* An Editorial On Video Game Journalism *
Video games have been around for quite a bit of time. However, video game journalism, especially online, is fairly new. With magazine subscriptions declining over the years, online news has become the most prevalent in our society. Of course not everyone has access to internet, and many people still prefer reading something in their hands, which is why I am hoping video game magazines will be around for quite a long time.
Unfortunately because of this online world, it becomes extremely stressful to make sure that there is a constant stream of news flowing in. But when the quality of the news is lacking and misleading on more than one occasion, it makes me and many consumers upset. Many video game websites review video games and hardly spend enough time with the select game, and it shows in their writing. Some even say that a specific feature is not in the game, when in fact it is. Furthermore, this carelessness makes them lose clientèle because we (the readers and consumers) find that their reviews are not trustworthy.
It is frustrating to see someone write that a game is offline when in fact it is online, and many other errors that are done out of either not enough research or because they just don’t care. While I am making assumptions as to why these mistakes happen, there should be no reason why it begins in the first place. These mistakes are so obvious that I am surprised I don’t come across more people realizing it.
Now let’s focus some attention on the review itself. Many video game journalists use a grading scale – perhaps from five
stars to a 10 grade point. However each publication may make a number different on their grading chart. For instance while to one a 5 may be average, another may be really bad. These different grading scales become confusing, and can mislead consumers into believing a certain game is very mediocre.
But instead of looking at the numbers, one really needs to look at how the review is written. Instead of looking at the numbers, read the words. See if what the journalist writes is accurate, and ask yourself questions. Just because you read something does not mean it is accurate. Furthermore, many journalists will complain about a game not having new features from its predecessors – but truth be told many people may not have played the prequels, so this piece of information should not make them think differently.
When it comes to my reviews, I do my best to write them in a way that anyone can relate to. While appealing to the fans of a particular game, or to just those that are newcomers – I spend many hours playing a video game before I write a review on it. I want those who are planning on purchasing the game to come with a really good idea what the game is about and if the game is worth their time and hard-earned money. Because it is no fun buying a game that you are disappointed with. Just remember that everyone has their own personal preferences, and sometimes a game you may like may not appeal to others. Good luck, and game on! :)
Good post. I touched on this issue here, but I haven’t written about ratings yet. I started with a 10-point scale, but switched to a five star system. Much easier. I think too much is made over one game getting 8.9 and another one getting a 9.3.
February 14, 2008 at 9:41 am
You too!
I agree with you 100%.
I left a few comments on your blog. Plus, I added you to my blogroll.
I’m hoping that my blog will be a good resume for when I need to get a real job (hopefully as a video game journalist) Right now all I am doing is volunteer work.
We need more honest video game journalists in this industry.
I’ll drop by your blog every now and then. I like it. :)
Thanks for dropping by again!
February 14, 2008 at 10:05 am
Cool. I linked to you, too. I think there’s a real demand for integrity in video game journalism — as well as a need for real video game critics rather than sites that cater to (or cower from) fanboys. The trouble is how do we raise our visibility?
February 14, 2008 at 10:38 am
Excellent points.
Thats a really good question.
The reviews I write on my blog are transfered and edited over at LoadingReality.com, and they use a different grading scale then I do.
LR wants to become the biggest and best video game site, and they are certainly trying.
Unfortunately, not everything in my reviews on LR is my own words – they edit and add things to their liking, and keep my name on the review – which has led to 2 different arguments already (the person in charge gets the game details from IGN, and the information on many of their games is wrong. )
This is my review on KR: AIE on Loading Reality.
Notice the mistakes in the game details, and different rating marks?
http://loadingreality.com/blog1/?p=790
This is my original, properly detailed review which I wrote on my blog:
http://silvercube.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/kr-ai-encore-review/
It just frustrates me seeing my name on LR attached to something I did not write. It ruins me seeing that.
Anyways, I have dreams that I will make it in life.
Right now I am in college, working very hard. I started a college newspaper there, and I am doing my best to make sure things are ok. We got one issue published already, and it was wonderful.
If you know any way we can make our visibility better, please let me know!:)
February 14, 2008 at 11:10 am
I used to write for MobyGames and they are perfectionists when it comes to game details. If you haven’t looked at them, then I recommend you do. They’re kinda like IMDB for video games and usually have much more info than Wikipedia. I stopped writing for them because I wanted to venture out on my own, but sometimes I regret it.
That’s cool about your college newspaper. Is it online, too? My college newspaper experience was pretty crappy, but at that point I was tired of journalism anyway. Back then video game journalism wasn’t even an option :)
As far as raising visibility, I think things like Blog Banter work to some extent, but people are so damn loyal to corporate sites like IGN and Kotaku. I wish sites like that and Penny Arcade would do more to promote independent writers like us.
February 14, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Well I suppose all great things start out small.
We are trying to get our college newspaper online, but there have been issues with that.
February 15, 2008 at 6:43 am
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