You could probably research the author, but I doubt many of us have the time or inclination to do so. I don’t see what value criticism from an unknown entity really has. Was it somebody familiar with this genre? A total newcomer? Do they have a history with the franchise? Do they seek out a challenge or do they play for the story? I’m simplifying again, but these are important questions. I need to know who deemed this number appropriate. A number is just a number without context. You lose all subtlety when you try to be “objective”. What does a score of 8 or 9 from IGN or Gamespot actually mean? I don’t know who wrote this review and so I can only take very little from it. By which I mean a collective set of opinions that relate to one another in an authentic, or personal way. It has won over a long-time detractor and so must be somehow noteworthy.Īll of this is lost when the critic has no consistent voice. It at the very least marks out the particular title as doing something different. It might even be the case that I know we have disparate tastes, and so his recommendation may actually function as a warning that I will not enjoy this game.Ī critic who is known to dislike a particular genre, let’s say RTS, who then praises an RTS is also useful. I can draw on my friend’s gaming background to add further colour to his opinion. These are all very simple examples but the point remains the same. I might know that this friend enjoys games influenced by The Legend of Zeldafranchise, or that they appreciate RPG elements or even that particular story beats appeal to them. In the second example, I am in a much better position to make a judgement about whether this game is right for me. Now imagine an old friend, who’s gaming habits I am familiar with, recommends something instead. That’s nice and is perhaps in some way an indication of quality, but its usefulness is limited severely. It is only through a broader knowledge of a critic’s preferences that their opinion on a particular title becomes useful. I shall begin by asking, how does a particular critic come to have value? When should what they have to say about a given game factor into our thinking? Consistency is the key here.
In other words, to reviews, and the people who write them. For now, I am going to narrow our focus exclusively to criticism of overall quality.
It also includes questions around a game’s wider impact on a group or society at large. You can’t move for self-important “critics” (like me) these days.Ĭriticism is a very broad term, encompassing everything from essays on design principles, to discussions of an aesthetic nature. On TV, in magazines, and now all over the internet. For as long as there have been games there has been a discourse around them.
All art invites criticism, and gaming is no different.
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