Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Why We Need Video Game Critics, Even If the Whole Topic Is Boring

Video games need more of this ...
We've reached the point where video games have a huge place in our culture, and yet most of them are ... well, I want to say "terrible," but that's not true. Look at the top of the sales charts, and you'll see a lot of Product. Competently made, bland Product with good production values and a lack of thoughtfulness or creativity or interest in exploring what these odd electronic contraptions can do.

Video games have gotten big faster than they've gotten good. We have fantastic tools at our disposal, but, apart from a few remarkable works (The Last of Us, for example), they aren't being used at anywhere near their potential. I think this is why video games need more and better critics.

Not reviewers. Reviewers are necessary, but we don't need more people to say, "Yeah, Grand Theft Auto V is deeply flawed, but it has lots of polygons and it doesn't crap itself and I don't want to get death threats. 9/10." We have plenty of that.

I was recently in a discussion with some indies where someone commented that too much discussion of the game business was about business, not about the craft of making better games. I agree with this totally. If you want to write games, anything that helps you to make a better game is better for your business.

We need people who take the time to think about these games, break them down, understand what works, what doesn't, and why. They then bring their opinions back to the masses, and we can agree or disagree and have a conversation about it and then, if we're lucky, we might get better games.

... and less of this ...
Who Criticism Is For

Grand Theft Auto V is a huge, ambitious, high-profile title, and it deserves to have a lot written about it. (And, for what it's worth, I plan to.) But who would that writing be for?

Well, first off, it wouldn't be for Rockstar. Sure, they wrote the game, but that really is the end of their part of the conversation. They made a thing. They made a ton of money. They'll make another one. Maybe they'll read what people write about it. Maybe it'll even make a difference, though I doubt it. It doesn't matter.

They wrote the game, but the discussion about it isn't for them. The discussion is for two sorts of people.

First, us developers. People who make games. We should always be playing and picking apart new work, mercilessly deciding what works and what doesn't. This is how we get better.

Second, criticism is for gamers. In particular, it's for gamers who want to enjoy games in a more thoughtful, engaged way. You don't need to understand how editing and cinematography work to enjoy a movie. However, better understanding of the craft can help you to enjoy movies on more than one level, and thus to enjoy them more.

It is possible to play a game and have a part of it really engage and excite you (or disappoint and frustrate you), and not really understand why. Good criticism can help you see exactly why the game worked (or let you down).

I know, some people don't care. They don't want more understanding of what they watch/read/play. I really don't understand this, but it's there. If you don't care, I can't make you care. But if you do care, these discussions are how you learn.

... but I would settle for this.
So ...

I have a lot to say about Grand Theft Auto V and the new Tomb Raider reboot, both hugely ambitious, partially successful titles. Discussion about what they do right and wrong are merited.

I don't know if anyone will care. But writing is what I do, so let's go.

In the Meantime

There is some thoughtful game criticism out there. For starters, take a look at the YouTube channel Errant Signal. In particular, the videos on Bioshock: Infinite and The Last of Us.

I think the Bioshock: Infinite video is a terrific analysis of a game that, despite its good qualities, was embraced with an excessive and insufficiently considered enthusiasm. And I think their The Last of Us video is poorly considered. It's blind to the real appeal to the game and holds it to an unfair standard not applied to other titles.

But that's the great thing about criticism. It's not about agreement. It's about conversation and, yes, argument. That's where the fun is.

If you care about movies and storytelling, Film Crit Hulk can't be recommended highly enough.

40 comments:

  1. I wrote something similar on gamasutra:
    http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JohnOsborne/20130903/199501/Cahiers_du_Ludica.php

    Basically we need to have real criticism, and also allow it. I envision a magazine aimed at a New Yorker audience, not an IGN audience.,

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm. Yet the first thing on my memory, when it comes to game criticism and you, is this.

    http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.fi/2011/05/avadon-out-for-windows-responding-to.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Promoting better games criticism is fine. But there's no consensus on how to do it, plenty of academic critics *hate* The Last of Us, and 99% of criticism springs up around "I don't like this game, and here is why." When you say "most games aren't good" you're reacting as a reviewer. Real criticism doesn't care whether games are good or bad.

    As to being for gamers, even people who care about games see words like "ludonarrative dissonence" or "diegesis" and walk away. Game design theory, which is completely different from criticism, is more likely to catch passionate gamers.

