Your 10 most average games

[Erik_Twice]

Isn't that part of the point, though? Pointing out the frustration of review scales suddenly becoming so subjective and practically post-modern?

Well, I would argue that they have always been as subjective as they are today.

It also makes sense for them being post-modern. We live in post-modernity.

I am going to go ahead and butt in here and just simply say that there are far sillier things. To most people, game rankings/scaling/rating/etc. may not mean much, but some of us are devoting a lot of time and energy into reviews.

Thanks for the exclusion mate

Yeah, I should update my blog. Anyways, it's not that they mean or not, it's that what they mean is related to the review itself, otherwise it has no value to me as art criticism can't be reduced to a number or letter.

[J T]

I'm getting a kick out of these verbose slams on the rating systems you're posting TornadoCreator.

Man, it's a good thing you don't teach in the US or your head would explode. Seriously, you think this is bad in game reviews? Try explaining to the perpetually frothing-at-the-mouth army of American parents that their little darlings deserved a 50% grade because they performed at an average level. They would shit a brick just before they bite your face off! Not to mention you'd probably be pressured by the higher ups at the school district to artificially inflate your grades because you're making everyone look bad. Or you would be fired because they would interpret your reasoned grading system as being a sign of your failure as a teacher to have an above average class average like everyone else.

Maybe this is because America STILL hasn't adopted the metric system so a basic understanding of 5 as a center point on a 1-10 scale is still a challenge for us, and the notion of an average being a measure of central tendency of a normal distribution of scores is simply unfathomable. Or maybe it's just a by-product of the positive thinking/self esteem boosting movements where we have taken on the illogical belief that almost everyone has to be considered above average or else you are just being rude about it.

I think your rating scale is far more sensible, but the culture here is such that a 7 means you think they didn't do well at all and a 5 is just plain abysmal. We reserve the 1s and 2s for those rare cases of "game developers" that, due to some sort of mental defect, put mashed potatoes and gravy in a game cartridge and tried to sell it at the market.

[Erik_Twice]

BTW, 5 is only the middle of a 0-10 scale, the middle of a 1-10 scale is 5.5

You Americans and your weird ways of measuring stuff. From now on, everything I write will be on base 4.67. Take that you commies!

[J T]

BTW, 5 is only the middle of a 0-10 scale, the middle of a 1-10 scale is 5.5

LOL! Ooops. See? See how bad we are at this? I should know better and I still can't get it right.

[Erik_Twice]

LOL! Ooops. See? See how bad we are at this? I should know better and I still can't get it right.

There's still hope. Join the Metric Empire today*!


*Not to be confused with the Imperial Metric.

[TornadoCreator]

I'm getting a kick out of these verbose slams on the rating systems you're posting TornadoCreator.

Man, it's a good thing you don't teach in the US or your head would explode. Seriously, you think this is bad in game reviews? Try explaining to the perpetually frothing-at-the-mouth army of American parents that their little darlings deserved a 50% grade because they performed at an average level. They would shit a brick just before they bite your face off! Not to mention you'd probably be pressured by the higher ups at the school district to artificially inflate your grades because you're making everyone look bad. Or you would be fired because they would interpret your reasoned grading system as being a sign of your failure as a teacher to have an above average class average like everyone else.

Maybe this is because America STILL hasn't adopted the metric system so a basic understanding of 5 as a center point on a 1-10 scale is still a challenge for us, and the notion of an average being a measure of central tendency of a normal distribution of scores is simply unfathomable. Or maybe it's just a by-product of the positive thinking/self esteem boosting movements where we have taken on the illogical belief that almost everyone has to be considered above average or else you are just being rude about it.

I think your rating scale is far more sensible, but the culture here is such that a 7 means you think they didn't do well at all and a 5 is just plain abysmal. We reserve the 1s and 2s for those rare cases of "game developers" that, due to some sort of mental defect, put mashed potatoes and gravy in a game cartridge and tried to sell it at the market.

Yeah, I'm always confused by the American need to make everyone a success. Perhaps it's something to do with the "American Dream" or whatever you call it. I've even heard things called "participation trophies" in USA which just seems bizarre. Where's the motivation if you get a trophy for essencially picking your nose?

