Game Reviews are No Fun
Game reviews can be a great way to discover and learn more about games and the gaming industry. However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, game reviews make gaming less fun, but why?
Game reviews are a great way of learning more about new games, knowing if it is worth spending on, or gaining insight into current gaming trends.
However, doing game reviews isn’t as good as reading them. Reviewing a game can take away from the enjoyment of playing it.
Why? Let’s get into that.
Writing and Gaming
I have been playing video games for almost 20 years and only started trying to be critical of them a few years ago. This is not to say that I am unique, only that I realized that sometimes there is more to video games than finding out whether I enjoy them or not.
In trying to find more creative ways to express my thoughts, I looked into different media and platforms for references and inspiration. I found a few content creators such as Razbuten, The Act Man, and Luke Stephens that fit the bill, even though I disagree with some of their takes.
So now I am trying to bridge one of my practical skills with one of my passions: writing about video games.
The first few attempts were fun and fulfilling; I got to share video games that I liked, thoroughly express what I learned or enjoyed about them, and rack my brain to be more clever or creative with my words.
However, it wasn’t until recently that I found myself getting more and more frustrated about everything involving video gaming and writing.
If I loved writing and gaming, why am I frustrated with playing a game and writing about it?
As it turns out, getting into the mindset of playing video games with the aim or knowledge of reviewing them afterward makes them less enjoyable.
What is a Game Review?
A Game Review is often thought to be a critical evaluation of a video game, most preferably by a professional or a person with a reputable history in video games. Most of the time, game reviews are designed to give readers an idea of whether or not a particular game is worth their time and money.
I could go on with what makes a good game review and what makes a bad one, but I think that’s a topic for another day. Right now, I want to express the feeling of writing one.
It is excruciatingly painful and takes out the essence of what it means to play a video game. What is the essence of playing a video game?
Video Games are meant to be enjoyed.
Not all video games are enjoyable for you, but they were made with someone in mind enjoying them.
One way or another, the game developer or developers meant the game to be enjoyed by someone. Anyone. Even if that someone is themselves.
Playing a game with the thought of reviewing it in mind just removes the purpose of what a video game is about, all because you are not there to truly enjoy it; at the very least, to first try and do so.
The Burden of Expectations
Another common frustration I encounter when reviewing a game is finding out that it's not as good or enjoyable as I expected it to be. Things that are interesting at first glance are not always enjoyable once experienced.
A few minutes or hours of gameplay is usually all I need to know whether the game is or is not for me.
But going back to the essence of video games, I know that I just cannot say outright that the game is bad because I found it unenjoyable.
There are aspects of it that someone somewhere out there will enjoy.
It would be very disingenuous of me to say that a game is objectively bad because I did not enjoy it. To do so is to play God and pretend that I know everything about video games, as well as to know what THE VIDEO GAME is supposed to be.
The Highs, the Lows, and the Ohs!
There are also video games that are a mix of the good, the bad, and the surprising. Take some of these for example:
What if the pacing slogs in the first few hours of gameplay and then picks up later on? That’s what Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 were for me.
What if the tedious aspects of the game are actually part of its charm? That’s what Dragon’s Dogma and Kingdom Come: Deliverance felt like for me.
What if there are parts that you really liked and parts that you really hated? That’s what Days Gone and League of Legends were for me.
What if the mechanics are poorly taught, but it was fun once you spent hours figuring it out? That’s what Assassin’s Creed: Unity and FTL: Faster Than Light were for me.
What if a game is something enjoyed by many, but just isn’t for you? That is what Apex Legends and Grand Theft Auto V were for me.
Sometimes there are notable things on both sides of the spectrum and you just don’t know how to feel about the game as a whole.
Even worse, we don’t know which notable things are more or less important than the others. This struggle is a mental blockade I constantly have to get over.
Different People, Different Values
However, I believe that it is important to remember that different people value different things.
What sometimes makes writing a game review difficult is weighing down the enjoyable and unenjoyable. Rather, I think it’s better if you just write everything down without actually comparing if one supersedes the other.
If anything, I think it’s better to only place the objectively horrendous aspects of a game. Also, be extra thorough when explaining them or make sure they are obvious.
For example, the game…
…breaks its setting, theme, and/or consistency senselessly.
…has problems starting up or main menu game-breaking bugs.
…lies to you about its game mechanics.
There are different reasons you could put here but for me, these are some.
Still, reconciling these differences and being confident in having justified them is very difficult. I always have to convince myself that I’ve done enough to justify what I’ve listed down.
Killing the Cat
Finally, game reviews sometimes kill Curiosity; the cat.
Yes. I did that, but let’s move on.
Part of the enjoyment of playing video games is fulfilling your curiosity.
You wanted to play a video game because it had something that interested you. That something should be found and experienced by you.
Just like having someone spoil the ending or plot twist of a book, movie, or TV show, it removes you from this experience.
Even worse, it removes what separates a video game from other forms of media. Interactivity. Or at least some part of it.
You finding out from others about something in a video game has removed some of the interactions that you would have had if you played the video game going blind.
In some way, game reviews make the reader a less active character in the video game. That is something I struggle to accept when making my reviews.
No More Game Reviews?
Does this mean you shouldn’t read or write game reviews? No.
Game reviews are an important source of information, especially with the price and malicious marketing of some of the biggest and most anticipated video games out there.
I just wanted to share that I sometimes hate making and reading them. Aside from the reasons I stated above, some reviewers have strong biases or agendas that heavily taint their reviews. At times, they become hit pieces.
I just think it’s best to stick with a few good reviewers and have set standards or desires on what you are looking for from a review.
More importantly, I think it’s best to keep in mind that most games are meant to be enjoyed by someone. It may not be you, but that someone’s enjoyment is just as important as yours.
Even if sometimes, I believe video games are more than just fun; that they can be judged as "good" or "bad,” ultimately, it boils down to whether someone can enjoy playing them.
So try not to close out the door for others.
And if you’re just an avid game review reader, try to keep an open mind about video games. Some games out there might surprise you.
P.S.
It’s perfectly fine to drop a game in the first few minutes; for me, it’s at least 30, or hours of gameplay. Sometimes you are just torturing yourself.
After all, life is too short to waste time playing a game that you're not enjoying. Just don’t hate on it unreasonably, talk about it thoroughly.