Why do people hate low review scores?

[Scoobes]

I think there are a few issues at play:

1. Metacritic and gameranking have warped review scores and given them a level of importance that is reiterated when developers and publishers use meta scores to help market their games. Many don't read reviews but just look at the scores.

2. Due to (1), average reviews scores have gradually become higher meaning even minor reductions in review scores can spark outrage.

3. Outrage at review scores doesn't happen in other industries because they're fairly estalished. Video games are still fairly new but review outrage is usually on only core titles where a tech savy group of "elites" can vent rage reviewers. Really, some gamers are just very young or immature but have greater knowledge of where to go to vent their rage at an ill-perceived wrong.

4. To a lesser but still significant degree reviewers in the games industry are still enthusiast press. Whilst there are a number of publications that write and convey accurate criticisms, there are still many that are essentially only gamers that have great difficulty hiding their biases and lack consistency. I've read some reviews on sites where the reviewer has later admitted to not playing a game with sound or for no more than 3 hours. The rumours of publishers splashing cash around game journalists before review also don't help.

It's important to remember however that with books and movies there are discrepancies between sales and reviews (more so than videos games). Whilst it isn't perfect, we shouldn't want the games industry to become too snobbish and alienate readers and players so some critique of the reviewing process is a good thing.