Scores? Ranks? Ratings? They're all bunk. (Very Scientific)

I'm a fresh blogger that's been a member of Gamespot since 2009, and I've finally mustered up the courage to share one of my more recent discussion points here on the forums. :P

@dondelagato said:

Ever been watching TV and suddenly a suspenseful, action-packed/emotionally driven cinematic trailer unfolds before you, accompanied by miscellaneous words, phrases and numbers like:

“AMAZING. 5/5” – GamerPoop

“ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING. 9.5/10” – PPGames

“A MUST-BUY. 98/100” – DrippyButtNetwork

Your heart starts to race. Your palms are sweaty. Your pupils dilate to the size of golf balls – and at this point you think to yourself;

“Goddamn, I NEED DIS!”

It’s your embedded desire to consume a product that, well, consumes you. You rush over to your local games store and snag the first copy you see, wide-eyed and eager to play.

On the way home you can’t stop thinking about how awesome the experience is going to be.…Then, you finally open your front door, run to your beloved gaming system, pop the disc in, and lo-and-behold…turns out YOU CAN’T STAND THE FUCKING THING!

“What is this!? I don’t like this at all! NINE-POINT-FIVEout of TEN!? This has to be a joke! How dare these gaming media outlets lie to me! ” – Your Brain

Though fear not, it isn’t your fault; you simply fell for a tactic that gets so many of us to buy things we don’t want, need, or even particularly like; and I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t been suckered by advertising either. So if you’re like me and have experienced this situation multiple times, let me explain to you why scores don’t mean a goddamn thing when it comes to the most significant factor contributing to fanboy wars; opinions.

If I've managed to pique your interest, you can read the rest here.

Appears that GS doesn't like the idea of me sharing an external link, so if it isn't too much to ask you can find the link to the rest of the post in my sig.

It is your fault. These methods are devised because people fall for it, which is entirely their fault. Sure, it might be morally questionable that companies develop all kinds of tactics to manipulate consumers in the first place (and we should most definitely criticise them for it), but in the end it is up to you to see through their manipulation (which really isn't that hard). When I buy a product based on exposure and presentation and it turns out to be crappy, then it's mostly my laziness that is to blame, not the company who made it, no matter how questionable their methods might be. Those methods wouldn't have been there if people had been a little bit more critical and cautious. These days you can do proper research on pretty much every luxury and leisure product and while it never completely guarantees satisfaction, it can definitely come close if you take your time.

Also, with videogames and many other entertainment products there's the issue of taste, which some consumers seem to be completely oblivious of. When so many qualitative elements are dependant on your personal preferences, you simply cannot rely on a number to assess your potential appreciation.

I feel scores have no primary value, but they can be useful for some people in certain contexts (as an initial indication of quality for example). But if you base your purchases solely on scores and a product then turns out to be a crappy experience, you have noone else to blame but yourself.

@loafofgame: I'm aware that it is your fault for you buying a game you don't like, but let me ask you this; when it comes to writing an article of any sort which do you think would be more appealing? Complete condescension or something a bit more lenient with a bit of empathy?

Btw thanks for letting me know that you didn't read the rest of my post, I address everything you said and more. Just a shame that apparently, GS no longer allows low-level accounts to even share external links.

Well, I might have come across as a bit harsh, but it wasn't my intention to be condescending (if, of course, that is what you are implying). I was just pointing out another reason why scores are there in the first place and that people shouldn't be so quick to think that the fault lies outside of themselves. Advertising doesn't fool you. You LET advertising fool you. That's not because people are blind or stupid; it's because being critical and cautious is actually very tiring. We've got stereotypes, because it's way too exhausting to consider every individual thoroughly and equally. We've got advertising, because it's way too exhausting to critically assess the quality of every single product you buy. And when something's supposed to be fun you just want to know if that something is fun or not, instead of doing tedious and time consuming research that detracts from the fun. It's all very understandable, but that doesn't make it any less your fault when you buy something that's crap because you didn't do your research.

I feel that in this particular case most people are well aware of the limited value of scores, but they're unwilling to invest time and effort into finding out whether or not something might actually appeal to them. Pointing that out might be confronting, but I wouldn't say I was being condescending. I'm not calling anyone stupid or a lesser person. Maybe a bit lazy at times. :-P

As for your question: being condescending is sadly something that appeals to many people and in my opinion it doesn't immediately compromise the appeal of an article. It might result in a different audience, however.

I don't think I did. ;-) Anyway, I did in fact read your entire entry before I commented, but upon rereading I realised that my second and third paragraphs are in many ways repetitions of what you already said at the end of your blog entry. Regardless, my main intention was to single out the 'it isn't your fault' bit, because that's something I disagree with. It might not have been the focus of your entry, but I think it's an important part of the context. And just because it might be confronting doesn't mean it should be left undiscussed.

@loafofgame: I mostly agree with your sentiment, I just wanted to clear up any confusion by saying that I do in fact know that it's your fault for not doing your research, but a large portion of gamers are essentially sheep and use scores as a be-all and end-all. By saying to a reader (at least in my mind) that it's not your fault at least puts your foot in the door and let's people know you're on their side when it comes to derailing the ruse regarding scores.

But do I think that most people are aware of how limited score usage actually is? Meh, not really. Too many times I see people regard a game's quality because of a score rather than forming their own opinion, and it's sad. The only people I ever meet who think otherwise are forum posters like you. :p

Also, confrontation's good; I suppose I just slightly misinterpreted your intentions a bit.

There are plenty of games with high scores that I hate. Tony Hawk for example...

But that doesn't mean that it's not a good game to people who like Skateboarding games.

I'm not sure who runs out and buys a game because of one commercial... if you're not an idiot, you'll do a bit more research than that before purchasing a game. And of course commercials are going to hand pick the best scores or quotes from professional reviews, that's just how it is. Overall critic scores are just one factor to consider when buying a game, and probably not even that important of one at that, unless the game has really bad scores.

Well, I cannot deny there might also have been a hint of annoyance in my comment at the observation that so many people are so quick to disregard the possibility that they themselves have contributed to their unsatisfactory experience. But I'm convinced most people understand the value of scores, because the people who publicly judge games based on scores are most likely a minority (no matter how numerous they might appear on the internet). And I think the behaviour of these people is more a result of naivety and laziness than of stupidity. The majority of people who play games probably doesn't even post comments.

What a lot of time to find out the obvious that only opinion that matters is your own.

I kinda find it sad though that some people look at scores and let that decided for them on a purchase. But i guess the last idiot haven't been born yet.