# Metacritic Matters: How Review Scores Hurt Video Games



## Malvingt2 (Apr 11, 2013)

a couple of pieces of the article



> This is not an anomaly: for years now, video game publishers have been using Metacritic as a tool to negotiate with developers. And for years now, observers have been criticizing the practice. But it still happens. Over the past few months, I?ve talked to some 20 developers, publishers, and critics about Metacritic?s influences, and I?ve found that the system is broken in quite a few ways.
> 
> There is something inherently wrong with the way publishers use Metacritic. And something needs to change.
> 
> ...



How publishers use the Metacritic ratings and reviewer taste:




> ?Armed with the knowledge that higher review scores meant more money for them, game producers were thus encouraged to identify the elements that reviewers seemed to most notice and most like?detailed graphics, scripted set piece battles, 'robust' online multiplayer, 'player choice,' and more, more of everything,? Burns wrote.
> 
> ?Like a food company performing a taste test to find out that people basically like the saltiest, greasiest variation of anything and adjusting its product lineup accordingly, the big publishers struggled to stuff as much of those key elements as possible into every game they funded. Multiplayer modes were suddenly tacked on late in development. More missions and weapons were added to bulk up their offering?to be created by outsource partners. Level-based games suddenly turned into open-world games.
> 
> ...



Please read the whole article. It is really interesting


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## Krory (Apr 11, 2013)

What's most sad is that some people are only _just_ figuring this out.


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## Raidou Kuzunoha (Apr 11, 2013)

Adam just did a video on this.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqeiN4pqTjo[/YOUTUBE]


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## Hunted by sister (Apr 11, 2013)

Krory said:


> What's most sad is that some people are only _just_ figuring this out.


God damn it. Damn you  I gotta agree with this. 

Metacritic and completly arbitrary, taken out of an ass scoring system and their fucked up algorythm were directly damaging the gaming branch of industry for years now. I wish they died a painful death.... how the fuck do you measure fun? How to objectively measure something so horribly subjective?

Lazy and stupid people go to Metacritic for quick and dumb answer in scores. Many publishers go to Metacritic to make business decisions. We all lose, Metacritic swims in cash.

//HbS


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## Naruto (Apr 11, 2013)

Metacritic itself is not the culprit. It's just the at the center of the overall problem, which is the general review system that all of us, consumers and journalists alike, have come to foster.

There is too much quantification of subjectivity, giving publishers a formula to work off of that stagnates the industry by taking the "safe route", and harming developers that want to think outside the box.

We complain about sequels and prequels and reboots and clones of other games and yearly releases of the same games but if we continue to accept this linear scoring all we're doing is telling publishers and their investors that these things work and they should continue to do them.

We have created a monster and I'm not sure we have the power to put it down.

Makes you appreciate things like Kickstarter, honestly.


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## Krory (Apr 11, 2013)

But in the same stride, Metacritic is giving more power to assigning those numbers by assigning an even bigger, overall number.


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## The World (Apr 11, 2013)

I go to Metacritic to find links to multiple review sites, heh


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## Mickey Mouse (Apr 11, 2013)

This is the first time I am actually hearing about Metacritic.


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## Stunna (Apr 11, 2013)

Is it cozy

under that rock?


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## Mickey Mouse (Apr 11, 2013)

Stunna said:


> Is it cozy
> 
> under that rock?



 They say ignorance is bliss. Going by this reaction ya probably have done the same thing.


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## DeathScream (Apr 11, 2013)

well, thinkin that bethesda slap the shit out of obsidian devs because F:NV lost 1 point


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## Linkdarkside (Apr 11, 2013)

i dont use Metacritics.


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