Writers get short shrift all the time in pet/sim games, due mostly to the fact that writing lacks the immediate, engaging appeal of the visual art that is so ubiquitous in these games.
Sylestia's 2013-2014 Winter Festival Art Contest was judged with an exacting eye for the quality of the work; detailed rave reviews were given for each chosen winner. Nothing like that happened with the Avatar Dress-Up. Although one of its requirements was a descriptive paragraph for each avatar created, no reason was given for the choice of winners in this equally subjective category. In fact, all three winning entries contained at least one spelling, grammatical, or structural error in the accompanying paragraph.
It is difficult to believe that the winning entries were chosen for avatar originality alone, given the many fantastic creations that did not win. Therefore, it's more likely that the judging for the writing portion was not held to the same standards as that of the Art Contest. Seeing so many entries with original and carefully crafted descriptive paragraphs passed over is frustrating to anyone who has taken the time to read each entry. To my writer's eye, it is more. It is infuriating.
Because I can do little to change the fact that writers are treated with casual disregard compared to artists in Sylestia, my protest will take the form of absence. I am on indefinite hiatus from Sylestia. It is unlikely that I will return.
January 11, 2014
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