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It really pays to be a reviewer sometimes
- Thread starter Theorry
- Start date
So you want us just to say "that's some cools swag"? I like the discussion about the game reviews and journalism in this thread more, gives me an insight especially from people here that is actually in the industry themselves.
I thought game testing would be fun and then I got a job testing watch dogs and it was terrible (not the game the experience). I made 10 bucks and was supposed to come back again but quit and never did.
I imagine reviewing would be similar i that I would think it was great until I actually did it.
I imagine reviewing would be similar i that I would think it was great until I actually did it.
Another perk would be the game community is so patient and understanding that if you have a game a 70 and everyone else gave it a 93 the community would say politely "yes this is a bit of an outlier and it will effect the metacritic score but let's remember these are just opinions and they will vary and this won't effect my enjoyment of the game."
It's not very fun. You crunch hard to try and beat a game or get as close to beating it as possible all while trying to do other work at the same time. Juggling this stuff back and forth isn't ideal. Also you get sick of games real fast.
It's cool to get games you care about early, but the trade off is a lot of work. And some NDAs require signatures which is weird.
It's cool to get games you care about early, but the trade off is a lot of work. And some NDAs require signatures which is weird.
Right. It's cool to get all that stuff, but now I know for sure one site to ignore when a "review" comes out.
I'm surprised no one in this thread had pointed out that expensive review hardware is almost always returned to the company after the review is completed.
Honestly, playing games at or before launch is less appealing than ever. Games get way, way better over time and for a lot of them, waiting a month or year or even more is the best way to play.
I hate to be all iTs AboUt eTHics In jOUrnaLisM — but yeh I agree with this completely. Its hard not to side eye the whole practice of it frankly.
OP
OP
I love game discourse and analysis but being a game reviewer is extremely low on my priority list. These guys don't get paid a lot (as is the case with any writer/journalist), need to finish games on a tight deadline, can't choose the games they review, and get flak from publishers and the public if their opinion isn't positive.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Thanks, but no thanks.
I think people don't realize it's work. Yes, you're doing something fun but you still need to do something that is a legitimate piece Of writing.
making a video by yourself is even more of a pain.
making a video by yourself is even more of a pain.
Really feel for the nuts who review games and don't get these review copies. Must be utterly humiliating.
It is work, big difference between work and a hobby:
- Sometimes you have a strict deadline, you don't get to enjoy your favorite game as much as you want.
- A lot of time you have to play and rate games you are not interested about in the first place. you don't do this for fun. sometimes the games are also just bad.
- You have to write a professional piece or edit a video which takes effort. to write something good, you have to also keep reading, keep enriching your language, and it can become tiring over a long period of time.
- You have to deal with all kinds of insults for your reviews: fanboy, paid, hater, etc.
- You won't have time to play what you truly want to play. you are jumping from one review to another.
Still, I enjoy it very much and can't imagine myself not doing it... I like to write and discuss, I like the watching over the community, and I like to pick creative games and try to give them a spotlight and introduce them to the community. writing a good piece to readers brings me joy, but it is work and not everyone will enjoy doing it just because they love to play.
- Sometimes you have a strict deadline, you don't get to enjoy your favorite game as much as you want.
- A lot of time you have to play and rate games you are not interested about in the first place. you don't do this for fun. sometimes the games are also just bad.
- You have to write a professional piece or edit a video which takes effort. to write something good, you have to also keep reading, keep enriching your language, and it can become tiring over a long period of time.
- You have to deal with all kinds of insults for your reviews: fanboy, paid, hater, etc.
- You won't have time to play what you truly want to play. you are jumping from one review to another.
Still, I enjoy it very much and can't imagine myself not doing it... I like to write and discuss, I like the watching over the community, and I like to pick creative games and try to give them a spotlight and introduce them to the community. writing a good piece to readers brings me joy, but it is work and not everyone will enjoy doing it just because they love to play.
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I wrote some reviews for Joystiq and, later, G4TV.com. I was freelance, mind you.
Honestly it was pretty dope. I would generally pick and choose what games I was interested in, get the game a few weeks early, play it at a reasonable pace, and write some words. $200 a pop. Got to play Skyward Sword at the Hollywood NBC Universal building for awhile, it felt very cool.
That said, it wasn't a career, or anything. But cool while it lasted.
Honestly it was pretty dope. I would generally pick and choose what games I was interested in, get the game a few weeks early, play it at a reasonable pace, and write some words. $200 a pop. Got to play Skyward Sword at the Hollywood NBC Universal building for awhile, it felt very cool.
That said, it wasn't a career, or anything. But cool while it lasted.
Yes, they're always super appreciative of times when you don't like a game.
1-4 should be reserved for games that flat out don't work, or have some major element that doesn't work. 5 is bog-standard, it works but does nothing to stand out at all. 6 is slightly above that with major flaws. 7 is "good" but has minor flaws holding it back. 8 is "good". 9 is almost perfect. 10 is as close to perfect as it gets.
A lot of gamers want more 5s and 6s but the reality is a lot of games you think deserve a five do have things that make them stand out, even if you don't care about those things.