User Reviews Recognition Changes

When you think about the times when you've encountered new user reviews, have you taken the time to recommend the well-written ones? That's really the only way others can find them unless they rummage through tons of reviews on a game page. Shouldn't their efforts receive much more recognition than an emblem? That's about to change with Reviewers of the Month, but it does mean we need to make some changes to the old routine we've been following over the years.

When a GameSpot user publishes a review, it gets displayed on the game page and in their profile feed, but there have been other ways to receive recognition over the years. Take, for instance, the top review emblems, community news recognition, and now the reviewers of the month. The way the top 100/500 emblems work, a fan of yours must know about the recommendation forum topic. The community team goes through the list of recommendations to determine if they should receive a reviewers emblem based on the criteria we have kept a secret until today.

On March 31, the top 100 and 500 reviewers emblems will be retired and replaced with the Reviewers of the Month emblem. If you want to receive the top 100/500 emblems before this deadline, share a recent review in the comments below or with the Writer's Roundtable.

Top Reviewers Emblem Criteria

Top 100 Emblem
Emblem Holders: 58 slots open.
Emblem criteria:
- Quantity: Must have written at least 12 reviews.
- Detailed: Consistently write reviews with four paragraphs or more
- Grammar & Mechanics: Consistently write reviews that have sound grammar and mechanics.
- Active: Must have written a review within the last three months.
- Clean Formatting: Should have a clean writing format style.
- Support: Should have well-reasoned arguments
- Command: Should have strong command of the English language in terms of sentence structure, organization, and style.
Plain English: If you have 12 or more reviews that are hefty and very thoughtful, and you have amazing writing skills, this emblem is for you!

Top 500 Emblem
Emblem Holders: 426 slots open.
Emblem criteria:
- Quantity: Must have written at least six reviews
- Detailed: Consistently writes reviews that are more than one paragraph
- Grammar & Mechanics: Well-written reviews that have good grammar and spelling.
- Active: Must have written a review within the last three months.
Plain English: If you have six or more short reviews that are well written, this emblem is for you!

Q&A

Q. Why are you retiring these emblems?
A. Manual emblems are not the best method to showcase written reviews, and now that we have a reviewers of the month emblem on the way, it makes sense to retire the old system. With the site rebuild in 2013, we hope to have a much better way to automatically grant active reviewers prominent recognition for their efforts.

Q. Can I try for the top 100 emblem if I have the top 500 emblem?
A. If you have 12 or more written reviews, you'll want to visit the Writer's Roundtable to get some feedback about your recent reviews. This writers' community should be able to give you some pointers about how you can become a top 100 emblem holder by March 31.

Q. What about the video review emblem?
The video review emblem is still up for grabs. If you frequently post blogs with a video review you recorded, send an email to community@gamespot.com, and we may also include you in a new type of user video recognition feature planned in the coming weeks.

Q. How do I get recognized for my reviews these days?
A. We have a new feature called the Reviewers of the Month. To receive recognition in this exclusive monthly feature, you should post your latest reviews in the Writer's Roundtable recommendation thread. If you don't get your review featured, you still have a very good chance to receive an honorable mention.

Q. How do I get the Reviewers of the Month emblem?
You must be one of the six people selected as a reviewer of the month. Honorable mentions are not eligible for the emblem.