My last edition of Magic Mushrooms caused a bit of a stir, didn't it? Not too many people were happy with what I wrote in that piece � and, in hindsight, I understand how my article was flawed, and the mistakes I made. Nevertheless, it certainly paved the way for some heated discussion in the comments section � heated because I was stressed, heated because criticism was strong, heated because I hated to see my article torn apart in front of my eyes.

Everybody who criticised my article and gave a valid reason was completely right. But seeing something you've worked hard on dissected, analysed and ripped apart is not easy � feedback is all well and good, but when one is feeling exhausted and stressed as it is, it can be a little hard to bear.

But this article is not about me. It just occurred to me while considering all the feedback I received that the same emotions apply to every creative person on the planet. Journalists, script writers, actors, artists, painters, pasty chefs.

Videogames developers.

Videogames developers take far greater amounts of criticism than any writer. Pick any game that received a score between 5 and 7 in your favourite gaming publication � Edge, gamesTM, NGC. Take a look at the sentences and paragraphs which highlight the game's flaws. The ones that begin with 'What really lets this game down...' or 'It's really disappointing to see...'

How happy do you think the developers are when they read their feedback?

I may have been more than a little hurt at the criticism my last Magic Mushrooms article earned, but in the end I can shrug it off, put it down to stress and be fortunate that I wasted little over an hour on the production of that piece. My complaints seem very petty indeed when you consider that games developers have to tolerate long articles, sometimes essays, comprised of thousands of words of criticism hurled at something that the team had spent months and months working on. Starfox Adventures was in development for three whole years, and any decent critic will tell you how disappointing that game was. Imagine how gutted Rareware must have felt when they read some of those reviews. After they had put three long years into the development of that game, making sure that it looked stunning, it ran smoothly, and it accomplished everything they were hoping to accomplish. It's easy to dismiss these thoughts when reading a negative review because to the average gamer, a development company is little more than a fancy name with a logo and a reputation. It's worth remembering that a development company is in fact a team of professional people trying to create a game � something fun, for people to enjoy playing. They're people whose aim is to please. If you spent months trying to make something fun, and it ended up being labelled 'a tedious, extremely painful lesson in boredom', your self esteem is going to plummet.

A telling quote from Conflict developers Pivotal Games reflects this in a recent interview with a print publication regarding the 'average' Conflict: Vietnam game � 'Time lets you consider things more objectively. When we've just finished a game is not the time to ask us what we think of reviews and reviewers � we'll f*cking kill them!

Someone makes a flippant comment towards the game, and you're only human � you can't consider it objectively. But, given time, give the criticism the attention it deserves, and you think, 'Ah, they're bloody right.'

The man behind this quote, Jim Bambra, then goes on to say how the company has taken the criticism on board and uses their next game in the franchise, Conflict: Global Terror, to 'correct these mistakes and 'make a hit list of all the things we've recognised as failings.'

So, you know what? Keep the criticism coming in, please. Tell me where to improve when I go wrong. Criticism like gunfire, to quote one of my most respected videogames journalists. I'm going to hate every harsh word you say � but I'll never improve without friendly, constructive feedback. If you have an issue regarding any article I write (or for that matter, any article at all), then don't be afraid to speak your mind and let the author know. Keep it friendly, don't bitch, but make helpful, valid points.

And if you like an article written by myself or any other journalist, then please let them know. Contact them by e-mail, or by some other means, and let them know that you enjoy reading their work. Because while we journalists are suckers for criticism (as well as being some of the most hypocritical people on the planet), we do appreciate a few kind words now and then.

Au revoir, mes amis.

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