But what assumptions are built into our concept of "the audience" to do that? What are we reinforcing about who games are and aren't for when we do that? I mean, a review that gushes over an MCU movie because it's a generic crowdpleaser isn't useful to ME, yet I am a moviegoer.
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Replying to @carolynmichelle
Well the review should tell you that, right? Gushing aside, let's say you read the review and it's saying "it's a formulaic film that executes well," you'd know it doesn't have anything fresh for you. The review still served you.
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Replying to @SirLarr
Sure. But personally I'd rather the critic write in a way that acknowledges their own subjectivity rather than seeking to erase it. When I encounter a critic like Kael writing unflinchingly from their own perspective, agree or disagree, I get something out of it that deepens...
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Replying to @carolynmichelle @SirLarr
...my appreciation for cinema (or games) overall and really stimulates my thinking. That's far more enjoyable and interesting to me than a bland product evaluation with a sheen of (false) objectivity that just tries to tell me if a thing will pleasantly entertain me for X hours.
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Replying to @carolynmichelle
I totally get it. It's more stimulating for me too. That's not a review though, that's critique. Reviews will have elements of that for sure, but making that the point makes it about what you want (insight) from the review rather than the audience at large (qualified judgment).
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Replying to @SirLarr
Of course it's a review. You can't say Pauline Kael didn't write film reviews. They may be in a style that's not in fashion today, but they are most definitely film reviews.
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Replying to @carolynmichelle
I don't care to argue semantics. I just think the core if it is who you're writing for. You write for yourself and like-minded readers. Nothing wrong with that at all, I just think the focus should be more audience-centric.
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Replying to @SirLarr @carolynmichelle
Also I realize the irony about being semantic after dismissing semantic. More meant to say I'm sure she writes reviews but do you really think that's what the average reader wants out of a review?
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Replying to @SirLarr
Again IDK who this "average reader" is, there are always assumptions made that invariably leave a lot of people out. Pauline Kael was a hugely influential tastemaker in her day. Our notions of what criticism should be may have shifted but that doesn't mean they were wrong before.
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Replying to @carolynmichelle @SirLarr
This was an awesome exchange about the meaning of reviews and criticism in games and film and....wow do I miss civil, edifying discourse.
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Thank you, I'm grateful for it too.
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