I keep seeing, and hearing, people talk about the call for unbiased reviews. But really, there can be no such thing from any human being that has ever played a game or has any opinions on anything. At least if you want an honest review.
Now, for sure, I don't think you have any business reviewing a game made by a friend or someone who you have certain financial ties to (such as where you stand to gain financially from the success of the game) or when you have worked on creating the game. That kind of bias through relationship is easy to identify, and avoid, and is generally considered as being corrupt - rather than just biased.
But let's get creative with an example of personal, rather than financial or relationship based, bias:
If I play a game where all the mechanics are excellent, production values are good, it's well optimized and the story holds up well, but I hate one aspect of the game so much it sours the whole experience (making me strongly dislike the game). How then should I then rate it?
Should I disregard my experience and judge the game wholly on its mechanics and execution, or should I take my experience into account and rate it based on how I experienced it - meaning based on my own values and enjoyment?
I think cases like these illustrate the problems with assigning a numbered score; as scores are problematic because it's often all people look at, rather than the actual review. Without scores the actual review does, in my opinion, carry more weight.
But as it is, ultimately, it's the number assigned at the end that carries actual weight.[footnote]I do not review games, but if I did I would not assign them scores. I'd possibly assign them arbitrary things like: "I give this game 4 penguins wearing funny hats, 25 sad seals and one seal whisperer - there to help cheer up the sad seals and teach them how to love again." or "One potted plant and a companion pillow with the print of your favorite banana, half peeled."[/footnote][footnote]Captcha: that will not work. Shut up captcha, I'll give whatever random nonsense that pop up in my head at the time as a hypothetical scores if I want to.[/footnote]
Now, for sure, I don't think you have any business reviewing a game made by a friend or someone who you have certain financial ties to (such as where you stand to gain financially from the success of the game) or when you have worked on creating the game. That kind of bias through relationship is easy to identify, and avoid, and is generally considered as being corrupt - rather than just biased.
But let's get creative with an example of personal, rather than financial or relationship based, bias:
If I play a game where all the mechanics are excellent, production values are good, it's well optimized and the story holds up well, but I hate one aspect of the game so much it sours the whole experience (making me strongly dislike the game). How then should I then rate it?
Should I disregard my experience and judge the game wholly on its mechanics and execution, or should I take my experience into account and rate it based on how I experienced it - meaning based on my own values and enjoyment?
I think cases like these illustrate the problems with assigning a numbered score; as scores are problematic because it's often all people look at, rather than the actual review. Without scores the actual review does, in my opinion, carry more weight.
But as it is, ultimately, it's the number assigned at the end that carries actual weight.[footnote]I do not review games, but if I did I would not assign them scores. I'd possibly assign them arbitrary things like: "I give this game 4 penguins wearing funny hats, 25 sad seals and one seal whisperer - there to help cheer up the sad seals and teach them how to love again." or "One potted plant and a companion pillow with the print of your favorite banana, half peeled."[/footnote][footnote]Captcha: that will not work. Shut up captcha, I'll give whatever random nonsense that pop up in my head at the time as a hypothetical scores if I want to.[/footnote]
