Online video game review sites seem to be around every corner these days. Google a game you may be interested in, and there will be pages of review sites. But how important are these sites, and what effect do they have on the industry?
Keeping gamers aware
Most importantly, and perhaps most obviously, easily accessible online review sites give consumers the opportunity to be more aware of gaming news about how well games are performing and whether they’d be interested in purchasing a particular game.
Giving the consumer the ability to make more informed decisions certainly benefits everyone involved. If a game is good, it will get the attention that it deserves, while a game attracting negative attention allows the developer to understand what audiences want and go back to the drawing board.
Giving independent developers a leg up
The existence of so many high-profile review sites has had a huge effect on the indie gaming scene. No longer is an indie game mostly likely doomed to a low player count and being ignored after a short time. Review sites allow for these otherwise forgotten games to potentially make a big splash in the wider gaming pond.
Take Stardew Valley for example – this indie gem was initially created by one person as a passion project, but due to the online media attention and many popular sites picking it up and giving it a positive review, it has exploded into a major success story for indie game development.
How review sites are boosting the industry’s economy
This may be overlooked somewhat when discussing the importance of online review websites, but these sites can generate a lot of wealth while also creating several roles, such as writers, editors and site mangers. All these jobs are needed to run a website of this nature.
This results in more wealth coming into the gaming sector, allowing for more experimentation and bigger budgets for video games. For example, Rockstar’s highly anticipated GTA 6 is rumoured to have a budget of $1 billion. This would never have been viable even 10 years ago.
Online slots review sites
iGaming is a sector of the gaming industry that review sites excel in. With a number to choose from, online slots reviews can be incredibly useful, as they offer in-depth ratings for a many sites, compiled by trusted industry professionals. Especially for newcomers, this type of resource can be incredibly useful for deciding which online casino would work best for you.
The benefit of transparency
There certainly has been significant growth in honesty and transparency, with a lot of review sites going into detail and picking through anything that may be relevant to their audience. Usually, these sites will receive early copies of games to be able to get a comprehensive review published by the time of the release.
But that isn’t always the case – some developers have been known to hold back on these copies, which will often be called out by said review sites. This level of insight into their process lets the consumer know that they may need to hold off on a purchase, as the developer might not be trustworthy.
Things to consider
Unfortunately, we live in a world where people sometimes operate with ulterior motives. It is not unheard of that some high-brow sites may be paid in exchange for a positive review, regardless of the state of the game. Evidence for this is, however, at best circumstantial and mostly hearsay.
The growth of conferences
The idea of video game conferences isn’t new. They’ve been around for decades, with big hitter E3 starting in 1995, although it had to be moved online due to the Covid pandemic. Hosting these events has always been a big deal within the space. Allowing different publications and press to sample early versions of the latest games prior to release gave consumers a good idea of how they would fare when it came to release day.
Even though a lot of these events have been moved online, they still serve a vital purpose in the industry, generating massive amounts of hype and encouraging discourse online. This open line of communication has been greatly expanded with advancements to the internet, and is extremely beneficial for the consumer.
Final thoughts
There are many factors that contribute to why online review sites are so vital to the industry, giving attention to more niche games or allowing players early insights into games they might be interested in. One thing is for certain; they are integral to the user experience and are here to stay.
