Thoughts on why Starfield is so divisive, inspired by all the "help me to love the game" posts

*TLDR : The real space Starfield gives the player is the psychological one*

*Not everyone needs that*

*Some of us need it badly though*

I am on the opposite journey than a lot of you.

Starfield is my first ever Bethesda or open world game.

1500+ hours and counting.

Recently started FO4, my second ever Bethesda open world game.

Love it so much too, but it inspired thoughts on why Starfield is so divisive.

Some aspects in Fallout 4 are same as in Starfield, others are literally inverted.

The whole game is just one city cramped with content.

It feels claustrophobic.

I am very serious about the *thou shalt get sidetracked* rule.

But in Starfield it's "pull" situation. Empty space, empty distant planet, wow it looks like an antenna behind that hill, I wonder what's there.

In FO4 it's "push" situation. You take two steps towards quest marker and get into something else. You sort that out, take two more steps and *oh fuck what now??*

I enjoy both games equally, but to do that I need to switch between two different mindsets.

It's almost like a difference between being introvert or extrovert. Or between having internal or external locus of control.

That made me think.

The real space Starfield gives the player is the psychological one.

The constant feeling that at any point in time, in a middle of almost every quest, I can step away, go wherever I want to do whatever I want.

Technically in FO4 (I guess in all previous Bethesda games) it's the same.

Not psychologically though.

To people with my type of personality (group A) the density of content in FO4 feels like constant pressure. And emptiness of Starfield feels like calming and welcoming motivation.

I guess there is a large opposite group (group B) widely represented among long term Bethesda fans. For which the density of content in FO4 feels like comfortable guidance, and emptiness of Starfield feels like annoying pointlessness.

That's the real difference. The mechanics of FO4 and SF I found much closer to each other than I expected. But they are built to scratch opposite itches.

The biggest gambling Bethesda went for lies here.

They were making games for group B.

Suddenly they release a game for group A.

But not appreciating the massive shift in target audience.

So the group A mostly had no idea what Bethesda is and why this might be perfect for them.

And if they hear about Starfield, it's likely from the group B feeling betrayed and negative.

So if you want to like Starfield, try to be a group A. Like, pretend, or fake until make, or just find it in you if it's already there (as I wake my group B alter ego when playing FO4).

Or just listen to your mood. Sometimes it's a *just tell me what to do* day, sometimes it's a *I'll do it my way, fuck off* day.

Starfield is for the latter. Or for the times when you don't have enough of latter days IRL.

So make sure you are group A before starting the game.

Ofc all the glitches, flaws, load screens, crashes, occasional uncanny valley moments will remain there. But they won't bother you anymore as mentally you will get the actual stuff you came for, and that high quality shit totally worth it.

*typos fixed. hopefully