We as humans like numbers. That's just how we roll. They can sum up our value of anything, and are used to show pricing, quanity and quality of every day items. We depend on them for grocery shopping, paying bills and basic math. Why you would almost think we are dependant on numbers. Luckily though, we still have our opinions and independant thoughts, and those couldn't possibly be represented by ratings, right?
Sadly no, of course they can. I mean, how do you think our grades in school are made, or television ratings monitored? Our opnions are simplified into digits so that they may be easily processed by the big shots in the industry. It's the same with reviews; the writer puts a score based on his thoughts onto the review so the general public can get an overall grasp of his views. That's all fine, but the problem I have with this system is that many people only look at the digits, and the actual review itself becomes secondary. What's the point of voicing opinons then, if no one's going to read them?
Look at the arguements fanboys typically make.
"On GameTrailers, Halo 3 got a 9.8, but Killzone 2 only got a 9.2. That clearly means they liked Halo 3 better. Do the math!"
Honestly, this is an insult to reviewers everywhere. Instead of hearing what reviewers have to say about the quality of the game, gamers compare the score like immature children comparing school test marks. The statement tells nothing about the qualities that make Halo 3 score so high, or what could make Killzone 2's slightly lower. That number we reviewers give does not justify our opinion, or yours for that matter. For example, which of the following people would be more helpful to a reader:
"inFamous is a great game. The gameplay is a lot of fun and the missions are well varied and keep the concept of electrical powers fresh and exciting."
"inFamous is a great game. Definitely a 5/5."
Obviously the first guy is more useful. He tells of many positive aspects that make inFamous a great game, where the second merely gives a score. Numbers do not prove a point. Let your words do that.
Unfortunately, the second guy's arguement is used more often, and that my friends is because people are lazy. I'll even use one of my recent reviews to prove it.
Not too long ago, I wrote a review for Resident Evil 5 and posted it on several gaming sites. This was my first review without a score, but since Gamespot's posting system required one, I'd decided to just give it a 1/10 as a joke and make a disclaimer in the header saying the rating meant nothing. Apparantly the disclaimer wasn't enough.
Link to NailBail's Resident Evil 5 Review
As you can see, the review was thumbed down numourous times, most likely due to the fact that I gave the game "such an atrocious score". Yet if any of those people actually bothered to read the darn thing, they would see that I actually didn't mind the game at all. I wasn't even angry about their ignorance. In fact, I was laughing because the controversy of the low score made it my most popular review, with more than double the ratings of my previous articles. This proves that readers value the number we give more than the words behind it.
As a reviewer, I can say that most of us take some time and thought to put together a decent article. We do it for the benefit of the public, to let them know what are the hits and misses. That's why I get a little upset when fanboys brandish scores and ratings around like weapons, and why I don't want to use a score. A number is not what makes a game, but the experiences felt from the gamer, and that's what we try to tell you in our reviews. Read what we have to say, listen to our opinions, or else you'll just be a calculator processing numbers.