Bethesda strives for mediocrity in ways that put all other video game development studios to shame. I spoke with Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda, over the phone. “We like making money.” he said. “And if we test our games for bugs in house then we lose money. That’s why we graciously offer our customers the chance to bug-test our games for us on launch day.” This opportunity, given to gamers all over the world, is one that should never be taken for granted.

I wish I could’ve spoken with Howard longer but the man, naturally, has very little time on his hands. He did, however, point me in the direction of someone who could only be described as the most hardcore of gamers. This young man, Brett Chalfont, agreed to be interviewed and we met in his apartment where he and his fourteen roommates live in relative peace. “Yeah, you could say I’m a gamer.” said Chalfont. “But really, I’m so much more than that when I play the games developed by Bethesda.

“When I buy a game from them I know that I’m an integral part of the development process. Honestly, I feel lucky if I’m able to even boot-up a Bethesda game on launch day. When and if that does happen, though, I prepare a notepad and a pen so that I’m ready to take notes on any bugs I notice in the game.”

When this man spoke I could hear the pride in his voice. Not every gamer gets the chance to become part of the team behind their favorite games. I asked Chalfont how he felt about paying 60$ to effectively become an unpaid employee of Bethesda and he told me that “It’s the highest honor that any gamer can receive.” I honestly couldn’t agree more. If I buy a game and it works as the developers intended on launch day, I feel somewhat cheated out of my money. Bethesda Softworks truly understands that gamers are looking to close the gap between a game’s creators and a game’s audience.

“By letting our players bug-test our games for us, we give them the honor of working for a studio that takes pride in profit over everything else.” said Howard in our brief conversation. “After all, if we don’t make the big bucks we won’t be able to release future titles that all gamers can look forward to working on.”