Frontier Developments boss, David Braben, has shared his thoughts on the current state of video games journalism, specifically pertaining to game reviewers. You may not have heard much about Frontier Developments, and aside from Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, they have not released much that most gamers would recognise. However, Braben is credited with co-writing the massively popular and influential 1980’s space trading sim, Elite. He also brought us Zarch (later released as Virus) which is credited as being one of the first true 3D games.
Speaking to Develop-Online, Braben brings up the reviewing process, pointing out that although he believes that the majority of professional reviewers are excellent at their jobs, there are also those which are occasionally “caught out, or accused of being unreasonable.”
He also mentions cases where reviewers have been found guilty of publishing a review without completing the game in question. “In these connected times, Achievements or Trophies have been a curse for the small minority of hurried or irresponsible reviewers if their online ID is known,” said Braben. This means that in some cases it is possible to literally check out a reviewer’s online profile to see if they have completed a certain title.
Braben suggests a Metacritic type platform which reviews reviewers.
“The best reviewers give spot-on reviews pretty soon after a game is released. They do not wait to see what others say, but nevertheless consistently come very close to the final average score. There could be a prize for the best each year.”
“If there were a system that tracked reviews by reviewer, not by publication, then hopefully this could reinforce the position of ‘star’ reviewers in particular sectors, which I think would be a very good thing for all concerned.”
The obvious question is who would review the reviewers? << Share your views in the forums
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