ashlette

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,254
I think so. This forum fills a niche that the old place filled before the fashies took over.
 
platocplx

platocplx

2020 Member Elect
Member
Oct 30, 2017
36,072
They'd rather blend in so you jackasses (not you op) don't call them lazy or armchair develop their games lmao. But there are some too.
 
Alek

Alek

Games User Researcher
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
8,467
They do for sure. ERA comes up from time to time in conversations that I've had with developers. I wouldn't say frequently but it does come up. The old site used to too, but more often, I think we lost people along the way, and so there's less traffic here than there used to be.

More than anywhere else though, devs read about how players experience their game on reddit. That's why many devs have setup their official communities on reddit, and the way that 'hot' topics push their way to the top means that big issues can be elevated to the developers attention by the community.
 
Pyro

Pyro

God help us the mods are making weekend threads
Member
Jul 30, 2018
14,505
United States
For sure but most are anonymous and I don't
think as many check the site like they did the old site
 
Alek

Alek

Games User Researcher
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
8,467
Also semi-related, but it turned out that my ex-boss read ALL of my posts on ERA. When I left he brought up some things I had said on here. He didn't take any particular issue with them, but did ask that I made sure to remove the company name from my profile now that I was leaving.

It weirded me out that he was reading so many of them, to be truthful. That type of thing be why a lot of devs wouldn't want to post on here. I work pretty independently now, my opinions are my own, and I've always been 100% careful with my NDAs. Nevertheless, you take risks posting anywhere if you work in the industry.
 
Soulflarz

Soulflarz

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,803
Yes, but probably a lot less than they did back on the old site, largely because the core community isn't really the same size it was back in the day. Growth changes things in many ways, and it kinda puts opinions from devs on a weird pedestal while it used to be really commonplace way back when. Well, that moreso forces anonymity in many ways, but yeah, I'm sure plenty of devs still read it? Maybe we just got a lot more normal members to the point where we didn't note every page had a dev posting or such.

So...probably plenty still, but I doubt Pachter is wincing at the mere mention of his name in this post anymore, if that's what youre asking.

That's not really an era thing though - the old site largely died down in dev popularity the few years leading into resetera even before the site switch.
 
delete12345

delete12345

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
19,663
Boston, MA
Indie gamedev here, I prefer anonymous status, because I'm shy from showing what I do in my spare time. Other than developing games, I read manga, and I love it.
 
finalflame

finalflame

Product Management
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,538
It's a mixed bag. At a macro level, no. Individually across the industry, sure.
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,135
I developed a game once

For class

But i don't read Era personally. Just not my thing
 

Turbocharge

Member
Sep 28, 2020
230
Yeah, we do. I've been lurking on Era since the beginning (and the old site before that) but only recently created an account.

This is actually where I get the vast majority of my industry news from.
 
P-Tux7

P-Tux7

Member
Mar 11, 2019
1,344
I assume Japanese developers don't read it much, right? That's gonna make it hard for criticism to reach Atlus and Nintendo on LGBT+ issues.
 
delete12345

delete12345

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
19,663
Boston, MA
P-Tux7 said:
I assume Japanese developers don't read it much, right? That's gonna make it hard for criticism to reach Atlus and Nintendo on LGBT+ issues.
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I'm also assuming that they have a Japanese forum where all developers can discuss about stuff online.

Epic Games Unreal Engine Japan is one for example, and you have a ton of Japanese developers sharing their insights on the problems.
 
Cosmic Voyager

Cosmic Voyager

Banned
Oct 24, 2019
6,560
Bluepoint Games gave a shoutout to Era in one of those cryptic tweets where they were teasing their next project (Demon's Souls).

 
Dan Thunder

Dan Thunder

Member
Nov 2, 2017
14,017
Having seen how some people on here treat those who just write about games I dread to think how they'd talk to those who actually develop them.

If they have sense most will keep their anonymity.
 

rras1994

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,742
I did see a few devs comment about how useful the thread about CDPR's issues with how they've felt with trans people on Twitter
 
Se_7_eN

Se_7_eN

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,720
I've developed / designed for Nintendo, Sony, Disney and am now somewhere else (In the games industry)... I have also been told many times on ERA that I don't know what I am talking about and that my ideas are terrible.

We definitely read it, but most I know tend to act as normal people if they post.
 
Blade30

Blade30

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,611
Yeah they do, I know N. Druckman reads ERA and maybe Cory Barlog but I could be mixing him up with someone else.
 
Kain

Kain

Unshakable Resolve - One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
7,598
If I were a developer I'd just create a normal account without tags or nothing, otherwise you risk a lot of unnecessary hassle.

So probably yes, there's a few, but they don't say anything related to work.
 
Dache

Dache

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,129
UK
I work within a big global company but am no one important in the grand scheme of things. I wouldn't say Era is fully 100% relevant or important to the games industry as a whole - no single website or community could possibly represent the entire thing - but it's a good, reliable source of news and info for the games I enjoy and are relevant to my personal interests.

Sometimes it's good for opinions. The OTs for games I've worked on can be amusing. But I don't think anyone takes Era as representative of anything but Era.
 
thecaseace

thecaseace

Member
May 1, 2018
3,218
Purely my opinion but...

A large amount of the discourse on Era is based on the idea that this is the most likely place where opinions are being read online by industry insiders, sometimes posters on Era play up to this.

To me it's clear a lot of initial feedback on products and games amongst the 'hardcore' audience is lifted directly from Era by developers and journalists lurking.

And it makes sense, in the same way a lot of views (on various topics) are sourced from some of the discourse that goes on places like Twitter, Era bears some similarity as it offers the same kind of immediacy when news breaks.

For example, if Sony aren't allowing you to store PS5 games on external drives, you get to know instantly how your most committed consumers feel about that decision. If you're in the marketing or hardware engineering departments at SIE this is extremely valuable knowledge you wouldn't ignore it, especially if you can fix it.

formasymphonic said:
There are likely many developers who read and even contribute to Era, but I think it's extremely important for us that we never let the idea of this get to our collective heads.
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This ship sailed ages ago...
 
Combichristoffersen

Combichristoffersen

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,756
I hope Nintendo reads it so they will know I will drink heavily and shout at them if they don't port, remaster or remake Eternal Darkness.
 
HandsomeCharles

HandsomeCharles

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,913
I'm a developer, and I'm pretty active here. I don't talk about my studio/games because 1) NDA, 2) It's not appropriate for me to chime in on it since I'm obviously biased towards it. I sometimes talk about past titles I've worked on if it was a long time ago.

That said, I do very much enjoy and appreciate reading peoples opinions, perspectives, hyperbolies. It helps me gain perspective on the "enthusiast" part of the gaming community and hopefully makes my work better. For reference, I'm a programmer rather than a designer so I don't get to "call the shots" by any stretch of the imagination, but seeing people's feedback for various titles hels make make my implementations "feel" better and such.
 
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