A Project for Game Critics

[Conner42]

I'll admit, a lot of video game reviews make me really sad.

I can't stand the comments that I constantly see over and over again all because the review doesn't align with what most people think it should be and, because of it, it almost starts to feel like that reviews are sort of a copy and paste from each other. It effectively cuts off a lot of interesting discussions people could be having, but, no, people seem to really not like it when a review deviates from what normally happens.

Say what you want about Greg Tito's review over GTAV, but it was something I'm glad somebody even thought of doing. It was something different, something unique, and it's sad that it turns out to be that way, because diverse opinions should be the norm, as it is(somewhat mostly) in film criticisms. Greg Tito's review did open up an interesting conversation about protagonists(even if all people wanted to talk about was how he wasn't allowed to deduct points for something like that).

So, I want to start this project that encourages having unique and interesting opinions. I've noticed one thing that film criticism has that game criticisms seem to be lacking are critics guilds. Different people have their own website front that's helped by this guild they are in. The fore front example I can think of right now is the one Moviebob is in(Ya know guys, he isn't the only movie critic that exists), The Boston Online Film Critics Association. Moviebob's reviews appear on this website, The Escapist, but being a part of this association is what allows him to be involve in the press screenings along with the other guys that are helped by this association with their own website. The website will round up all their reviews for every major movie by having a quote and the author with the link to their full review.

Doing a quick search, there's nothing like this for gaming. At least, nothing that can be easily found. I think this is something that should be started, and it's going to be something that will involve people helping out. It's not going to start off as something that will be fully recognized, but it can be the start of something.

I realize that this is a bit harder for games than film. No matter what you're going to watch, chances are, you'll be able to at least get through it in one sitting and have a sort of understanding of the plot with multiple ways to be able to watch it. Games are a bit more complicated in that we have many different consoles, different genres that play completely different from each other, they require a bit more patience and commitment to get through, making it harder to play all the major titles in a timely matter.

But I want this to be the start of having distinct voices. I think it's troublesome that different games get handed off to different people on the same website, which destroys a sort of unique voice that one might have because they won't get the chance to share their unique insight. I think this is also one of the reasons why people like Yahtzee have really taken off as these opinions and thoughts are coming from the same person. It's not "What does The Escapist think of this game" it's "What does Yahtzee think of this game with his own personal insight."

This is something I want more of and something I'd like to start. I had a wordpress page nearly ready as a start, but I was sort of hoping for better ways, though, it's a start at least.

So, is this something that anybody would care to take interest in or even help out?

Do any of you guys have thoughts for something like this?

EDIT: Here's the link to the Boston Online Film Critics Association so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

http://bofca.com/

 

[Smooth Operator]

But wouldn't gaming sites/houses such as IGN and it's ilk already qualify as "critics guilds"?
They provide their people with interviews, early access copies, exclusive events, cover their expenses and serve as a solid platform where their voice can be heard no matter the backlash.

Or is their something specific that The Boston Online Film Critics Association does?

 

[Conner42]

But wouldn't gaming sites/houses such as IGN and it's ilk already qualify as "critics guilds"?
They provide their people with interviews, early access copies, exclusive events, cover their expenses and serve as a solid platform where their voice can be heard no matter the backlash.

Or is their something specific that The Boston Online Film Critics Association does?

These critics guilds have different people reviewing the same thing.

http://bofca.com/

They have one movie but different people from different websites with differing opinions. They are all just helped by this one website.

That's pretty much my main thing about this. I'm really just wanting more diverse opinions over the major releases coming out.

I had an idea for a website where I would have 2 or 3 reviews over the same game featured on the same website on a 5 star scale. One person might have given it 5 stars while the other 2 because they had a different reactions toward the game, but I want both of their voice to be heard.

Then I realized that these critics guilds sort of do the same thing, except it'll be a bit less messy looking then whatever I had planned.

Sure, these gaming websites sort of count, but a unique voice these websites can provide get destroyed by the fact that you'll have many different people reviewing different games without giving much of a chance for everybody to voice their opinion. I don't want to know what The Escapist thinks of said game, I want to know what Greg Tito thinks. I don't want to know what Destructoid said about Batman: Arkham Origins, I want to know what Jim Sterling though(Oh wait, he's on the Escapist now, but, it's still an example).

Working for a website myself, we do our reviews on a first come, first served basis. So, what happens is that a review usually gets out and I'll happen to disagree with that. It's not that I think the person shouldn't voice his thoughts, I just want the chance to voice my own as well as well as others on the website. What sometimes happens is a person reviews a game and then their's a different person reviewing the sequel, and they approach it completely differently which leaves me thinking "But, what about that other guy, what did he think of it?"

It's why I like Yahtzee so much; when I go to his reviews, I know to whom I'm going. I don't want to go to a website for thoughts, I want to go to a person. And I want their to be many different people with diverse opinions.

 

[shrekfan246]

I don't think you're really factoring in these guys' work days to the equation. People like Jim Sterling have pretty full plates already, and one person can't play every game (if I'm reading what you're proposing correctly).

Besides, aggregate websites already do that. Sure, they just take the website's review instead of a specific person's, but that's because websites like The Escapist or Destructoid aren't personal blogs for Yahtzee or Jim Sterling. If you want to find their unique voice, just follow their work; Jim certainly puts enough of it into his writing for you to get a decent idea of his opinions and preferences. On the broad scale, what you're asking is what already happens, just not in any sort of organized manner and perhaps not with the same frequency you'd like. There's many reasons websites hire multiple reviewers, and one is so that they have the option of passing off a game they feel they won't be able to properly review to another person. Asking them to do it anyway seems a bit unfair.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I get what you're asking. But it sounds like you want a reviewer's blog more than anything else.

 

[Conner42]

I don't think you're really factoring in these guys' work days to the equation. People like Jim Sterling have pretty full plates already, and one person can't play every game (if I'm reading what you're proposing correctly).

Yeah, I realize this is asking a lot for one person, and I know it's pretty unrealistic to expect someone to play every game in a timely manner.

I'm not expecting every game but at least all of the major release titles, the ones that everyone is going to be talking about during the time.

I think what I'm just kind of tired of seeing is a lot of games getting a pass because "It functions well," and I feel like having more voices can alleviate that.