Aiden Lutjen, contributor 

If you’re like me at all and thoroughly enjoy a fantasy RPG video game with detailed character customization, lovable (and hateable) NPCs, all wrapped in a deeply detailed storyline, then I can safely say that you’d have an absolute blast with “Baldur’s Gate 3.” A Dungeons & Dragons based fantasy role playing video game, the game is not only a godsend in the realm of a good escape from reality, but is also obviously loved by the developers of the game itself, Larian Studios. You would think that loving and caring about a massive project would be a no-brainer, especially when these productions are so insanely expensive and can take years to make, but surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending on your viewpoint), many companies producing different types of media have shown less and less passion for their very own projects, all in the name of money.

Watching a company create something groundbreaking and magical, only for that very same project to grow and turn into a micro-transaction ridden, expensive, halfhearted disappointment — it’s never a fun time to say the least. Which is why Baldur’s Gate 3 came to be such a breath of fresh air for so many consumers — and consequently the reason so many people started looking forward to the future — hoping that such a well made and obviously loved game would set a new standard for the video game industry. The majority of these new-optimists were not expecting such a… harsh reaction from massive gaming companies.

The discussion of Baldur’s Gate 3 “setting a new standard” initially started with an indie game developer tweeting that “indie game companies and small teams shouldn’t be held to the same level as Larian Studios.” This part is a no-brainer obviously: smaller team, less people, less money, less time. Problems began to arise, however, when developers and leaders from massive gaming companies like Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft chimed in to say that they also shouldn’t be held to the same standards, despite having millions of dollars in their pockets and literally being some of the gaming studios gamers have been complaining about releasing horrible games. Yikes!

These people decide to double down on their lackluster, overpriced, glitchy, unremarkable games that they produce as fast as humanly possible to suck out as much money out of their fans as they possibly can and go “Sure, Baldur’s Gate 3 is good, but don’t ever expect a game like it from us, you’re just asking for too much now!”… Interesting.

With that being said, it’s good to note that when I say “developers” in regards to these large gaming companies producing products with only the purpose of gaining as much money as possible, I am upset with the higher-ups and people in power in said companies, not the coders, artists, programmers, designers and other working class individuals who are simply following the orders from up top. It’s the people at the very top of the chain that need to feel the fanbase’s anger and displeasure, for they are the ones making the decisions in the interest of only money instead of telling a story and creating a work of art for any and all to immerse themselves in and enjoy.