The termination of Jeff Gerstmann at Gamespot has erupted quite a response. As it should, and fortunately it is opening dialogue about game reviews and game critics. Some of it is rather interesting, most of it is just bitch fest and a lot of ‘I knew game reviews were all lies anyway.’ But I think it brings up the discussion of how game reviews have evolves, and that the stakes regarding game reviews, and game sales, are at a point where they are uniquely high, especially since the purchasers of games are more likely then ever to read reviews.

Here is a bit of speculative history. Go back to the 80s and early 90s. When the majority of gaming was a market for kids. Video game reviews were sparse, precisely because there was little market for them. Children, and their parents, didn’t want to read reviews of games, they just got they wanted. Game journalism emerged as ‘tips and tricks’, I remember subscribing to Nintendo Power in 1992, why? I wanted the level maps, the cheat codes, and also a heads up on what new cool games was coming out. The reviews were something I never paid attention to.

But today, I have a plethora of game reviews. So many I don’t bother to read them, I just go to an aggregate like Metacritic or game rankings and base my judgment on that. Primarily however, I focus on 3-4 reviews. EGM, IGN, and Gamespot. And I will usually go in and read these reviews, especially if I am debating purchasing a game. Why? Well I know these sites, and their style of review. IGN’s generous scores are offset by Gamespot’s more critical perspective. EGM, with their three scores for an average, I trust the most because of a long history of reading that mag, and the fact it is an average of three reviewers, so if it gets a 90 or an 80, that is of three opinions, not just one. But fundamentally it can be said that game reviews work, they are not bullshit. And with the perspective that meta review sites give you, you know when a score is out of whack. But all this anger over what review scores mean is another topic of passion. But in my own world it goes something like this.

10- an amazing experience, virtually technically flawless, will probable be a classic, breaks new ground
9 - excellent, perhaps not ground breaking, virtually technically flawless, merits purchase, but does not break new ground
8 - solid, some technical flaws, somewhat generic, probably worth the purchase if you have vested interest
7 - decent, has technical flaws, highly generic, not worth purchasing, but perhaps renting

That’s my rough and 7-10 scale, and anything below it is just degrees of badness I don’t want to articulate and wouldn’t touch. I must admit I don’t will spend by money on anything below average of 9. But I’m a snob. Games to me aren’t about the satisfaction of playing at being some movie character, they are about creating mesmerizing works where I can obtain deep satisfaction from playing. Hence I find a lot of games that are technically brilliant, Final Fantasy, Halo, etc pretty disappointing, but I wont argue on their scores too much. Though Halo 3’s 10s were a bit over the top. I chock that up to vested interest, which is really the bread and butter of the whole gaming industry.

Vested interest? The excitement, expectation, and desire that go into a new game. Low review scores shatter this, pre-ordering makes it all the stronger. And the industry banks on it, totally depends on it to an extent that is mind boggling. MGS 4 has to sell a million copies in its first month of release? Yeah… when we hear that this is vested interest. And it’s across the board, both for game makers and game consumers. Fanboyism can be often chocked up to vested interest, and I myself have suffered form it (Xenosaga). But it is the vested interest that is the center of the debate, especially for those who purchased game before the review and want to have their investment justified by others. Game journalism sells itself secondarily on reviews, and primarily on vested interest.

Indeed, why is the previews section before the reviews in a gaming magazine? It’s all about generating excitement and informing the public about a new and upcoming product. The reviews are a sort of secondary, but necessary function. They are also the staple of the game journalist, the reason his job can be full-time, and really the bulk of the service he provides the reader. Playing and evaluating the games, so you know if you want lay down your money to do the same. He gets paid to do it, and you can bet it’s one hell of a chore. Previews are the candy and dessert, reviews are the meat and potatoes. And we live in a sugar crazed world.

Now Gabe of Penny Arcade recently pitied the poor reviewers for Assassin’s Creed. As much as a enjoy Penny-Arcade, and the great things they do. I do not take them seriously as game critics, and game reviewers. They do satire and sarcasm, and their bites are often precise and sharp, but their comments on games tend towards citing annoyances and sustaining the hype. I have to say I bought Puzzle Quest on their word once, a game I never would have looked twice at, and yes it’s pretty good, but is not nearly as fantastic as I interpreted them to believe. They aren’t game critics, or journalists. Their essentially political cartoonists, who do a heck of a lot of good in the world with their charity and PAX. And the political cartoon is a wonderful, if unfortunately dying, thing.

But we expect objectivity from how game reviews, for them to see their the hype and tell us how it is, that is except when we want them to justify our hype. And game makers want to sell their games, regardless of how crappy it is. They would love to go back to the days when games were nothing but hype, and reviews were non-existent no doubt. But this would be horrible for the industry, see early 80s Atari. But with all this vested interest, especially this high-stakes financial interest, it is natural that people will get angry, and people will get sacked.

From Gaming Gourmet