Fallout co-creator says players nowadays are 'handed an opinion from the online channel theyre watching' 'They find someone they just like, and then that persons opinion becomes their opinion'

Date:
Tue, 05 May 2026 16:23:28 +0000

Description:
Timothy Cain, the co-creator of Fallout and the co-developer of The Outer Worlds, has shared his opinion on online discourse and how some players can't form their own opinion about games anymore.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Fallout co-creator Timothy Cain says some players adopt their opinions from the influencers they watch Cain says players don't form their own opinion and "look to influencers to be told how to think about the games" The veteran developer adds that he's
"concerned" about the future of video game discourse Timothy Cain, the co-creator of Fallout and the co-developer of The Outer Worlds , has shared his opinion on online discourse and how some players can't form their own opinion about games anymore.

Speaking in a new video titled ' How The Internet Changed Game Design ' on
his own YouTube channel, Cain discussed how gaming critique has changed over the years in response to a subscriber asking how social media and live streaming have changed game design (via VGC ). The developer began by suggesting that some developers design their games with social media clips in mind, specifically how the big moments, like cinematics, would appear to the player who is streaming the game and the audience. Article continues below
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"Many designers like myself, we frequently thought: 'Well, how is a certain event in the game going to look like when someones playing it live or recording themselves playing it to put up as a stream?'" Cain said. "We thought about cinematics. We thought about end bosses. We thought about unusual weapons you could get.

"And because of that, we wanted it to look really good in video. And that was one reason particle effects became a big thing, because you didnt just want
to go 'boom'. You wanted a big explosion, and you wanted it to be pretty and colourful and all these things, especially in a clip because people will see that on some channel where someones talking about the game, and they see that clip, and now they really want to play the game."

Cain continued, saying developers are now thinking about their games like how they think about interviews with media, explaining that they would need to come up with sound bites for quotes that would generate interest in the game.

"When you went into an interview, you were like 'Okay, I got to have some sound bites ready, so when I get quoted, I want to make sure the sound bites are quoted'. Now its like what part of our game would make good clips for influencers to show?," he explained. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals,
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your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. How The Internet Changed Game Design - YouTube Watch On Cain went on to suggest that influencers, such as YouTubers, are no longer places people look for advice on games, and is concerned that some viewers
are now looking to adopt opinions instead of forming their own.

"Now were in the 2020s, and many gamers dont even look to influencers for reviews. They look to influencers to be told how to think about the games.
So, people dont form opinions from the online video. Theyre handed an opinion from the online channel theyre watching," Cain said.

"What this means is Ive seen reviews go from 'this game has less combat and more puzzles and dialogues for you to interact with than this other game' to 'this game is stupid and slow paced and made for casuals, I think you should skip it'. What to read next Game spoilers are ruining everything, so delay physical releases now Ive fallen for a game about fighting a deadly plague and its the perfect antidote to the industrys GenAI blight God of War Sons of Sparta 'is not God of War' says series creator 'I don't like it, I don't recommend it'

"Thats a huge difference in how games are presented. But more people are
going for that latter. Theyre like, I dont have time. There are too many games. Just tell me whether I should buy it. Tell me if its for me.' So they find someone they just like, and then that persons opinion becomes their opinion."

Cain said there can be a benefit to influencers who offer players advice on a game, which he calls a "positive side" for someone with the same preferences and a guide to find new games, but there are more examples nowadays of
viewers repeating what influencers have said without thinking for themselves.

"Thats how I look for game reviewers myself," he explained. "I look at their reviews for games I already know. If they like the ones I liked and didnt
like the ones I didnt like, then I will trust them going forward on reviews
of games that I havent played yet.

"But the negative to this is more and more people seem to be abdicating their own judgment to that of people they see online. Its like 'I dont want to
think about it, you tell me what I should think about it.' And I see that sometimes on this channel, when I get multiple nearly identical comments from people, and I realize theyre just quoting an online influencer. Sometimes its a meme, but more often its 'oh, this influencer person said this thing about this, and now they're just quoting without any attribution in a comment.' Sometimes even when it doesnt apply, which just makes me go 'are they understanding why the person said that?'"

The veteran developer added that he's "concerned" about the future of video game discourse and doesn't know what the 2030s are going to look like, but it will go "one of two ways because the pendulum always swings."

He concludes that either things will "become even more tightly controlled in bubbles," suggesting these players will stick to watching one or a small
group of influencers, "and all of their thoughts will be guided by these people," or "maybe the next generation is going to get tired of that. Get tired of all the labeling and tired of all the placing things in a box."

"'I defined a box, and this game is in this box, and Im not going to view it any other way,'" he said.

"Im curious where that goes. The internet basically allows the pendulum like that to swing really far and really fast. So, I dont know where the 2030s are going to go, but thats what's happened with game design and online
influencers and social media over about the last 4-5 years." Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best Xbox controllers Our top picks for the best Xbox gamepads

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/fallout-co-creator-says-players-nowadays-are- handed-an-opinion-from-the-online-channel-theyre-watching-they-find-someone-th ey-just-like-and-then-that-persons-opinion-becomes-their-opinion


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