"Metacritic obsession is harmful to gaming"

Dominic Brehetto

Rest In Piss To Your Cousin
Supporter
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
31,722
Reputation
4,309
Daps
88,480
Reppin
Family


d835e0a72366c5d0062cdd7b797519be.jpg

The obsession around Metacritic is damaging to video games.

That’s the warning from UK developers, speaking as Eurogamer announces it is culling scores from its reviews.

Metacritic - which pulls together review scores from various websites to come up with one ultimate rating - is used as the primary measurement of quality in the games industry. Developer bonuses are sometimes linked to their Metacritic average, while game sales and share prices can fluctuate based on these scores.

“The problem is how parts of the games industry and audience treat Metacritic,” Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh told MCV.

“The idea that a game isn’t worth buying, or that its developers have failed and don’t deserve bonuses if it scores under 80 or even 85 on Metacritic, is going to result in samey, bland games that are made according to what works in Metacritic’s system. It’s harming innovation in mainstream gaming.”


Bossa Studios co-founder Imre Jele added: “I understand the desire to simplify complex matters into easy to understand patterns. But ultimately I believe review scores are a bane to the games industry.”

Frontier Developments’ David Braben feels that consumers are missing out by just looking at the number: “There are so many factors that go into reviews it doesn’t make sense. Some people use the score as a quick shorthand, but there is so much missing.”

But not everyone believes Metacritic still holds the sway it once had.

“What matters most to us is the response of players and how social media spreads the word about good, playable games,” said Rebellion founder Jason Kingsley.

Welsh added: “The most creative, influential and best-selling game of the last decade, Minecraft, was a massive hit before it ever had a Metascore.”


Couldn't agree more with the bolded. AAA gaming has been stale as fukk for the last 2 years or so.


The obsession with metacritic is such a simplistic view on something extremely subjective.

Its resulted in studios taking very few risks and innovation is at a stand still. Why take any risks when you can pump out fary cry 9, assassins creed:shadow of mordor edition and cod 38 and get a safe score.
 

daze23

Siempre Fresco
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Messages
32,420
Reputation
2,735
Daps
44,961
“The idea that a game isn’t worth buying, or that its developers have failed and don’t deserve bonuses if it scores under 80 or even 85 on Metacritic, is going to result in samey, bland games that are made according to what works in Metacritic’s system. It’s harming innovation in mainstream gaming.”
I don't see how any of that is metacritic's fault when all they do is average review scores from other sites. pubs could withhold bonuses based on the average review score without metacritic

it's like getting mad at a calculator because you don't like the results it gave you
 

Dominic Brehetto

Rest In Piss To Your Cousin
Supporter
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
31,722
Reputation
4,309
Daps
88,480
Reppin
Family
I don't see how any of that is metacritic's fault when all they do is average review scores from other sites. pubs could withhold bonuses based on the average review score without metacritic

it's like getting mad at a calculator because you don't like the results it gave you
Because metacritic has made people extremely lazy.

Yes, it is just a tool but what it's done has made something extremely subjective into some number that people glance at and say "90 :blessed: must be a great game!" "70, must be a piece of shyt!"

I have the same problem with rottentomatoes for film.

When I see people quote RT scores or a metacritic score for music I just :scust:

If I blindly followed some number I would miss out on some of personal favourite films and music of all time.

Gaming is no different.


Review scores are just lazy and often arbritrary.

And the problem is coming in when all the same types of games are getting the high scores.

Why try something new and bold thats a risk. You might get a low metacritic score because it didnt connect with reviewers. Why do that when one flop can close the entire studio. A flop becauae of a metacritic score.Just make an open world collectathon fetch quest machine and get a safe score in the 80s.
 

Kamikaze Revy

Bwana ni mwokozi wangu
Supporter
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
29,993
Reputation
9,510
Daps
76,979
Reppin
Outer Heaven
Sony been puting out trash games for 2+ years. Now all the Sony Stans wanna throw reviews in the bushes :dead:

I've been enjoying my PS4 since day one, but that last part of your post is 100% true. I enjoy games, not consoles. If a game is whack, then it's whack. I could care less if it's on my preferred system or not.
 

Rekkapryde

GT, LWO, 49ERS, BRAVES, HAWKS, N4O...yeah UMAD!
Supporter
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
155,666
Reputation
30,343
Daps
526,647
Reppin
TYRONE GA!
Just ignore him. He's a low level troll who's earned his woat.

We need to stop stooping to the lows of posters like meach and god II.

Nobody pays Meach any attention. That fool has the 2nd most posts in the Order thread and doesn't even have a PS4.
Think about that for a second. He's the WOAT for a reason.


At least with Court, you know he's there for jokes and comedy.

@The G.O.D II is my nikka. I just agree to disagree with him, but he has been extra angry it seems lately :laugh:
 

Dominic Brehetto

Rest In Piss To Your Cousin
Supporter
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
31,722
Reputation
4,309
Daps
88,480
Reppin
Family
Nobody pays Meach any attention. That fool has the 2nd most posts in the Order thread and doesn't even have a PS4.
Think about that for a second. He's the WOAT for a reason.

At least with Court, you know he's there for jokes and comedy.

@The G.O.D II is my nikka. I just agree to disagree with him, but he has been extra angry it seems lately :laugh:
He's been angry ever since we laughed him out of the thread when he said mario 64 was a tech demo and that mario fans prefer super mario sunshine :heh:
 

Dominic Brehetto

Rest In Piss To Your Cousin
Supporter
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
31,722
Reputation
4,309
Daps
88,480
Reppin
Family
I've been enjoying my PS4 since day one, but that last part of your post is 100% true. I enjoy games, not consoles. If a game is whack, then it's whack. I could care less if it's on my preferred system or not.
I agree that lots of people flip flop on how important reviews are when it comes their preferred system. Ironically the person you quoted is the biggest flip flopping hypocritical poster on the entire board.

I've always maintained my hatred of metacritic and rottentomatoes word to @Ciggavelli.

Its not even that I hate them I just hate the way people use them.
 
Top