But is that really any better? Instead of not trusting hackers/outside entities, you have to deal with not being able to trust the site/company creators. I'd call that worse than staying silent.
This statement inspires absolutely zero confidence and trust at a time when both those things are necessary at some level.
Precisely. If he didn't want the negative feedback, or he is "shy", why did he throw himself out in front of everyone? If you're shy, you don't do interviews, and you definitely don't boast. Things don't add up here.
The only charitable interpretation I can imagine is that he's both shy, and also a doormat. As in, he didn't want to do interviews, but he didn't know how to say no when asked for them. This sort of person also feels intense pressure to answer every fan-letter in their inbox, etc. I can see, if this is the case, why he would want to quit out of the situation.
Doesn't seem unlikely. "Shy, and also a doormat" is how I'd describe probably half of the developers I know. The stereotype of a nerd lacking in social skills is true for a lot of us, and having a difficult time saying "no" is often part of that.
The disappointing part is that he apparently has such poor self-esteem, he thinks that he will not be able to create anything more popular than this game, even with all the money he's generating.
Regardless of what he builds, what industry he is in, there will always be people there to criticize. Why throw away opportunity that most people wish they had due to something that will occur regardless of the revenue?
Being a martyr only works in certain circumstances. This is not one of them.
> The disappointing part is that he apparently has such poor self-esteem, he thinks that he will not be able to create anything more popular than this game, even with all the money he's generating.
If you look at mobile game development, it's not a bad bet to guess that he won't. It's a big ol' dart board.
This statement inspires absolutely zero confidence and trust at a time when both those things are necessary at some level.