Josh Sawyer, the director of Fallout New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity at Obsidian Entertainment, has spoken out against the practice of save scumming in role-playing games. Save scumming refers to the act of frequently reloading a game's save file to achieve a desired result, especially in situations where failure has consequences, such as losing resources or missing out on key story moments. Sawyer admitted that he has struggled with this habit himself and expressed regret over not being more aware of how it affected the player experience in games he directed. In Pillars of Eternity, players could save before a battle, use all their resources, and reload if the battle failed, then rest to recover health and spell power. Sawyer said this undermined the immersive and dynamic nature of dungeon exploration, as players could essentially bypass the risks and challenges the game was designed to present. He described save scumming as "anti-game" in this context, meaning it goes against the intended experience of the game. Sawyer acknowledged that save scumming is a natural human reaction, one he personally tries to resist. He pointed out that in Fallout New Vegas, players often saved before attempting difficult tasks like lockpicking to avoid wasting limited lockpicks. To discourage this behavior, the developers made it necessary to invest in the lockpicking skill to access the best loot. He emphasized that quest design should encourage players to think carefully about their choices, as the designer's role is to present options that make the player reflect on their values and decisions. Sawyer suggested that decisions in games do not need to be overly difficult or torturous, but they should require at least some reflection. He noted that Obsidian Entertainment, now part of Bethesda following the "Reset" of Xbox, is working independently on a new Fallout game, with Sawyer set to direct the upcoming installment. Whether he will apply his insights on good RPG design in this new project remains to be seen.