GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1996 by Pete Deemer and Vince Broady. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased CNET Networks in 2008, is the current owner of GameSpot. GameSpot.com is currently one of the 200 highest-trafficked websites according to Alexa.

In addition to the content produced by GameSpot staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. The forums are partially shared with those on GameFAQs, another website owned by CNET.

In 2004, GameSpot won "Best Gaming Website" as chosen by the viewers in Spike TV's second Video Game Award Show.[2] Other gaming websites such as IGN, 1UP.com, and GameSpy have been its biggest rivals. The domain gamespot.com attracted at least 60 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study.[3]

GameSpot's main page has links to the latest news, reviews, previews, and portals for the following current platforms: Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, and PS3. It also includes a list of the most popular games on the site and a search engine for users to track down games of interest. GameSpot also covers the following platforms to a lesser extent: Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Neo Geo Pocket Color, N-Gage, and mobile games, among othersHistory

At launch, the site focused exclusively on PC games. Its sister site, VideoGameSpot.com, was launched in December 1996 to cover console games. In 1997, VideoGameSpot.com became VideoGames.com for a short period, and by 1998, the PC and console sections were united at GameSpot.com.[4]

On October 3, 2005, GameSpot adopted a new design similar to that of TV.com, now considered a sister site to GameSpot.[5]

[edit] International history

GameSpot UK (United Kingdom) was started in October 1997 and operated until mid-2002, offering Europe-oriented content which often differed from that of the U.S. site. During this period, GameSpot UK won the 1999 PPAi (Periodical Publishers Association interactive) award for best website,[6] and was short listed in 2001.[7] Following the purchase of ZDNet by CNET, GameSpot UK was merged with the main US site. On April 24, 2006, GameSpot UK was relaunched.[8]

In a similar fashion, GameSpot AU (Australia) existed on a local scale in the late 1990s with Australian-produced reviews. It ceased in 2003. When a local version of the main CNET portal, CNET.com.au was launched in 2003, Gamespot.com.au content was folded into CNET.com.au. The site was fully re-launched mid 2006, with a specialized forum, local reviews, special features, local pricings in AUD, Australian release dates, and more local news.

GameSpot Japan (Japan) in its current form launched in 2007. It provides Japanese videogame industry news, previews, reviews, features, and videos as well as translated articles from the other GameSpot sites. It had recently added a larger video player and community forums to the site.

[edit] Notable staff

• Shane Sattersfield - former editor, currently editor-in-chief of GameTrailers.com
• Greg Kasavin – executive editor and site director of GameSpot, who left in 2007 to become a game developer. He is now a producer for EA Los Angeles.[9]
• Jeff Gerstmann - editorial director of the site, dismissed from GameSpot on November 28, 2007 for undisclosed reasons, after which he started GiantBomb.com[10]
• Alex Navarro - editor of the site, resigned due to dismissal of Gerstmann. Now works as a member of the community team for Harmonix.
• Jason Ocampo - former editor, currently editor-in-chief of IGN PC

[edit] Reviews and rating system

In January 2001, GameSpot introduced video reviews for games, which are released for all major games. Other games that the editors believe deserve special mention (for example, the very worst games) are reviewed by video as well. Video reviews mostly re-emphasize the written review text with clips of gameplay embedded.

GameSpot has a detailed guide that explains its reviewing policies, as well as answering frequently asked questions about its reviews.[11]

When GameSpot Complete was introduced in late 2001, older reviews were restricted to Complete members; however, those reviews became available to everyone again several months later.

All games were judged on five different categories: Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Value, and Reviewer's Tilt. Each category is assigned an integer score from one to ten, and these five integers are combined using a weighted average to arrive at an overall score. Should a game score at least 9.0, it is designated as "superb," and given "Editor's Choice" recognition. Although many games achieve this status each year, only six in GameSpot's history have ever received a perfect ten: Chrono Cross,[12] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,[13] Soul Calibur,[14] and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PlayStation 2 version)[15] under the original system, and Grand Theft Auto IV[16] and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots[17] under the new ratings system implemented in June 2007.

Seven games have achieved a near-perfect score of 9.9: NFL 2K,[18] NFL 2K1,[19] Perfect Dark,[20] Super Mario Bros. Deluxe,[21] Tekken 3 (PlayStation version),[22] and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (Dreamcast and Playstation versions).[23][24] This score is no longer possible under the new ratings system.

On the other end of the spectrum, Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is the only game to have ever received a 1.0 ("abysmal"), the lowest score possible.[25]

While games are rated mostly with regard to how they compare to the other games available on their specific platforms, games released simultaneously for multiple platforms are also compared between systems, which often results in differing scores being given to the same game depending on the system, usually due to the inherent strengths and weaknesses of each platform.

[edit] New system

On June 25, 2007, GameSpot began assigning scores by increments of 0.5 instead of 0.1.[26] It also ended its practice of giving sub-scores for gameplay, graphics, sound, value, and tilt. Instead, user reviews now possess a medal system that permits the reviewer to highlight given characteristics of the game such as its artistic design, original soundtrack, or difficulty. GameSpot believes that this will create a more detailed rating system than the previous one. The first review under the new system was for Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition for the PSP.[27] The only change in terms is the new term "Prime" for games that receive a 10.0 score, replacing "Perfect."

Then Editor-in-chief Jeff Gerstmann blogged explaining the decision but still received criticism towards this change. Despite viewers claiming to have canceled memberships and suggestions for a different increment scale (reverting back to a .1 scale, or changing to a .2 or .25 scale), the review system remains unchange

Game of the Year: Best and Worst

Every year, GameSpot holds the Best and Worst Game of the Year awards, which recognize achievements in the gaming industry, positive and negative (in the form of "Dubious Honors", containing categories such as "Most Disappointing Game", "Flat-Out Worst Game", "Best Game No One Played" and "Most Despicable Product Placement"). GameSpot also allows users on the site to vote for the winners of the "Readers' Choice" awards.