Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon has spoken out to respond to criticisms about this hit horror series, which has grown so big in the past year that it’s even spawned a movie with an Oscar-nominated director. In an eloquent post on Steam, Cawthon responds to the haters in a refreshingly frank manner.

First, he thanked fans for their support in what he called a stressful period in his life.

“It’s true that I’m stressed a little; but it’s OK because the result was good,” he said. “I’ve worked very hard this year, almost non-stop, to produce good games for this series. Even though there may be some debate as to how ‘good’ the games are, I did my best to provide some good scares and a good story. All I can do is judge from the Steam reviews that I’ve been mostly successful; so I’m very happy about that.”

When Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 was released last week, it became the fourth game in the franchise released in the span of one year. Not everyone is thrilled by this cadence, seeing it as Cawthon looking to make a quick buck. Cawthon acknowledged that being on the receiving end of hate from some has been “difficult,” but said people should know he is not “swimming in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck.”

“The reality is quite different, and I think that people who hate on me for being successful are misguided,” he said, going on to share details of his previous work life and how he is handling his newfound fame.

“Did you know that last year I was working at Dollar General? I worked as a cashier. I had three bosses who were all still in high school,” Cawthon said. “Before that I worked at Target in the backroom freezer, unloading frozen foods. I haven’t had a successful life; and now that God has blessed me with some success, I’m doing my best to be responsible with that success. I don’t party on weekends, I don’t get drunk or sip martinis. I spend my evenings playing Megaman 3, buster only, with my kids. And I try to good with what’s been given to me.”

Cawthon said he’s sharing these personal details because he wants people to know that he’s human.

“I have a lot of flaws, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” he said. “My games aren’t perfect, and they never will be. But something more important that I want to convey to all of you, is that you should never listen to people who criticize success simply because it’s success. Being good at something is something to strive for, not something to demonize.

“Criticisms of my games are fine, and a lot of times the criticism is valid,” he added. “But there are a lot of people out there who will hate anything that becomes popular, just because it’s popular, and hate anyone who becomes successful, just because they are successful.”

Focusing on someone else’s failure–or success–is “the wrong way to live,” Cawthon went on to say.

“People who make videos bashing other people are like people who run into a public square and scream into a pillow,” he added. “They’ll get attention, but they won’t change anything. If you strive to be like them, then you’ll spend your life screaming into a pillow as well, and your life won’t mean anything.”

The upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is one of many video game movies currently in production. Check out GameSpot’s image gallery to see more game franchises making the leap to the big screen.