Investigating Bias In Videogame Review Sites

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."

Comments

Running a game review site myself...

[tvalley000]

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