Bethesda Softworks - Dev Profile

Designer John Paul Duvall sits down for the Inside the Vault treatment:

I enjoy that the role of a designer is so varied. Some days I’m dreaming up people, places, and adventures for the player to experience. Other days I’m poring over spreadsheets trying to figure out how to tweak numbers to make some game system balanced and fun. Other days I’m abusing the scripting system making the game do things it wasn’t meant to do (winning stern looks from programmers).

Another joy that comes only after releasing a game is reading what players are saying about it. Making videogames is about giving agency to players, giving them an experience in which they can lose themselves, expressing their unique personalities within the world we’ve created for them.  When we hear from them, it’s the best reward we can get. We make games for our players; it’s important for us to know what they think and feel about the experience.