    My full argument about current criticism run arounds, which is too long and not meant for human consumption: http://andrewosthoff.com/the-players-journey-this-cake-is-delicious/

    ReplyDelete
  4. As someone who writes for a couple of sites, I try to make my reviews about what I experienced. Not everyone views games the same way, not everyone looks for the same things - that is a given. But I do agree that a critical eye is needed, if only to spur conversation. I also work for (a non-gaming) software company, and our developers do take harsh reviews and customer feedback to heart, so I am very pleased to hear you say that developers need to consider this as a feedback mechanism for both improvement as well as understand what things 'went right'.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think there are many people who want this, though "many" is an ambiguous and imprecise word, here it probably means "some of those whose opinions I actually care about a bit". Here's some other "thoughtful" channel (in hiatus atm though) saying something along the lines of this article: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRXEAGWynGA

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is why my wife and I watch Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw at The Escapist. He actually critiques video games.

    ReplyDelete
  7. His review of Ghosts says it all really: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/8465-Call-of-Duty-Ghosts

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think there are some good reviewers out there who are good at critiquing games from a mechanics-based outlook instead of basing their judgement just on branding alone.

    I do agree however that if the media provides more critical opinions of games then it would be better for the industry as a whole.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm excited that you mentioned Errant Signal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Was tempted to just leave a link to http://www.critical-distance.com/ and say nothing, but decided to be a bit more friendly.

    There's a lot happening in games criticism right now. I don't think it's fair to imply that there is none or very little of it. There is loads. Often when people say "why isn't there any games criticism" what they mean is "why aren't any of the publications that I consider to be legitimate/mass-market/highbrow hosting games criticism". I don't know whether that was what you meant.

    I personally find it more productive to take that as a lesson about the particular conditions at play in media at the moment. Are writers getting paid enough to be able to write those in-depth analyses? Are they getting commissioned when they pitch criticism? Who is the audience for criticism? Are they perhaps better reached outside of traditional publications? What's happening on the fringes, where criticism is being crowdfunded from the grassroots and supported by an active community of writers and developers?

    Outside of mainstream publications, criticism is happening, and it's happening in new and exciting ways. It's very diverse. Go explore a link roundup on critical-distance.com. One piece will be a video rant, another will be a personal story, another will be a reflection on how a game fits into history, and yes there will also be formal analyses of the techniques at work in a game's development. I find it hard to believe that the criticism you're looking for is not already happening. If it's not, I'd be super interested in a more specific discussion of what is missing and why that might be.

    ReplyDelete
  13. actually, we had in france a reviewer that made the remark about how bad it is to give and even more consider, ratings.
    notes make games stay on the level of a product, it will never become art.
    you dont rate art, you just say wether it makes you feel something. or not..
    a good review should tell you why you may like it or not, depending on your tastes, but a precise, numerical rating? seriously?

    on the technique, seriously, i thought it was made clear that we dont need to know how things work, it can even break the magic. still, reviewers do this already all of the time (the most useful ones anyway), so do we really need more?

    and for the term "engage", it has bad connotation here, talking about political meaning and all.. from an american point of view, its michael moore kind of film. not really art, huh? and destroys movies by making them a tool.

    but serioulsy, most gamers are dumb. yes, really. i started recently a conversation about why there shouldnt be level scaling in diablo, which is for me a very bad design. follows the long, useless litany of aggressive comments. subject much too complicated for a videogame forum. (would like to know your take on it, afaik, no level scaling in spidweb games)
    still sooner or later they will cry the game lacks something without being able to evaluate why.
    we need reviewers to talk about this. most are veterans enough, they know. still, ad revenue...

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really enjoyed the information you have provided this.
    thank you very much has been sharing news about this information.
    Obat Penebalan Dinding Rahim Obat Multiple Myeloma Cara Membersihkan usus dari Racun Obat Hepatomegali Obat Herbal Endoftalmitis

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am truly inspired by this online journal! Extremely clear clarification of issues is given and it is open to every living soul. I have perused your post, truly you have given this extraordinary informative data about it.
    www.lynbet.com
    Lyn Bet
    Lynbet.com
    www.lynbet.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you very much for giving us this wonderfully wonderful information, I am very excited that I can get this very useful information, maybe I will go back to your web to find other latest information that you may write, And hopefully you this you will Become the latest latest news which of course is still associated with this, I also this site to my friends, because they are also equally looking for information about this.

    Obat Infeksi Kulit Obat Benjolan Di Bahu Cara Mengobati Benjolan Di Payudara Obat Cantengan Cara Mengobati Kulit yang Melepuh Cara Mengobati Bintitan Obat Gondongan Obat Radang Paru-Paru Cara Mengobati Nyeri Dada Obat Kelenjar Getah Bening

    ReplyDelete
  17. i will leave the link below, thankyou ever so much, your so very talented :) x x x
    gclub
    gclub casino online

    ReplyDelete
  18. Very helpful suggestions that help in the optimizing website. thank for sharing the link.

