This Game Developer Loves the Linux Community for an Unusual Reason

The Linux community, in general, is one of the most active and helpful communities out there.

And, a significant chunk of that can also be toxic or aggressive to newbies or someone who tries to break traditions.

However, a game developer seems to be appreciating the Linux community for complaining too much…

Yes, you heard that right! But, that’s not the entire picture. Let me tell you more about it.

Reporting Bugs is Essential for Game Improvement

Whether it is an indie game or a full-fledged AAA title, every game arrives with several bugs.

For some studios, game testers try to spot the bugs before launch. But, no matter the effort, players will always notice something that the developers may not have.

So, it is important for developers to work on the reported bugs for a better gaming experience.

But, what if you do not get any bug reports even if the game encounters issues?

Of course, you can invest a lot of time to find out the potential issues faced by players. Unfortunately, it is not possible to iron out everything yourself.

This is why bug reports from players are an essential part of game development.

And, to emphasize the importance of bug reports, the game developer of “ΔV: Rings of Saturn” shared some interesting information.

Linux Gamers Reported Over 38% Bug Reports With 5.8% Userbase

Even though gaming on Linux is improving with the addition of Easy Anti-Cheat, BattleEye, and many other new advancements, the user base is tiny when compared to Windows.

However, the developer of “ΔV: Rings of Saturn” shares an insight where he mentions that out of all the players, Linux gamers reported a significant section of bugs considering the user base.

Here’s what he said in a Reddit thread:

Percentages are easy to talk about, but when I read just them, I always wonder – what is the sample size? Is it small enough for the percentage to be just noise?

As of today, I sold a little over 12,000 units of ΔV in total. 700 of these units were bought by Linux players.

That’s 5.8%. I got 1040 bug reports in total, out of which roughly 400 are made by Linux players. That’s one report per 11.5 users on average, and one report per 1.75 Linux players. That’s right, an average Linux player will get you 650% more bug reports.

Not just limited to the number of bug reports, most of the issues reported were well-detailed and could be reproduced or isolated with the details provided.

So, the minority group of Linux gamers turns out to be more valuable in terms of giving feedback and helping improve the game compared to Windows users.

Also, the issues spotted were hardly platform-specific. So, these reports will equally help gamers using Windows to play the game as well.

The game developer adds:

It’s worth it to get the massive feedback boost and free, hundred-people strong QA team on your side. An invaluable asset for an independent game studio.

Of course, no gamer is obliged to report errors in a game. But, this example highlighted by the game developer goes to show how passionate the Linux community can be along with the importance of bug reports.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I believe that you can always count on the Linux community. While some can be toxic, the majority of the users work towards helping each other and growing together as Linux users.

What do you think about this particular insight of Linux users reporting more bug reports despite the number of users? Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments down below.