The Evolution of a Video Game Fan...

So there has been an evolution of sorts.  The videogame industry is definitely in a state of evolution with the greater integration of the internet and truly creating an online community.

I have been playing online games for years on my PC and I have never been involved with more people through online gaming than I have since I purchased my Xbox 360.  I can’t really explain why it’s happened, but it definitely has.

This isn’t really about the industry though.  It’s about me.  I’m evolving.  The games I want to play.  How I want to play them;  regarding online play and offline play and most importantly; reviews.

I have always been an avid reader so videogame magazines are a staple in my reading diet.  PC Gamer, PC Accelerator, CGW, EGM, GamePro…etc.

I read them all growing up and for a while they all seemed to be on the same scale regarding their numerical ratings.  There were some exceptions from time to time, but only small ones.  Everyone in the industry seemed to be on the same page when it came to viewing a game and deciding whether or not it was good.

Things aren’t so clear now.  A game that gets a 5 in EGM, gets a sterling review and a score of 8.5 in PLAY.  Videogames are getting closer and closer to becoming art, and much the same as art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

A reviewer from EGM recently gave Hotel Dusk for the Nintendo DS a 10.  I have Hotel Dusk.  I am currently playing through the game and although I am enjoying it, there are definitely parts of the game that leave a great deal to be desired regarding game play and story.   A 10 game should be something that is not only revolutionary, but unbelievably wide-reaching regarding who would purchase it, play it and enjoy it.  Is Hotel Dusk that kind of game?  As my man Cole from Gears of War would say;  “Hell to the no!”

This reviewer from EGM is so excited by the potential that Hotel Dusk has; so eager to encourage people to purchase this game; he has compromised his journalistic integrity.  He’s stopped being a member of the media, and instead he’s simply a fan that happens to be writing for a magazine.  Where I definitely appreciate the views of fans regarding games, I can get that by going online and checking message boards or hanging out in the local videogame boutique.  When I’m reading a magazine I expect the reviewers to have a certain level of detachment from the product they’re reviewing. 

The concept of attaching a number to a review in order to give a clear cut message to the reader about whether or not the game is a waste of time has lost it’s meaning entirely.  The fact that videogames are more mainstream now doesn’t help because with so many people exposed to the industry now, the likelihood of finding an individual whose opinion differs from your own is quite likely.  There is also a trend towards the fact that people are no longer “the media”.  They are fans that happen to be fortunate enough to work in the media.  There are some pros and cons to this.

There’s nothing more annoying than reading an article; written by some douchebag that doesn’t know shit about the industry, nor do they care about the industry.  It’s even worse that it’s generally these reviews that get the most viewing as they are the ones that belong to various types of media that get an extremely high number of viewers.  These people that write this shallow, clichéd shit hurt the industry.  The misinform potentially new fans.  They misinform parents that want to take some interest in something their child is passionate about.  They push sub-par product out to the mediocre majority that purchase whatever annually released sequel of uncreative shit are told to purchase.

Onto the fans.  The fans know more.  They’re easier to relate to, and the really good ones take the time to explain to the noobs new to the industry just WHY the game they are reading about is as exceptional as it is.  Fans that do reviews are passionate about what they’re writing and reviewing and it shows.  The downside is that fans can be extraordinarily biased.  They know enough about the industry to passionate hate a particular developer, a particular distributor, a particular genre or most ignorant of all…a particular console.  An ignorant fan can poison a new consumer, a potential fan for no other reason than to drive their own particular agenda.

So what does all of this have to do with my evolution?

I’m done with reviews.  At the very least I am done with numerical values regarding the quality of the game and whether or not it’s worth buying.  There was a time when I would look to the number first and then read the review.  Now; the number could be removed and I wouldn’t even miss it.  I do the research on games.  I read the developers journals and read the previews.  Thanks to Xbox Live I now get to download the demos for games that I want whenever I wish.  There simply is no reason for  me or another consumer to make an uninformed decision regarding a videogame purchase these days. 

When and if I read reviews in the future I will pick through the article.  Hopefully the reviewer is intelligent enough to write about the features of the game. To highlight what it excels at as well as highlighting where it needs some more work.  From that article I will make my decision regardless of what numerical value is bolted on at the end of it.

I have lots more to add regarding the way my perception as well as purchasing habits are “evolving” when it comes to the videogame industry.  This is my first post regarding it and hopefully there was more coherent points than incoherent ramblings but I’m mucho tired so…who knows.

;)

Stay tuned for more…

S.