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Investigating Bias In Videogame Review Sites

Posted by simoniker on from the biased-towards-printing-this dept.

jvm writes "We've all read comments that some videogame sites are allegedly biased for or against some games, consoles, or companies. So, Curmudgeon Gamer has investigated whether bias can be seen in the review scores over several games on each console. The review sites in question are GameSpot, GameSpy, and IGN, each of whom are compared to the game review averages on GameRankings. Additionally, a selection of review scores for crossplatform games are examined. While solid conclusions are difficult to draw and improvements can admittedly be made, perhaps people will find these results interesting to examine and discuss."

3 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Running a game review site myself... by tvalley000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have to say, from the game reviewer's standpoint, that it's hard to give a game a bad rating.

    1) You have advertisers. Typically, these people keep your site alive. They're expecting you to review their game.

    2) You like games.

    3) You get tons of swag, press passes, the royal treatment at trade shows, and a ridiculous amount of geek cred.

    4) Did I mention that you like games?

    5) You get to mention Sanya Thomas' butt in casual conversation. (see?)

    6) It's a freaking game. What's not to like about a game? (well, unless it's Final Fantasy XI -- which I refuse to admit is actually a game)

    Mystery@Warcry.com

  2. if you can't do a bad review, please quit by DrSkwid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    because you aren't doing anyone a favour.

    If I buy a $50 game based on your review then I can never trust your opinion again.

    Regular readers should notice that you never give bad reviews.

    If you can't be honest then you are *just* advertising not "relying on advertising".

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  3. Re:Meta review sites by MMaestro · · Score: 4, Interesting
    True user review scores can help counter bias in reviews, however keep in mind that readers themselves can become bias. Especially in games that have long outstanding reputations or big brand name backup. For example :

    On Gamespot, they list GTA3 for the PC at a score of 9.3 (not bad since the PS2 version got 9.6). But lo and behold, the reader's score(s) drop the score by .3 points for the PS2 version and an even harsher .8 points. If you're concerned about small bias (a couple people picking 1's) : 19578 readers voted on the PS2 version and 2454 readers voted on the PC version. Hard to sway that kind of majority..

    However, vice versa this also happens :
    Gamespot (again) lists GTA2 for the PC at a fairly low 6.8 (OUCH compared to GTA3's score) and the PS1 version at 6.9. But insert reader reviews and GTA2 for the PC shoots up a whole 1.4 points and the PS1 version almost breaks acceptable levels with an insane 1.9 points! Nearly 2.0 whole points, and just .2 away from the much coveted 9.0 spot.

    Keeping this in mind, its VERY easy to see how jaded or how harshly the public can "vote" when it comes to their favorite games. Throw a "reader review" system on Slashdot for programs between Windows, Linux, and Macs; and Windows will be lucky to get a score of 1.2 .

    P.S. If you want to check the scores, use the GameFinder on the left sidebar on Gamespot.