Okay, For The Last Time, A 7 Doesn't Mean A Game Sucks

The badly skewed 10-point scale continues to cause problems, but you have to make the necessary changes on the reviewing side in order to fix it.

[SpiralTear]

I feel like it's the skewed school system grading scale that's made review scores so misinterpreted. When you're in grade school and a 7/10 means average, that conditioning is going to affect when you read a review score on a website. It's difficult to re-acquaint your mind with a full range when your own schooling is based around anything below a 6/10 being an F, a failure.

Also, people go nuts over games getting 8's or 7's because publishers hype up games to astronomical levels, claiming them to be "the next-gen experience." Look at Destiny; its scores were relatively middle-of-the-road, but compared to what we were promised, the disappointment made gamer interpretation of those scores more sour than they really were. It was an average game, but we were told it would be anything but.

Using the 1-10 score system is so similar to the one used in school that it's easier to misinterpret the real message. I feel like it's easier to use a 1-5 system, or even 1-5 with .5 increments. Yes, it's equivalent to a 1-10 score, but simply changing the range of numbers can change perception.

Quite honestly, I can't say that this problem is the gaming community's fault. It's conditioning's and publishers' faults.

[Concertoine]

And then you get sites that grade on a totally different scale, one that makes more sense but because its in the minority it seems harsh. Like with Eurogamer a 7/10 is actually pretty good, and a 5/10 equates to a 7/10 from most other sources.

[SpiralTear]

Exactly. If more sites had 5 mean the average (or was interpreted that way), then this wouldn't be a problem. I don't even know if there's a solution to be found here. It's all based around interpretation.

[donthate]

I think the reason is pretty much relative, meaning if you were on a 6 point scale, the same will happen. A 5-6 is great, and a 4 is about average.

Point being, people don't by games they do not believe is excellent unless it is cheap.

I don't think changing the score around will matter. The score isn't the problem, the problem is the perception that there are other games better, why settle for less!

[starchild]

@ SpiralTear

"Also, people go nuts over games getting 8's or 7's because publishers hype up games to astronomical levels, claiming them to be "the next-gen experience." Look at Destiny; its scores were relatively middle-of-the-road, but compared to what we were promised, the disappointment made gamer interpretation of those scores more sour than they really were. It was an average game, but we were told it would be anything but."

Nobody promised us anything. Why do some of you have this attitude of entitlement? Of course any developer is going to be proud of what they created and try to tell us what's good about it, but I never heard Bungie or any other developer "promise" us that each and every one of us will love their games.

It's time for people to start taking responsibility for their own level of hype. Don't blame other people or the developers. I can honestly say that I am very rarely if ever affected by hype. I use my own judgement and am very rarely wrong about games, as far as predicting how much I will like them.

I realize that developers are always going to say good things about their games. It's absurd to think they would do otherwise. I also realize that the gaming community (at least the more vocal segment of it on the internet) is sometimes going to hype games that I don't personally enjoy or bash games that I personally think are great. That's why I always just roll my eyes when people act like they were deceived or that they were owed something or promised something. Do your own research and use your own judgement, it's not anybody else's fault if you buy a game that doesn't appeal to you.

I mean, let's be real here, did you honestly expect Bungie to say "you know, our game is pretty average...there are definitely a lot better games out there for you to spend your money on". Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Moreover, you act like it is a hard fact that Destiny is "average", but I know of plenty of people that think the game is great. Opinions on any game are obviously going to differ. So why should they act like it is an average game if they believe in their game and think it is great and many other people would agree with them?

The 1 to 10 scale isn't hard to understand, it's just that people have unreasonable expectations and they think every single game should specifically appeal to their tastes and be amazing across the board, otherwise it sucks or is "mediocre". The scale isn't the problem, it's the mentality of many people that is the problem.

[SpiralTear]

Cool story, but not everyone thinks that way, especially in the wake of next-gen.

I'm not blind to the next-gen hype haze, but I know a lot of people that are, hence why the PS4 has been selling like hotcakes. New stuff makes consumers' eyes light up. It's the same way with games. The average consumer (not necessarily me or you) takes review scores as gospel, and while I completely agree that's a problem, that's their decision to make. If they want to fall for the "true next-gen experiences" that Activision and EA push, that's their choice, not mine or yours.

At the end of the day, marketing is a powerful tool for games, especially today. Between pre-order bonuses, massive merchandising campaigns, and all kinds of post-launch content being announced, it's hard to evade the hype. I'm not saying it's impossible or that everyone is a slave to it. I'm saying that it's unreasonable to think that it doesn't have an effect on people's perception of review scores.

[starchild]

I agree that hype does have an effect on many people's perception of games and their scores, I'm simply saying that it shouldn't. There's no reason it has to.

