More specifically though, journalists in the entertainment world who do not respect, or maybe even understand, the essential gap between journalism and advertising. I'll cut to the chase and say specifically, i'm referring to game journalists bent on turning every review into a competition to produce the most unnecessarily wild, irrationally extreme statement that can be contained in one phrase. Note: this does not mean the phrases say anything about the actual game in question.. and rarely actually do.
Basically, is it just me, or is anyone else out there sick to death of "this game... " quotes, like:
"This game should not be sold without spare underwear!!"
"The god particle is really just this game, only smaller!"
"[This game is] So hardcore it'll tear your face off!"
"This game will get you drunk, and laid!! Trust us!!"
Er.. seriously? Wii Game Party is going to get me drunk and laid? Whats with the assumption i wouldn't get drunk and laid anyway? And "trust us".. is that a genuine promise or just another sign we should never take anything you say about games even slightly seriously? And in that latter case, does that not undermine your whole purpose?"The god particle is really just this game, only smaller!"
"[This game is] So hardcore it'll tear your face off!"
"This game will get you drunk, and laid!! Trust us!!"
Ok, let me just try to work this thing out. Your job is to review games: so that we, the consumers have a vague idea about what's out there, how much of it is good, what's worth our money, and the state of the market generally. Yet the reviewer seems more interested in trying to boost his ego by showing off how amazingly funny he failed to be. That's not to say reviewers should not try to be funny.. just, the fact you review games does NOT make you immune to effort, you know.
It isn't just the lame attempts at mindless extremity that annoys me. It's also the use of vague cliches. Take a look at this page. Now don't get me wrong- the game looks good, and from what i've heard, it is very good. But most (though not all) of these reviews, frankly, could be randomly picked out a hat and slapped onto any game. The very first one is a brilliant example. And.. 'different'? what exactly does that mean, what's your comparison? The player feedback can also be comfortably read assuming none of them have ever actually played the game (with the exception of beer mode guy. He does actually sound like he's had a go on it).
No doubt some of this frustration comes from being a consumer who has to scan for some intelligent genuine comment, but also as i took a degree in it. I was just looking for some kind of 3D Animation degree, saw a game design course, went for it, and enjoyed every minute of it.. and some of our work was genuinely challenging and utilised a lot of skills. Yet when people asked what i did at uni, i'm almost embarrased and usually resort to just saying, 'oh.. 3d animation.'
Not because i'm embarrased about the course- as said it was awesome, i met amazing people and if i had to go back to uni, without a doubt i'd do it again. It's because i know people instantly think of socially defective 15 year olds spewing brainless humour on the internet from their stuffy bedrooms. Thats ok, because it does happen. But the childish journalism surrounding the industry, where 'BEST EVER' and 'ITS AWESOME!' are slapped onto every other game, is really not helping the stigma the industry's been laden with. I don't think film or music students had that problem. Also, when you've spent a year or two on level design you start to appreciate just how much effort goes into these games- and just how insulting it can be that some reviewers clearly havent bothered to take 5 minutes to actually check it out.
I've probably got this all wrong, and its just me thinking this, but from what ive said to people, it doesn't seem like it is just me. Game reviews do not have to have this approach- there is plenty of interesting and intelligent things to say about games. My friend this guy can do it, for one thing. In the case of my last paragraph, i was concerned that maybe games shouldn't be taken seriously, but as he reassuringly pointed out: 'if my job is reviewing toasters, it doesn't matter if toasters are important, i should actually review them instead of turning it into a showcase of comedy talents.' which i pretty much agree with- only in the case of some i'd've put 'talents' in inverted commas.
Thats pretty much all i should allow myself to say. It's getting late, and i won't appreciate that in the morning.