    ดูหนังผี

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jantung bocor ialah kondisi dimana lubang pada sekar jantung akibat kelainan struktur jantung, karena sekatnya bocor maka terjadi percampuran antara darah kotor dan darah besih. Inilah yang membuat jantung tidak berfungsi secara normal.
    cara mengobati jantung bocor

    Walatra Sehat Mata Softgel


    Harga Walatra Sehat Mata Softgel

    Jelly Gamat Walatra

    Walatra G-Sea Jelly


    Manfaat Walatra Berry Jus



    ReplyDelete
  20. Sr. Cashman, le doy las gracias por esta información. Friv Games Gry Friv Gry Friv n todo momento puede Friv Juegos Friv Friv Games optar por compartir su información personal con terceros. Juegos Friv Juegos Friv Friv 5 Friv 2018 Gracias por compartir su pasión por el mejoramiento de las vidas de los niños en el Estado de Nueva York

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beleza! Agradeço pela ótimo artigo, no entanto, informo que disponibilizo publicações semelhantes com o seu blog. Desta maneira, gostaria de compartilhá-lo com vocês. friv jogos online. Obrigado pelo espaço de divulgação.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

    Click Here
    Lajamjournal.org

    ReplyDelete

  23. Thanks for sharing this great post. It is very enlightening. I absolutely love to read informative stuff. Looking forward to find out more and acquire further knowledge from here! Cheers
    slots

    ReplyDelete
  24. ijin promo yahhh
    EDENPOKER adalah situs judi game online terbaik dengan ranting kemenangan terbesar yang pernah ada di indonesia.
    Kartu bagus,mudah menang dan banyak bonus.
    Pendaftaran dapat dibantu ! Proses Depo Wd cepat dan aman,
    Dapat dimainkan di HP / Smartphone kesayangan anda loh...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Numpang ya bossku ^^

    HANYA DI KENARI POKER BANYAK BONUSNYA BOSSKU
    Bonus Welcome Untuk New Member:
    - Bagi deposit Rp.10,000 - Rp.14,999 Bonus Rp.5.000
    - Bagi deposit Rp.15,000 - Rp.24,999 Bonus Rp.10.000
    - Bagi deposit Rp.25,000 - Rp.49,999 Bonus Rp.15.000
    - Bagi deposit Rp.50,000 - Rp.99,999 Bonus Rp.20.000
    - Bagi deposit Rp.100,000 ke atas Bonus Rp.25.000
    - Bonus next deposit 5% untuk deposit Rp.50.000
    REAL PLAYER VS PLAYER !!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Haloo pak^^

    Kami dari SENTANAPOKER ingin menawarkan pak^^

    Untuk saat ini kami menerima Deposit Melalui Pulsa ya pak.

    *untuk minimal deposit 10ribu
    *untuk minimal Withdraw 25ribu

    *untuk deposit pulsa kami menerima provider
    -XL
    -Telkomsel


    untuk bonus yang kami miliki kami memiliki
    *bonus cashback 0,5%
    *bunus refferal 20%
    *bonus gebiar bulanan (N-max,samsung Note 10+,Iphone xr 64G,camera go pro 7hero,Apple airpods 2 ,dan freechips)

    Daftar Langsung Di:

    SENTANAPOKER

    Kontak Kami;

    WA : +855 9647 76509
    Line : SentanaPoker
    Wechat : SentanaPokerLivechat Sentanapoker

    Proses deposit dan withdraw tercepat bisa anda rasakan jika bermain di Sentanapoker. So… ? tunggu apa lagi ? Mari bergabung dengan kami. Pelayanan CS yang ramah dan Proffesional dan pastinya sangat aman juga bisa anda dapatkan di Sentanapoker.

    ReplyDelete
  27. In my country, there have been murders for "imitating" the game, children in grade 2 (7 years old) carry knives to look for "confronters" because they follow some videos on youtube! sad and also a wake-up call for parents isn't it!
    sudoku 247

    ReplyDelete
  28. All over India trusted Escorts Service In Bangalore at your door anyone can ask with so don’t worry now.

    ReplyDelete
  29. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Your post contains valuable information and is quite beneficial, making it worth studying for everyone. If you are in need of high-quality perfume, you can visit https://www.hereniusperfumes.com/products/opulent

    ReplyDelete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  33. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete