It’s a slow Saturday when the most eventful thing you’ve done is watch the pre-game show for game 3 of the World Series. I’ve been looking for writing inspiration these days as the gaming news has too been slow. Things have been so slow that Graev and I have delayed the recording of our podcast until there is actually material worth talking about; afterall, we don’t want to bore you to death more than usual. I’m sitting here today browsing gaming fan and news sites staying informed as I usually do when it hits me like a 95 mile an hour fast ball: What is it people are looking for when they go to a gaming fansite/news site/blog/etc? The reason for this thought process came from reading a few articles and blog entries on sites that will not be named. As I was reading it became immediately clear that what the authors had to say was, in my mind, so far from the truth that it was borderline deception. There was simply no way that the authors could come to the conclusions or opinions they had based on facts available on the topic. I know I’m being very cryptic but it is not my goal here to call people or websites out. What interests me more is the ideals behind what people have to say.
When you visit a gaming fansite or news site (Whatever you choose to call them) why are you there? Are you looking for information such as guides, to keep up on the latest, or to read what others have to say? If you’re like me then you go for all of those reasons and more. What is it that draws you back to those sites? Is it the quality of information, the speedy delivery of breaking news, or the opinions of what the editorial/article writers have to say? For the sake of this particular discussion let’s narrow it down and focus on what the journalists or writers, heck let’s even throw in bloggers (personal or tied to another site), have to say. Do you rely on them to keep their facts straight and do you trust that what they have to say is legit? Or, have you at least grown to respect them enough that when they write you will digest what they have to say without looking into it first? I know I’m posing a lot of questions here but bare with me. Would it matter to you if what you were reading was altered or fabricated to serve an ulterior motive? I’m asking these questions because it has become apparent that there are those out there knowingly compromising the truth for any number of motives.
As a writer, blogger, gamer, and as someone who always places the community first I’m personally dedicated to keeping it real. The thought would never even cross my mind for a moment to sugar coat, fudge, misconstrue, misrepresent, or knowingly deceive my readers. So why is it that some websites out there make this a regular practice? Revenue? Sponsors? If so then the entire basis for their existence has just dissolved into meaninglessness. Let me break this down a little more. If a game is released too soon with bugs and other flaws wouldn’t you expect someone reviewing or writing impressions about a game to say so? I’ve always been one to point out the good with the bad. Is that what the majority of the readership out there want or am I completely off base with my thought process? Would you continue to read a site if you knew this shady business was going on? I know I wouldn’t.
That’s why the “blogosphere” is so spectacular. You have a society of people writing for the sake of writing! I really know of no blogger who runs their own personal blog out there dedicated to making the industry smell like roses. People write what’s on their minds, what they did that day in their games, that their class was nerfed, that somoene scammed them, or that they hit the max level. Bloggers write their honest thoughts and opinions on press releases, patches, and anything that they feel is worthy enough to increase their chances of carpal tunnel. I hope he doesn’t mind my using him as an example, but look at Tobold. There’s a guy who has built himself a reputation for being a well spoken blogger who always seems to have an opinion worthy of his readership. You know what he has to say is always being said for one reason – it’s how he feels. You may not always agree with what he has to say but you certainly can not deny that it’s an honest opinion. Bloggers can be taken at face value without the worry or thought towards an agenda.
So there you have it, that’s my random rant for the evening. It’s my honest belief that bloggers are slowly taking the lead over other gaming sources. If I have made an accurate assumption then a good majority of people respect and want the truth or at the very least a real opinion. I’m not sure why but I feel this sense of pride that there are so many great writers out there willing to share their honest opinions and encourage others to do the same. Shame on those out there seeking to do otherwise.
Have a good weekend! I’m off to watch the rest of the game.
If you’re talking about game reviews specifically, there’s an interesting fact to consider: scores are totally subjective. Many people who write reviews hate scoring because of how arbitrary it is and because some people don’t take the time to read the review– they just look at a number. If a reviewer is biased towards disliking a game, he might edge towards a 7 as opposed to an 8 or 9 on graphics for a few graphical bugs that he’d ignore (or forgive) if he really liked it. It takes a lot of effort to consciously avoid doing that.
However, most of the pros and cons of games get discussed in a good article. If you actually take the time to read the whole review on gaming sites, you’ll often find a balanced picture of the game that you can draw conclusions from, but people demand digestible scores– no one has time to read 30 full length reviews to decide if they like a game.
I like to think of the scores as a ballpark indicator. If a game gets something like a 5 or lower on a 10-pt scale (or less than 2 stars on a 5-star), it clearly has problems. If it’s 6-7, I’ll definitely take a look at it, but I’ll expect some issues (and look for descriptions of them in the review). If it’s 8-10, I’ll expect that it’s a pretty decent game, but the number alone won’t sell it to me. I’ll carefully read the article to see if it’s a good game for me, or download a demo to try it out.
At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of the consumer to make informed decisions. Nobody is perfect and every author has biases. You can get burned just as easily at someone’s blog as you can at a major gaming site (probably more easily). Caveat emptor.
I agree with what you’re saying about reviews. I’m referring more towards someone who knowingly lies or misrepresents something on purpose. Elevated beyond the realm of subjectivity and into that of pure deceit.
Subjective topics are what it’s all about. Everyone will view something slightly differently than someone else and that’s what makes the internet so interesting. If everything were all the same then it would be rather dull. Real opinions are good. Knowing what you’re saying is a lie or a misrepresentation to fulfill your agenda…that on the other hand is so terribly wrong.
Most people are probably reading this thinking to themselves “wtf is he saying?”.
It’s funny, but I added a score to my last review (it was the last thing I wrote in the article) because I assumed people would want one. Now that I look back on it, I agree that avoiding a score system is better. I’d rather stick to an explanatory summary paragraph.
Anyway, I agree that reviews are more valuable when you have a sense of where the reviewer is coming from. Even though I know this helps, I rarely look to see who the review’s writer is on a site like IGN or Gamespot. With bloggers, on the other hand, I pay close attention to the writer’s history. Any sort of information is more meaningful when you’re familiar with the source.
Also, one thing I learned from looking back at my last review is how much the tone is determined by the reviewer’s most recent play-experience. Some subjectivity in reviews is due to that lingering shine or blemish from just before the writer started typing, rather than the reviewer trying to please or rebel against someone. I decided after writing my last review that I’m going to try to write them during gameplay, rather than after. That way, I won’t forget to mention things, and I’ll be more aware of my own enthusiasm when I praise a feature or curse a bug.
Subjectivity is good, but ranting and raving aren’t.
Very good point, Aaron. Look at me for example. I write a lot of blogs that really hype up a game I’m waiting for. I will overlook its faults, or at least try to, for the sake of the fact that the rest of the game is something I’m really enjoying.
But eventually, given enough playtime, or enough board cruising, I’ll find those faults harder and harder to ignore, like Hellgate’s repetitive tilesets. Often I wonder if reviews/previews/etc written by paid sites aren’t written with this same problem in mind, more so than the site being paid by the publisher to hype a game. I wonder if they’re not experiencing the same thing I am… early “puppy love” for a new game that fades only with extended playtime.
Now, by and large there are sites and mags that will hype a game for money. But I don’t think when you see this type of “journalism” that money exchanging is always the case. I think they might honestly be pumped. We’re all gamers, paid or not, and we all fall subject to hype.
Shit, I saw Spidey 3 on opening night… and it was crap. But man I was excited to see it.
Oooh you have me curious now which deceptive sites I’ve been missing. Or maybe I just wasn’t paying them much attention. But to get to your questions, if I truly thought a site was fabricating information to serve some ulterior motive, then I would not be back there. However, if someone is choosing to focus on the positives of a game because they enjoy it and enough people are out there focusing on the negatives, I don’t have any issue at all with that. But I’m assuming you’re referring to some sort of official site rather than a blogger, so in that case I see your point.
I’ve done this with older games like SWG, where sometimes the positives get lost in the abuse. But when I’m discussing a new game, I try to point out the good and the bad, as I see it anyway.
Yeah Aspen you nailed it. Bloggers are actually doing the right thing by giving real opinions whether it be focusing only on the good or only on the bad or whatever. It’s not like a blogger out there is purposely lying because they are going to gain something from it – none that I know anyway.
Look towards the sites run by corporations and those who would have agendas to see a glimpse of what I’m talking about.
I got paid millions of dollars actually to review Hello Kitty: Meows Go To the Carnival. But that’s a whole different story, right?
Hey man, I like the site, I just started my own gaming blog http://haloverated.blogspot.com/ but yeah, this is a nice site you have here.
Hey man, I like the site, I just started my own gaming blog http://haloverated.blogspot.com/ but yeah, this is a nice site you have here.
I’ll take your comments as a compliment and say that you’re right that I’m writing what I feel. The problem with that approach is that you need to read my blog regularly to know my particular biases, otherwise what I write might seem false to you too. And the same is true for what other bloggers write.
Recent example was me not liking Hellgate London, which I’m very well aware of is a minority opinion, based on a personal problem of video motion game sickness and a personal dislike of too twitchy games. To make my review of any use to somebody just trying to find out how the game is, he would need to read my review PLUS the review of one or more people who liked the game (Bildo for example).
This is also the main reason against review scores. A score pretends that this game is good or bad on some sort of objective scale. But in reality a game can only be suitable or not suitable for a particular sub-class of players. Some people like PvP, others hate it, so how could you possibly give a score to a PvP game which reflects the feelings of all players?
Definitely was a compliment Tobold. 🙂
[…] This goes back to a blog post I wrote in October titled Keeping it Real. I will continue to go back to my statement that blogs are the future. Bloggers out there offer subjective opinions but at least you can find a blogger who you see eye to eye with and can trust. Most of us bloggers are not out there to make a buck. We’re writing because we’re passionate about the games we play. If your game sucks we’ll say it. If your game rocks we’ll say it. There’s no publishers filling our pages with ads and lining our pockets with favors. Bloggers are the real people playing the games and providing feedback. […]