What Our Review Scores Really Mean | TerminalGamer

TG writes: Ever wonder what’s behind review scores and what they really mean?

[dbjj12088]

Wow, excellent insight into the process behind reviews. Thanks!

[ftwrthtx]

Always nice to know what's behind a review score.

[knifefight]

More sites should publish these and make them more visible, because the numbers mean different things to different people. Knowing how the reviewer is seeing it is key.

But of course, people focusing on the WORDS of the review -- those hundreds and hundreds of words -- would help even more.

[ftwrthtx]

If a review is less than 1000 words, it's pointless.

[Hicken]

And the numbers MATCHING the words would be best of all.

Edit: I mean it as a total package. Knowing what the points mean to a particular reviewer is great, but that STILL doesn't stop a reviewer from having a written review that doesn't reflect the score attached. Nor does it prevent a reviewer from being inconsistent with his or her reviewing standards.

As for interpretation of the scale, I don't think it should be open to interpretation. That would make aggregate sites like metacritic more credible, and just glancing at the score for a game would be viable. Otherwise, each reviewer's score would have to be weighted before being added to an aggregate, and we both know that's not going to happen.

And with metacritic becoming more and more relevant within the industry- though I don't really care for it, myself- we need the scores included to be something we can rely upon BEFORE they get added.

[knifefight]

But that's entirely subjective and your comment misses the point.
Obviously the number matches the writer's interpretation of a numerical scale -- or else he/she wouldn't put that number at the end. They just not might always match the reader's. That's no one's fault and literally can not be avoided. People see scales how they see them.

However, understanding can be achieved when you can realize that the way the writer views a number and the way YOU view a number may in fact be different.

I see the average game as a 5/10. WebsiteX sees the average game as a 7.5/10. If I read a review and say "WTF that sounds like a 6!" when they gave something an 8, *I* am in fact, in the wrong. Their average is different than mine, and I have to consider this when considering whether text "matches" a score or not.

And really, if you read the text...do you need a score? ;)

[ftwrthtx]

A well written review doesn't need a score but wcores give a better way for comparisons.