Bustin’ a cap in your ass
Have you ever asked yourself how YouTubers come up with their intros? Or why most of them can’t seem to see how unnatural and lame their intros are? Well, I was just about to start another recap with “Hi, Salador here.” Ugh. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I can feel myself edging closer to becoming a second-rate KSI. Dear God.
Anyway, hi guys, Salador here. For this week’s -ism, SaiTatter’s blog on review scores got me thinking: should we just get rid of scores altogether? I’m not sure the pros of scoring systems outweigh the cons. Review scores are great for helping to compare games and a lot of aspects of gaming can be numerically scored, but can the qualities of expressive media truly be quantified? Not only do scores lead to fanboy arguments and, at the extreme end, harassment (you don’t even have to be negative to do this, as Jim Sterling proved, you just have to be less positive than some would like), but they also lead to people thinking of video game reviews in “objective” terms. And, I think it goes without saying that objective reviews are neither possible nor desirable. A reviewer’s underlying bias will always influence their opinions so the only real choice is whether they acknowledge it or not.
Really, what’s the worst that could happen if everyone just stopped scoring reviews? People would actually have to make up their own mind on the overall quality of a game based on the text of the review. Arguments would center more on the points of the review, and not whether the number on the end is a fair summation of the reviewer’s opinion – despite said number also being a part of the reviewer’s opinion.
Maybe scores are just so convenient, and we’re all so used to them, that they won’t change anytime soon. I’m sure that some tried leaving behind the scoring method and saw their numbers fall. People really do just want a quick answer to the question of “is this game worth buying?” And that’s OK. Maybe there should be a mid-way point between full review and “thumbs up”/”thumbs down.” I can’t blame traditional reviews for sticking with what works, especially as more and more readers prefer to get reviews delivered via YouTube. Maybe it’d make sense for people writing blogs, reviews, and even recaps to borrow a few things from YouTubers. And maybe we should start with our intros.
*- No beer and no Dark Souls makes tomprime something something.
T- Dephoenix examines Shadow of the Tomb Raider for September’s Band of Bloggers.
As always, we’re looking for new recappers. If you’d like to give it a go, or just put yourself down as a reservist, then leave a comment below. Next week will cover 9/30 to 10/6.
See you Space Cowboy…
Blog Count: 9
