Why I Don’t Review Games

As I stressed last week, there is a difference between journalism and criticism. Journalism is the pursuit and sharing of truth and knowledge. Criticism is the analysis and evaluation of varying works. Those works, within the context of things this blog is dedicated to, are videogames and will forever be videogames. And still within that context I like to think of myself as a videogame critic.  … Actually, no. Not just within the context of the blog I run.

This is a resolution made public to the entire internet that I, Steven of The Age of Gaming, consider myself and hope to be taken seriously as a videogame critic.

Then what is entailed for being a videogame critic? Everyone has opinions, what is there to say that mine are better than someone else’s? Nothing. There is nothing. I accept and embrace that fact because it means that everyone has a valid right to their opinion and a valid right to express it as they please. Because what is criticism if nothing more than one person’s opinion engaging with another’s?

All opinions are valid yet, differences in how the said opinions are handled matter. Screaming and shouting are not effective methods of expression. Neither is saying nothing. It is with tempered, well-thought and researched speech that opinions can be properly expressed and shared. This is my belief in what separates criticism from standard opinions. These are also the standards in which I will follow.

It is because I focus on criticism that I hereby choose to forgo breaking news reporting and game reviewing. For one thing, it would be impossible for me to keep track and report on the breaking news as it happens. However, I will try to remain topical in my focus. Staying away from reviews so far has been an almost subconscious choice. Every website that accepts pitches for articles always warns that unsolicited reviews will be instantly ignored. That scared me off. Also it is within my personal belief that I could never compete with a review of my own to that of any other publication. So I shied away from reviews. At this time I feel just in making my stance official: The Age of Gaming will not review videogames.

 

When and if I have something to say about a game I will write about it in the format accustom to this blog. Because there are already enough people saying what is good and what is bad, what to buy and what not to; I want to take a step back from that and examine why it is good or why it is bad, where a game succeeds and where it fails. There is often more to learn from a game that does something wrong than one that does everything right. 

I previously wrote a book review of sorts seeing how the book related so strongly to videogames. In the future more game related reviews may present themselves or they may not. Honestly, I am not sure yet. Perhaps I shall rework the format into a long form critique of newer material. Or maybe that is just the definition of review. The future is unknown and shall concern me when it arrives.

I would like to end this post by saying I have no freaking idea where all this formality came from. I want to sound intelligent, but I don’t want to sound like I have stick up my butt. So yeah …. there’s that.  And I would like to say that I don’t do reviews, but I cannot get to a long from critique of every game I play. Because of that I have assembled a short list of every game I have played since starting this blog and no more than two sentences with my thoughts about them:

·         Ico HD Edition – Some of the puzzles could have been better implemented or explained. Built a strong and unique relationship the likes of which I have never seen before.

·         Fallout: New Vegas – Fantastic world with engrossing mythology and excellently implemented. Actual game play could use some work.

·         Journey – I cried. This game made me cry and never would have wanted it another way.

·         Flower – Gives the player an unprecedented freedom of movement that makes you realize how restricting other games are. Really confusing ending.

·         Metro: Last Light – Above average stealth for a first-person shooter along with a strong narrative and world. Actual shooting is just average.

·         Far Cry 3 – I did not finish the game. Killed Vass, but then all my player agency was ruined because of poorly executed narrative and gameplay conceits.

·         The Last of Us – One of the best games I have ever played.

·         God of War HD Edition – I missed you, Kratos. Finding you again brought joy to my life.

·         Borderlands 2 – Fun shooting and leveling, but a weak and drawn out narrative. Also some supposedly funny, but in fact really annoying characters and missions.

·         Spec Ops: The Line – Made me rethink everything I thought I knew about war games and videogames in general. Fantastic.