On a ten point review scale, what number should represent an average game?

[Veknoid_Outcast]

vivster said:

Veknoid_Outcast said:

I can’t speak for everyone but when I say 5 should be the average, I’m not arguing for a precipitous drop in game quality. I’m urging reviewers, both lay and professional, to utilize a full 10-point scale. It appears that many start at 5 and go up from there, resulting in a dense concentration of reviews in the 7/8/9 range, where a 1-10 point scale allows for more nuance and gradation.

In other words, I’m not saying that we should prepare all reviews to balance out to a mean of 5.0. I’m saying the usage of the full scale would most likely drag the average down to around 5.0.

Why though? When reviewers give numbers they have things to compare it to. Why shouldn't they start at 5 when that baseline quality point is reached? They're using the full scale, thing is that the majority of reviewed games easily reach the 5 point mark and then go beyond. What you're basically asking for is a complete recalibration of quality. That's not necessary though. You can just use a 100 point scale and put more emphasis on singular points.

If you look at other games and not just AAA you will see that the whole scale is well used.

We're talking about arbitrary numbers of extremely complex products. No range will ever be precise enough to give a full picture. That's why reviews usually come with words to explain exactly what that number means. Crazy, I know, right?

You bring up an interesting question: is a narrow interpretation of a 10-point scale causing inflated scores, or are critics’ low standards causing a contraction of the 10-point scale?

In either event, it needs fixing.