Hello,
Firstly, it pleases me to see so many people anxious to write reviews as a staff member, or just in general. For those who don't know me, I was a reviewer on this site a year ago, and writing reviews helped me develop my writing, even when the actual work's quality varied. As such, I would like to pass along advice from that period for those applying or already accepted from my experiences and general advice.
I will also make a warning: if you take your reviewing seriously (which if you are applying I hope you do), then be aware that you may not look at games the same way after. It is much more likely you'll be critical of a game after reviewing for an extended period of time than someone who is not a critic would.
Anyways, onwards to my tips
General Tips
1) Watch grammar/spelling - Probably one of my biggest flaws when I was writing reviews on a regular basis. Main reason I'm bringing this up is that when I reread my old reviews, I found that the errors that I've initially missed distracting. It goes a long way to see a well written, cohesive piece of work contrary to a poorly written mess, as I have learned the hard way.
2) Try to be fair with a game - The job of a reviewer is, in my eyes, to give a report of whatever it is you're reviewing. Even if a game is extremely bad, you have to give it its day in court. I strongly recommend commending what the game got right, what didn't work and how it could be improved rather than bashing it. The inverse is true for good games: even if the game appears perfect, point out potential problems that could arise.
3) Report, not bash/praise - Tied in with number 2, basically you want to give an overview of what the game is like. Just stating how it runs or how it looks/sounds on its own without context is not very informative. In my own opinion, a good review will give the reader an idea if they want to play a game or not, despite the reviewer's overall tone.
4) Write what is necessary - A review's job is to provide information on a piece of work, and however long it takes to convey the appropriate information should be the length.
5) Add a personal touch - While I do generally discourage including Nostalgia as a part of a review, as it can distort the truth, I do suggest that you include how you felt while dealing with individual elements in the modern sense. If you laughed during the story, say you laughed. If you got frustrated due to controls, cite that the controls can get frustrating for some players. Something I found when doing mine is I often wrote in a more adult perspective, distanced from the gamer and in an objective sense. While that worked for me, I found that it is not always the best approach, so find a nice middle ground between informative/objective and personal, since gaming is a personal experience.
6) Give every game a fair chance - NEVER base a game's performance on the first segment. The general rule I always had was if the game has a definitive end, try tor each the halfway point if feasible. While story, graphical and audio based evaluations can be provided externally, such as watching a lets-play, the reviewer should till play the game as much as they can to allow for a fair review. Games without an end just take a pre-determined time-frame for playing and play it through.
7) Pace yourself - Probably my biggest mistake. Don't write more than what you can in a given time-frame or you WILL burn yourself out. I found when I got busy in life, I was stretching myself hard for reviews and was over-extending myself to the point of sacrificing quality. If you don't feel you can keep up, then I recommend not applying. If so, then keep up with it but don't push yourself too hard if you physically can not. If you can do more, great but if not...take care of yourself there.
8) Write if its worth it - Ok what do I mean here exactly? Basically, before writing any review, think if there's enough to really say about it, or say that is different. If the former is the case, and there isn't much to say...skip the game. If a game has a lot to say about it, but everyone else has said a lot about it already, ask yourself two closely related questions: Can you say anything different about the same elements, and can you add something completely different. If the answer to either or both is yes, go for it. if not...may be worth skipping.
9) Don't make assumptions - A pretty big one. Never enter a game or a review with preconceptions from previous feedback or knowledge. Try to do as much of the game without this crutch as you can to give it a fair review. Helps avoid some of the other pitfalls I've cited earlier.
10) USE YOUR VOICE - This is my biggest tip BY FAR. Every other bit of advice leads up to this bit...just speak as you. if you don't believe in what you're writing, then its not reviewing "journalism", its ventriloquism. Speak your mind on what you're reviewing, even if it goes against the masses. Be real with your reviews and they will be a lot better.
