Saw some twitter buzz today (by @jwhdavison via @shawnelliott) about the importance of spoilers in game reviews as the games start to get more complex narratives and deeper themes. I attempted to comment on the gamepro post but couldn’t be bothered to register (why>no>facebook>connect). So here it is:
My 83 year old grandmother loves film and has a system for getting what she needs out of reviews; she starts by building up trust with the critics she agrees with, then she skims their reviews for general impressions good/bad and after she watches a film and has formed her own opinion, she goes back to the review for more insight or a different perspective. Sure there’s a risk, she may need to ditch her geriatric companions to escape a bad film occasionally. Gamers don’t have less to risk when since we can choose between renting, buying used or borrowing within days of a games release.
Spoil what needs spoiling and let the reader be responsible for filtration.