I want to thank you for this comment because it was a reality check for me.
Aw, you're welcome!
Even though I only do bug-testing and occasional proofreading, I admit that pointing out plot holes is very tempting as well. From there, it's a slippery slope into "I think writing it a bit differently would improve the scene" until you find yourself playing narrative advisor and thinking you could do better.
Yes, it's hard to get involved and stay respectfully quiet, especially in regards to areas you aren't meant to meddle with when you feel like you're spotting a glaring flaw.
I think the best way to give story criticism is for it to be a prepared dialogue, it's better to converse orally about this sort of thing. Reading criticism of your story, plot and characters can be disheartening to a writer because cold white paper don't convey emotions and any attempt to "soften" your written criticism can come across as patronising.
On one hand, you want to improve the end product. On another, you're kinda affecting the game and possibly getting in the way of Eva's original creative idea. And while the critique might improve the quality, it might also disrupt the work process (additions to the original plan, prolonging development time, possible rewrites, general second-guessing).
Yes, but I also think at some point you have to trust that the creator in question is professional enough to not take criticism
personally and to not read insult into them.
I also think an important aspect of narrative criticism, that both the sender and receiver sometimes forgets, is that criticism doesn't necessarily mean "change this specific thing completely and at all costs" but rather "take it up for consideration," getting criticism for something and eventually deciding that it works as it is, is also completely valid.
Learning to interpret criticism and use it functionally is a skill too.
I guess it's important to let go and leave the game be as it is, even if it's not perfect.
That goes for both creator and reviewer as such, but the opposite is also true in a way, you shouldn't just become complacent with your original idea and think you can make it all up like you always do. We are people after all, our emotions, perspectives and habits change and we should be ready for change to occur.
It's a bit like that old militairy quote from Helmut von Moltke: "no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy," just instead it would be something like "no idea survives first contact with criticism," but that doesn't have to mean your idea is dumb or can't still work