Well that is all I have to say for now so good luck to all applying. Hello,
Firstly, it pleases me to see so many people anxious to write reviews as a staff member, or just in general. For those who don't know me, I was a reviewer on this site a year ago, and writing reviews helped me develop my writing, even when the actual work's quality varied. As such, I would like to pass along advice from that period for those applying or already accepted from my experiences and general advice.
I will also make a warning: if you take your reviewing seriously (which if you are applying I hope you do), then be aware that you may not look at games the same way after. It is much more likely you'll be critical of a game after reviewing for an extended period of time than someone who is not a critic would.
Anyways, onwards to my tips
General Tips
1) Watch grammar/spelling - Probably one of my biggest flaws when I was writing reviews on a regular basis. Main reason I'm bringing this up is that when I reread my old reviews, I found that the errors that I've initially missed distracting. It goes a long way to see a well written, cohesive piece of work contrary to a poorly written mess, as I have learned the hard way.
2) Try to be fair with a game - The job of a reviewer is, in my eyes, to give a report of whatever it is you're reviewing. Even if a game is extremely bad, you have to give it its day in court. I strongly recommend commending what the game got right, what didn't work and how it could be improved rather than bashing it. The inverse is true for good games: even if the game appears perfect, point out potential problems that could arise.
3) Report, not bash/praise - Tied in with number 2, basically you want to give an overview of what the game is like. Just stating how it runs or how it looks/sounds on its own without context is not very informative. In my own opinion, a good review will give the reader an idea if they want to play a game or not, despite the reviewer's overall tone.
4) Write what is necessary - A review's job is to provide information on a piece of work, and however long it takes to convey the appropriate information should be the length.
5) Add a personal touch - While I do generally discourage including Nostalgia as a part of a review, as it can distort the truth, I do suggest that you include how you felt while dealing with individual elements in the modern sense. If you laughed during the story, say you laughed. If you got frustrated due to controls, cite that the controls can get frustrating for some players. Something I found when doing mine is I often wrote in a more adult perspective, distanced from the gamer and in an objective sense. While that worked for me, I found that it is not always the best approach, so find a nice middle ground between informative/objective and personal, since gaming is a personal experience.
6) Give every game a fair chance - NEVER base a game's performance on the first segment. The general rule I always had was if the game has a definitive end, try tor each the halfway point if feasible. While story, graphical and audio based evaluations can be provided externally, such as watching a lets-play, the reviewer should till play the game as much as they can to allow for a fair review. Games without an end just take a pre-determined time-frame for playing and play it through.
7) Pace yourself - Probably my biggest mistake. Don't write more than what you can in a given time-frame or you WILL burn yourself out. I found when I got busy in life, I was stretching myself hard for reviews and was over-extending myself to the point of sacrificing quality. If you don't feel you can keep up, then I recommend not applying. If so, then keep up with it but don't push yourself too hard if you physically can not. If you can do more, great but if not...take care of yourself there.
8) Write if its worth it - Ok what do I mean here exactly? Basically, before writing any review, think if there's enough to really say about it, or say that is different. If the former is the case, and there isn't much to say...skip the game. If a game has a lot to say about it, but everyone else has said a lot about it already, ask yourself two closely related questions: Can you say anything different about the same elements, and can you add something completely different. If the answer to either or both is yes, go for it. if not...may be worth skipping.
9) Don't make assumptions - A pretty big one. Never enter a game or a review with preconceptions from previous feedback or knowledge. Try to do as much of the game without this crutch as you can to give it a fair review. Helps avoid some of the other pitfalls I've cited earlier.
10) USE YOUR VOICE - This is my biggest tip BY FAR. Every other bit of advice leads up to this bit...just speak as you. if you don't believe in what you're writing, then its not reviewing "journalism", its ventriloquism. Speak your mind on what you're reviewing, even if it goes against the masses. Be real with your reviews and they will be a lot better.
Well that is all I have to say for now so good luck to all applying.
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