The score is useful. It could be better if Steam had a proper review system instead of just “good” or “bad”
Comment on Steam: Updates to User Review Scores Based on Language
Kenny2999@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Steam reviews are a great source of info and entertainment. The score is absolutely useless.
When actually picking my next game I’ve trusted the same gaming magazine for over 30 years.
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 19 hours ago
Malix@sopuli.xyz 18 hours ago
I dunno how useful that would be. Way back in the day eg. youtube had a star rating system for videos, and users gave 0-5 stars… except they found out that overwhelmingly vast majority of users only used 0 and 5, nothing in between.
While a more granular review system would be nice, it’s just the users that don’t and won’t use it properly. Even if some users would use scores other than [min] and [max], they would be such a droplet in an ocean.
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
gonzo-rand19@moist.catsweat.com 17 hours ago
Letterboxd and Goodreads both use a star rating system in addition to long-form reviews and it seems to work out great. I have my disagreements with how the sites are run, but the rating system isn't one of them.
YouTube star ratings never included the opportunity to review (in text) a specific video, so I think your comparison isn't very applicable or helpful in this specific situation. The Steam review system isn't very analogous to how YouTube used to work.
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 14 hours ago
Also, you watch multiple youtube videos in a day. You play a few games or watch a few movies or series a month, and probably fewer
Malix@sopuli.xyz 17 hours ago
fair enough, youtube probably wasn’t a good comparison, but GOG should be. They have written text alongside the 1-5 star review. Now, there are grades 2-4, but in general 1 and 5 seem to be the most used ones.
chameleon@fedia.io 11 hours ago
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
I've done that and it's a result of not having more options than good/bad. Always the same cause: I really wanted to write a 3* review for a game that has a lot to praise but its core is fundamentally flawed, but Steam doesn't let me give a 3*, so I try to correct for the review score bracket I think the game should be in.
Electricd@lemmybefree.net 14 hours ago
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
I’ve never understood those reviews
Agent_Karyo@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Why do you think the scores are useless? They are good starting point and/or a way to evaluate smaller indie titles that often don’t get professional reviews.
Kenny2999@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
I just haven’t seen any correlation with game quality. A short subjective rant from a random gamer is much more useful, especially with those hidden indie gems.
thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
Which magazine? I’m legitimately surprised that (m)any have survived, to be honest!
Kenny2999@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
Pelit. I don’t know how old it is but the above one was the first issue I bought. One of the original dudes still there making up terrible wordplays.
thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 18 hours ago
That’s awesome to see!
Print media is basically dead here in Australia, though I did just discover Edge is apparently still a thing - I adored that publication back in the pre-WoW days.
overload@sopuli.xyz 19 hours ago
Steam review scores are more robust than what 20 games critics thought about a game and is more resistant to review bombing than metacritic. The score is not meaningless IMO.