One thing that is extremely true in this global time, and I don't mean this offensively even though I'm forever mocking Americans it's always ment as playful jibes, is that we don't allow for cultural differences. There are plenty of Americans and plenty of Brits here so I'm sure we could discuss the differences (in fact I may make a thread about it) but we're always told we have the same culture and we don't. For a start, I come from a working class family (which in UK is fine to admit, some would even consider it a point of pride yet in USA to call someone "working class" would be considered an insult, as though to insinuate that their family is uneducated). My entire family votes Liberal Democrats. In my local area, most people vote Labour, with a fair chunk of Lib-Dem voters. This is far more left than you're thinking. The rich in UK vote conservative, which is equivalent to the American Democrat party... we don't have anyone quite as nutty as the Republicans unless you count UKIP which is a minor party. In my regular circle of friends, which I'd estimate has about 20 people in, all 20 of those people are Liberals who would consider the Democrats too right wing. I myself, and at least 3 others in my social group are Socialists. In USA, this is basically the equivalent of saying you eat babies. On top of that, in the entire group we have precisely one Christian who's not all that serious about his faith, and everyone else is an atheist. In UK less than 40% of the country are Christian. So yeah, that alone shows. UK and USA are very different.

Perhaps it's the case that reviewers are following the expected American model, but if that's the case the expected American model is one of pandering, corruption, bribery, refusal to criticise, and the expectation that everyone is a winner... which is really rather sad.

[TornadoCreator]

BTW, 5 is only the middle of a 0-10 scale, the middle of a 1-10 scale is 5.5

Shhhhh... don't tell them that... they're Americans for heaven sake, you'll break their feeble little minds. They can't actually do maths you see... hell they can't even spell maths, they always forget the 's'. Oh, the mathematics certificate, no, no, they give that to EVERYONE over there. Yeah, I know that makes it meaningless. Just trust me, they're not ready for decimals. I sware they still think 1.32 is "one point thirty-two".

Aaaah, I can't help myself, I'm in a poke fun at the Americans mood today.

[NintendoLegend]

Isn't that part of the point, though? Pointing out the frustration of review scales suddenly becoming so subjective and practically post-modern?

Well, I would argue that they have always been as subjective as they are today.

True enough, but there are valid criticisms against certain rating scales -- from any time. Just as I am sure there are varying qualities of reviewers now, likely then as well.

It also makes sense for them being post-modern. We live in post-modernity.

Doesn't necessarily make it a fantastic thing.

Thanks for the exclusion mate

I am not sure what you mean -- do you disagree, and believe that rating systems truly are the silliest thing we could be discussing? Otherwise, if you mean that you are among those who do spend time on and care about reviews, I am not sure why you are taking the stance that it is not important for a review system to be of a high quality rather than a low quality...

Yeah, I should update my blog. Anyways, it's not that they mean or not, it's that what they mean is related to the review itself, otherwise it has no value to me as art criticism can't be reduced to a number or letter.

Fair enough. I just know that, in my experience, I can write a length, detailed review of a game, that really doesn't even need a score to express my opinion of it, and accurately and adequately reflect on its elements -- but many people want to be able to look at a score and instantly know the quality of a game. The need to refer to multiple reviewers aside, I would hope that a score would be a reliable option. There is definitely an issue, though, when a very bad game is given a 7 and a very good game is given a 9. That absolutely is a broken system.

And it is not a valid parallel to the American schooling system, either... even if it was, is the American public education system really the stalwart example people want to use in their argument here?

[AppleQueso]

I don't know if I was trying to draw a parallel so much as I was trying to explore a possible reason for 7/10 being an 'average' score.

[dsheinem]

Aaaah, I can't help myself, I'm in a poke fun at the Americans mood today.

When you are done being so high and mighty, it might be worth mentioning that the UK is only MARGINALLY better than the US in education in 2 of the 3 categories that are scored by the OECD. We rank higher than you in reading. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog ... ce-reading)

Also, I have a hard time believing that you are personally such a bright young lad when you are launching an argument about the "facticity" of how a rating system should work and when you make assumptions about cultural attitudes, education, and politics in a country that you have elsewhere indicated you don't really understand. Ironically, you seem to not be allowing for cultural differences when making your own over-reaching claims...

On top of all that, I should add that we already have a smart and snarky brit here by the name of Niode who does a much better job making cogent arguments. You may want to check out some of his past posts to see how it is done.

I will say, though, that I'd totally play games called The Adventure Of Frank Jules, Yarg The Pirate, and Knifey Stabby Death regardless of what ratings they received in reviews.