Why Indie Game Developers Need to Pay Attention to Video Game Review Sites

Game review websites are the new wave of high tech critics. No longer do game reviewers rely solely on words to form an opinion of a game; they utilize video footage, screenshots, and audio to form their opinions about a game’s mechanics, entertainment value, etc… Many games have had their scores skewed by reviewers who do not use this type of technology, and even the most sophisticated and technical reviewers are guilty of this on occasion. Therefore, the average gamer is better served by simply going to any major search engine and typing in a game’s name, instead of reading a Game Review or criticizing the game’s design.

Unfortunately, that is just the way it is with most games at present. Games are developed for the sole purpose of being purchased and played. While some developers try to give a good review in order to entice people to buy the game, it is rare to find a game review that is an objective, honest examination of a game’s positives and negatives. Most reviews are formed by writers who only care about one thing: getting paid.

The sad thing is that many indie game developers feel the need to cater to the gaming press because they feel as though their game development is being threatened by the existence of these two types of media. By making sure that their game review sites are filled with either poorly written articles or video game comparisons, they feel that they are protecting their interests. Yet, this only tends to serve to alienate the gaming public, because the only people who seem to be concerned with the fate of independent game development are the ones doing the writing. This is not the way independent game development should go, yet many developers seem more willing to play the part of the obedient game reporter than the developer. The end result is that we are slowly losing sight of what makes games great to begin with.