I've never really understood the hostility people have towards critics. Maybe I'm biased because I am a critic, but I feel like getting feedback for your work is a good thing. I always get my work critiqued by a friend before posting it online, and I learn from it and improve it.

I've seen this hostility in multiple industries now. Film, games, and especially wrestling. The attitude that critics are uninformed or useless feels so disingenuous to me.

I get what it's like to have a thing you worked really hard on not be received well. It sucks. But you take those lessons and you make the next thing better. It's all part of the creative process. Arguing with critics on Twitter because you didn't like their review seems petty.

There is a difference between good faith criticism and bad faith criticism. Look for the good faith criticism. It has substance and lessons to learn from. It will support its position with examples and argumentation. The bad faith stuff is easy and important to ignore.

That doesn't mean all negative criticism is bad faith criticism. Good faith negative criticism is the most important kind, because it teaches you things. That's what you need to improve.

And side note: I've seen some comments along the lines that critics are useless because they don't create things. Writing is a skill. Writing reviews is a separate skill. Writing features is also a separate skill. Stop saying that critics don't create. Good criticism is an art.

This thread brought to you by this excellent article and the top comment of its comments section https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/30/21307200/the-last-of-us-2-controversy-critics-press-naughty-dog-vice-review-leak-sony-ps4-playstation