WHY WRITE A REVIEW?

(PUBLISHED IN ISSUE 6 OF THE REVIEWS EXCHANGE)

 

At the Reviews Exchange we are always looking for new people to contribute reviews. So, why should you, the reader of this newsletter become one of these contributors? There are lots of good reasons, a few of which I enumerate below:

 

 

1)     Authors like feedback


There is nothing worse for an author of a game to release it, but have nothing said about the game in reply. Yes, the game may be downloaded by lots of people, but it is difficult for an author to tell if people really like the game, or if they are deleting it soon after they start playing. If a game is really good, a review is a chance to give the author the praise that they deserve and encourage them to continue writing. If it is really bad, a review is a chance to point out errors where the author can improve in the future. If, as it is more likely, the game is somewhere in between, it is a chance to do both. Reviews can make the author feel that the time spent writing is worthwhile

 

Any feedback is good feedback for an author to improve himself or herself for future games. This means that writing a review can directly benefit you in the future; by making sure that future games by an author are even more enjoyable. If you are a game player, then you should provide feedback where possible.

 

 

2)     If you are an author, it will help your own writing

 

When I first started reviewing, I had difficulty in determining the reasons behind why I liked or disliked games. It took me a while before I started to be able to see what design or story features I thought were done well or badly. This has actually improved my own writing as well. Anything I don’t like, I make sure not to feature in any of my own games. Anything I do like, I take inspiration from. It is far more effective to analyse games for yourself, than just reading other people’s analysis. Writing a review is a good opportunity to learn from other game authors.

 

 

3)     It can give other people who are thinking about playing a game, a better idea of whether they should

 

If people read a good review of a game, they are more likely to download it and give it a try. If you play a good game, a review can be a chance to encourage others to share your opinion. A review can also describe themes or features of a game. Some will appeal to some players, and some to others. Whatever is said in the review, readers who have not played the game should have a better idea of whether they should by the end of the review. As a reviewer, this is your chance to explain why you think games should or shouldn’t be played by others.

 

 

4)     Critical analysis of a game

 

This may not apply to all games, but if a game is particularly difficult to understand, then it may be interesting to provide your analysis on what the game is really about. The themes from a game or the underlying messages can also be analysed.

 

 

5)     Writing reviews is fun

 

This point is simply that writing a review is fun. I have enjoyed writing all the reviews I have contributed. For me, it is a good break from game writing. It is a different style, and it allows me to stretch myself in different ways.

 

 

 

After reading the above points and deciding that you should review a game, your next question might be, how do you go about doing so? There are lots of different ways, and each suit different people. I can’t give advice that will definitely suit you, but I can describe how I go about writing a review. I usually start off with a simple four paragraph structure that I expand or contract as needed. The first paragraph describes what the game is about. The second paragraph describes what I think the game did well. The third paragraph describes what I think the game did badly. The last paragraph is my overall thoughts on the game. The above advice may help or not.

 

You could also try reading through the past issues of the Reviews Exchange, which can be downloaded from http://adrift.sitesled.com, for more ideas on how people have previously written reviews. If you have any further questions, then direct them to adrift.reviews@gmail.com, and I will do my best to help.

 

To finish, some ADRIFT games that I would like to see reviewed for the next issue include:

 

If you write a review send it to adrift.reviews@gmail.com, and I will publish it in the next issue.

 


 

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