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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Should a critic be "objective"?

outlawauron said:
Critics should due everything they can to give an objective criticism of whatever they're reviewing or criticizing. For a gaming example, criticizing a puzzle game for not having an open world isn't a valid criticism. That's the critic's bias stating what they wanted rather than an proper evaluation of the product.

 

But what would be a "proper" evaluation in that case? The fact that the game has puzzles? What if the critic find them too hard? Saying that would be objective, or subjective? Would his lack of skill with puzzle-based games (assuming no other critic is around) void his review completely? How could he measure the fun factor in this case without his personal bias? Is a personal bias something that should be reflected in the review, or not?



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PieToast said:
I think it's healthier and easier to expect what you called honest subjectivism from a critic than objectivism.

 

Sometimes, I'm not sure about the "honest" part.



If you want an objective review look at the feature list and what digital foundry says about the games performance, but no critics should definitely NOT be objective.



A review is supposed to be an opinion piece of a product (be it video games, movies, music, comics, books or tech). That's the intention and text book definition of a review. To have it any other way would be pointless, it just wouldn't be a review anymore; it would be a product description.

I find this recurring discussion amongst gamers weird.



mjo011 said:

I find this recurring discussion amongst gamers weird.

 

I wouldn't have brought it up, but the discussion I had last night certainly inspired me to look for some insight in this matter here. I tried arguing that a critic's review is an embodiment of subjectivism in itself, but my friends would reply back saying that if it isn't objective, the writer shouldn't criticise in the first place.



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A real critic should be objective, yes. And at the same time tell you what can be done better (e.g. draw comparisons to similar things - that way you get away without statements like "this is too hard/easy/loud/green").
A subjective review is just an opinion. Sure, it can be well written and based on proper arguments but it remains an opinion that anybody has and you will have to like/identify with the author to get an idea of what they mean.
Everybody has an opinion and can spread "reviews" but it's not critical. People tend to forget that (both authors of "reviews" and their audience) and feel like they can change the world or personally attacked.
Just like the most famous games/music/movies/... don't equal the best, neither objectively nor (and definitely not) subjectively.



Wright said:

I wouldn't have brought it up, but the discussion I had last night certainly inspired me to look for some insight in this matter here. I tried arguing that a critic's review is an embodiment of subjectivism in itself, but my friends would reply back saying that if it isn't objective, the writer shouldn't criticise in the first place.

It's the weirdest thing I've noticed here on gaming forums, some people expect reviews which are personal opinion to be objective. Obvjective reviews aren't reviews, they are game manuals. :P

Ostro said:

A real critic should be objective, yes. And at the same time tell you what can be done better (e.g. draw comparisons to similar things - that way you get away without statements like "this is too hard/easy/loud/green").
A subjective review is just an opinion. Sure, it can be well written and based on proper arguments but it remains an opinion that anybody has and you will have to like/identify with the author to get an idea of what they mean.
Everybody has an opinion and can spread "reviews" but it's not critical. People tend to forget that (both authors of "reviews" and their audience) and feel like they can change the world or personally attacked.
Just like the most famous games/music/movies/... don't equal the best, neither objectively nor (and definitely not) subjectively.

Yes, that is exactly what reviews are and therefore what critics should be. You cannot review something if you don't have an opinion on what you are reviewing.

See the Jim Sterling video.



Hmm, pie.

Wright said:
mjo011 said:

I find this recurring discussion amongst gamers weird.

 

I wouldn't have brought it up, but the discussion I had last night certainly inspired me to look for some insight in this matter here. I tried arguing that a critic's review is an embodiment of subjectivism in itself, but my friends would reply back saying that if it isn't objective, the writer shouldn't criticise in the first place.

You are right and your friends are wrong. :)

There is nothing more to be said about this matter.



The objectivity that I look for in a critique is based solely on the technical aspects of the game and not the reviewer's personal enjoyment of the game's subject matter.

I am a huge RPG fan, but there have been some that did not appeal to my personal taste. After a few hours of playing them though, I could tell if they were made well and just didn't appeal (Ni No Kuni) or meh games (Shining Tears). I like to think that if I can make that distinction a person who gets paid to critique can be required to do so as well.



No, it's impossible. You can say if a review is well worded, or has some unfair criticisms, but a review must be subjective. There are no much you can say objectively, unless you do a technical analysis or something like that.