I know many gamers, including myself, that don't really let any of that affect them. A game having little hype or lots of hype has virtually no bearing on my own judgement of the game. I never feel entitled to a game being a certain way. The games get made, I research them, I buy the games I believe I will enjoy and leave aside the games I don't think I will enjoy--it's really that simple.

Hype doesn't enter into it almost at all. The most it might make me do is notice a game and take a little deeper look at it, but if it doesn't appear to be a game I would like I honestly couldn't care less how hyped it is. Conversely, if it's a game that is receiving a lot of negative hype it's not going to deter me in the slightest if the game in my own judgement looks like something I would enjoy.

[Concertoine]

Im certainly not going to take the fall for developers that fake screenshots and tech demos, and lie about their gameplay mechanics. They perpetuate their own hype. If they presented the game for what it was, the disappointment would not be so apparent.

[Ka7be]

How about?...

For The Last Time review scores are meaningless...

[SpiralTear]

I honestly wouldn't be against a score-less system.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

They should get rid of the number and just say great, good, average, below average, bad, trash. My rating system everyone should use.

[Jason_Plays_PC]

I have enjoyed plenty of games that scored under 7..The most important reviewer is you.

[starchild]

Well said. Fully agree.

[DarkLord1003]

They should just write down pros and cons and a yes or no like kotaku

[MadLad]

In my reviews, and I tend to be a bit harsh, even something falling in the five range is a title with a number of redeeming qualities and is something that those interested maybe should still give a shot.

I really don't like the idea of review scores though. What's the point of it when everything needed to be known can be found in the words themselves?
Still though, they help generate traffic, keeping me fed in the process, so I will keep playing the game until I no longer need to.

[DOMination-]

This sounds like another pathetic attempt to justify Driveclub.

[Ka7be]

And you sound like another pathetic xbox fanboys who buys games based on scores... sheep. No wonder your profile is ignored by 15 users.

[xwilldemise]

When people say a game sucks when it scores a 7 I don't think people mean it really sucks. More like it fell flat, didn't live up to expectations/it could have been better which is fine criticism considering games cost practically $65 with taxes & such nowadays. Using a school grading system a 7 probably equates to a C+? Most people question buying a game that is a B+ more or less a C+ plus game for full price. End of story, their not the games most people would go out & buy day 1 due to it's score & will wait for a price drop, special deal or unless they're just a really big fan of the franchise. With games price tags nowadays I think most gamers like myself wait to throw or money mostly on AAA games. A game that scores a 7 & that I'm not a due hard fan of won't see me rush out to buy it day one unfortunately. So no, well at least me for this matter, a game that scores in the 7's doesn't suck but there's better out there & it could wait & it sucks for me too because sometimes games that scores 7's are games I was mildly interested in.

[Mr_Writer85]

Why are people comparing to school grades?

School grades don't use the whole 1-10 scale game reviews do.

In school grades anything below 70 is an F.

Yet sites like Eurogamer use 1-10.

How are they even comparable?

It's almost of bad as that idiot who tried to tell me 7 was average.

[LAWSON72]

In the states it is possible to have under a 5 by uncompleting assignments. Point is the grey area between 0-5 is unimportant a bad game is bad, once you see under a six a game is just considered bad. I doubt anyone looks at a score and thinks, "Thank goodness it got a 5 and not a 2.5 that would be awful"

A score <6 is unacceptable, whether it be a 3 or a 5,in game reviews and the same goes for schooling. The area between really does not matter because you already failed.

7 is average, no one, in the US at least, looks at a 7 and says that is good, because everybody was raised to see the number that way for 13 years

[Mr_Writer85]

Here is EG scoring chart.

10/10 - Phenomenal
9/10 - Excellent
8/10 - Very good
7/10 - Good
6/10 - Above average
5/10 - Average
4/10 - Below average
3/10 - Bad
2/10 - Atrocious
1/10 - Bloody atrocious

Regardless of if US people think 7 is average it's not.

Average/medicore can also mean middle.

The middle of 10 is 5.

It's very basic stuff. And consider that fact school grading only has 6 marks whilst gaming sites tend to use either 10 or 5.

Then of course the biggest difference is that rating a games is objective there is no right or wrong review score as its a persons opinion. A game can be hated by one person and liked by another.

Grades are used to measure someone's knowledge. If two people are asked to write an paper on the key moments of WW2, and one is full of correct dates of key events and details all the events leading to, during and events following WW2.

And the other just talks about what happened during, and even then doesn't list major battles or dates.

The first will get a higher score, the second no matter what is not as good and would get a lower mark.

And that's why people who think school grading and game scoring are the same are wrong to do so and should be educated.