Reviews: a "meh" rating.

[Staryn]

I've been doing a lot of reviews on games I own here, but one thing that is frustrating me and keeping me from writing some reviews is that it's either thumbs up or thumbs down.

There should be a middle rating, or "meh" I think.

For instance, there is a game I have that I don't think is a bad game. I would actually recommend it to some people. But it's not something I would be able to do a honestly positive review on. It's neither amazing nor horrible.

And when users are forced to an extreme on a review, it results in a kind of hyperbole where a negative review suggests the person should trash something, and a positive review should praise it, a middle approach gives more room for games that don't quite hit the good or bad extreme.

[Black_Blade]

"one thing that is frustrating me " is people that keep posting these idea over and over instead of looking for the older ideas on these subject and support them

I understand the point but as i replay to the 100 treads before these with these idea i do not agree...
There reviews are not there to make art or to rate the game in % its there to tell users if you think they need to buy the game or not the game

I think what you need to do is put what is your view on it, not what my point of view is, not what his point of view is, what is your point of view, did you enjoy it or not.. did you think it was good for you or not? will you recommend it to your self or not?

[N-Echo]

Really, the system should be changed to a % rating instead of a thumbs up or down. At the very least it should be a 5star rating system.

[Gus the Crocodile]

Originally posted by Ragan:

For instance, there is a game I have that I don't think is a bad game. I would actually recommend it to some people. But it's not something I would be able to do a honestly positive review on. It's neither amazing nor horrible.

But isn't that okay, under the current system? The question you're asked to answer, when clicking one of two options to submit your review, isn't "is this an amazing game or a horrible game?", it's "do you recommend this game?"

So I don't see that anyone is being "forced into an extreme". "I recommend this game" isn't what I'd call an extreme statement, nor is "I don't recommend this game". There needn't be any hyperbole in either of those.

[Staryn]

I don't agree with a percentage or number rating, either. Or a star rating, or anything like that. The thing is, I don't think thumbs up and thumbs down is adequate, and it's coming up in writing actual reviews.

What's the point of recommending it for yourself? You already know if you enjoy the game, you're recommending it to other users. I don't approach it as "would I enjoy this game" when I'm writing a review, I already know.

This is specifically about middle ground or conditionally recommended games. Things where the game isn't bad, but not one I'd recommend to everyone. I don't think the game deserves a negative review, but its not recommended either, yet I think a review would be useful for the game. Specially because reviews do something that a thumbs up and thumbs down don't - elaborate on what makes the game good or bad. But I want to write a neutral review. I can't do that.

Originally posted by Black Blade (card rain):

"one thing that is frustrating me " is people that keep posting these idea over and over instead of looking for the older ideas on these subject and support them :D:

I understand the point but as i replay to the 100 treads before these with these idea i do not agree...
There reviews are not there to make art or to rate the game in % its there to tell users if you think they need to buy the game or not the game

I think what you need to do is put what is your view on it, not what my point of view is, not what his point of view is, what is your point of view, did you enjoy it or not.. did you think it was good for you or not? will you recommend it to your self or not?

I don't feel I should have to search through the entire history of SPUD when making a suggestion, especially in that my suggestion was not the same as changing to a numeric rating system, but a specific change to the existing one.

I do browse this forum often, and I don't recall ever seeing this particular suggestion before.

Originally posted by Fatikis:

Really, the system should be changed to a % rating instead of a thumbs up or down. At the very least it should be a 5star rating system.

I disagree. The biggest problem with a numeric rating system is how arbitrary people's responses are. It does come back to those extremes, and also to the person. It would be inconsistent, and would also be prone to issues like the ones seen on Amazon's ratings.

One bad word of mouth can inspire legions of one-star reviews, or an army of fans could litter five star reviews, which breaks the results. A numeric review cannot distinguish serious opinions from sabotage. Another issue is that people may actually like something, but give it a minimum rating over a single issue, which is also commonly seen in star ratings. (I recall Simpsons DVDs being given 1 star for having great episodes but a badly shaped case). I don't agree with this at all.

Originally posted by Gus the Crocodile:

But isn't that okay, under the current system? The question you're asked to answer, when clicking one of two options to submit your review, isn't "is this an amazing game or a horrible game?", it's "do you recommend this game?"

So I don't see that anyone is being "forced into an extreme". "I recommend this game" isn't what I'd call an extreme statement, nor is "I don't recommend this game". There needn't be any hyperbole in either of those.

But it really is hard to answer that question at times. It isn't just "I recommend this game" but "who do I recommend this game to?" And whatever the question is worded as isn't as relevant as it is people seeing a red or green symbol meaning "good" and "bad". It is a question of extremes to begin with.

I've read and written a lot of reviews over the years. I have seen the tendency to fall into extremes. And once you are committed to writing something in a negative or postive light, that biases what you write. That button with its two choices has a surprising weight to it.

[Black_Blade]

I think these bar has a lot to say abut it:
http://i.imgur.com/s5oaB7x.png

do you think they need to add a tab called "Meh"?
Look try to break the review system to see how its build
when a friend makes a review that will be the first review you see, why? is your friends like to make better reviews then other users? or maybe your friends are most likely to have the same feeling for games as you?

You can see the most helpful of the Negative and positive why is that? if reviews will say two of the sides, why do i need up and down to start with?
Well as its easier to find the view of someone that like the game, that its for him, and find someone the game is not for him and he did not enjoy it, then you can decide who are you from the 2
A meh review is just like saying "these game may be good for you and may not be good for you" but in the end that is true to all games for every one, and there is not chance a game will be good for every one, and there for no game can get a real "Positive" or "negative" review only its near impossible to happen

As of that all reviews need to be a meh review really, as all games can or can not fit to that guy.. or that guy...

So a meh review in the end of all of these i think will need to be voted down as its not helping the user decide is these for him or not, except if its going to start going on what year he was born and how the stars effect what games he likes and that will be true i cant see a review like that really give me that much info

After all you are not alone there that put a review, there are 100000 of other users doing it as well and will put what you miss

[McFlurry Butts]

I think a well written review is better than a meh.