Gaming Reviews are an essential part of the video game industry. It is a benchmark on how people perceive a game and it even shapes the viewer’s first impressions about a title. However, the very thing that makes it a good thing also has its negatives. Praise and criticism are two sides of the same coin. That is even more evident when it comes to a game’s criticism, as sometimes players are not affected by reviews of a title and other times it determines its fate.
Over the years, reviews have gotten biased due to the nature of marketing and paid reviews. However, people have also adjusted their expectations according to a media house’s reputation. The question is, do these reviews still determine if people buy the title or not? Let us find out.
Contents
- How Gaming Reviews Affect People’s Perception of a Title: An Analysis
- The Importance of an Unbiased Game Review
- Paid Reviews and How Gamers Get Affected By It
- How Game Reviewers are Affected by Reviews
- The Halo Effect in Video Game Reviews
- The Point and Process of a Consumer Searching for a Game Review
- The Verdict
How Gaming Reviews Affect People’s Perception of a Title: An Analysis
Game Reviews have been a staple ever since IGN fast started reviewing games back in the early 2000s or even when blogging was a new way to earn an income. People would usually search the game online and look for reviews. Most of the time, people would look for a title because they heard about it from a friend or through word of mouth. Extensive recommendations did not exist back then. Players had to find out popular franchises and titles through trial and error.
Ever since then, reviews have been deeply rooted in gaming culture. Whenever a major AAA title is released, the major media houses are on it to deconstruct every single part of it. They review the game and weigh the pros and cons. By the end of the article or video, the consumers have an image of the game formed and that is solidified by the rating the reviewers provide. That rating is a make-or-break for the game.
Because the reviewers are popular and their reach is wide, the people take their word for it which can make the game a blockbuster or a dud. That is why, the value of an unbiased game review is tenfold since it steers the community in the right direction while maintaining integrity.
The Importance of an Unbiased Game Review
There are simple structures to an unbiased game review. The game’s whole structure should be put under a microscope. The common elements for games nowadays are combat, music, customization, story, graphics, accessibility, and the reputation of previous titles if any. Now, the reputation of previous titles can lead to a bias which we will talk about later but it is a making or breaking point as well.
A typical game is judged on its art, execution, playability, and narrative. If all of these points are covered, it makes for an in-depth review. However, media houses tend to place their scores during the start of the review. That in itself is enough for most gamers to know how the game is. Not to mention their whole opinion and first impression of the game changes by seeing that number.
Essentially, players click off the review and never think about the game again without even experiencing the game for themselves. This can rob players of good experiences and the developers of an honest payday.
Paid Reviews and How Gamers Get Affected By It
It’s simple, media houses have to earn a living somehow, and sometimes, paid reviews are an equivalent exchange of value. The developers and publishers of the game get an incentivized review of the game while the media houses get to earn a living. However, that incentivized review can be a bad thing for the consumers who are thinking of buying the game.
It can affect their whole perception of the title which can coerce them into buying the title. However, once they do get their hands on it, they might think the actual game is not worth it or is “not for them.”
The blueprint of a transparent review is simple. It highlights the game’s positive parts while also criticizing the negative. However, it does not coerce people into buying the game. Like a news piece, it reports facts but that depends on how the media house presents reviews. Most also consider the reviewer’s opinion which is perfectly fine.
However, it can still steer an individual’s opinion since it comes from an organization that has been influencing the audiences for a while so their word could set in stone the fate of the game. There is no way to “do it right” because someone or the other is bound to be critical no matter what it is.
How Game Reviewers are Affected by Reviews
The gamers themselves reading or watching reviews are not the only ones who are affected by them. The reviewers themselves become a victims even though they are making the content. But how does that happen? The media houses that make the game reviews have a ton of faithful viewers who take their word quite seriously due to their reputation.
There is pressure to do justice to the games they review for the developers and the readers/viewers. Sites like IGN have tons of viewership and most of them consider their reviews as the final verdict before deciding to buy the game. Reviewing games properly, considering each aspect, and weighing pros and cons is quite difficult nowadays considering the emotional depth of AAA games.
Due to that, these games develop quite a fanbase. When the reviewers go against it, there is a vast amount of backlash. There are even sites like Metacritic that review games based on the consensus of the public. That system can be good but it hampers individual opinion. It is impossible to satisfy every single person on the internet. Even if a small percentage of viewers get angry, it can be difficult for both the reviewers and the game’s future.
The Halo Effect in Video Game Reviews
The Halo Effect is quite prevalent in not only video game reviews but also in general. Essentially, it means that if a franchise produces good titles, no matter how bad its new title is, it will get good reviews because of the reputation of its previous games. Some games that received good reviews but are questionable include Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (the original), the original Resident Evil, and Far Cry 4.
However, the reverse is also true. Good games also get bombed with bad reviews or don’t sell as much due to other overhyped titles. Some of them are Batman: Arkham Origins, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Beyond Two Souls, Dying Light, and Mad Max. However, this is not just an effect seen in some games. It is quite prevalent and both of these can be quite deadly for a game’s life cycle. It can upset years’ worth of effort on the side of the developers.
The Point and Process of a Consumer Searching for a Game Review
When a person wants to buy a game, the first thought in their mind is to check what their peers think of the title. They go to Google, search for the game’s name, and look for a review. There are tons of reviews out there for the game already. Multiple media houses have already posted a review of it. By chance, it is a low review, the interested gamer will not even think twice about the game and not purchase it instead of seeing it for themselves.
They will even resist talking about it online even if they are interested in the concept of the game. These little happenings affect the purchasing decisions of the gamers. In addition, they can also pirate the game due to bad reviews because they do not want to invest in the game themselves. That is one of the most important reasons why most video game sales go down even if the games are good.
The Verdict
A lot of gaming reviews highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly side of video games. However, the players tend to reflect the same opinion as the reviewer due to the nature of these reviews. This happens even before they try the game for themselves first. The best thing to do would be to consider the opinions of the ones reviewing while also conducting thorough research on the game before buying.
If you are already a fan of the franchise, trust that the developers will do a righteous job but don’t purchase it directly. Check gameplay or any other reviews for a thorough deep dive. There are many factors to consider so ensure that the game checks most of the boxes. Do not blindly trust any gaming reviews from any media house and do your research.
