ForumsGamesHow to rate a game correctly

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Soltis
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Soltis
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I've spent a lot of time playing games on AG, and to put it bluntly, most games I encounter have ratings wildly out of proportion to their actual quality. In a few cases a game is rated too low, but usually it's the opposite: people appear to rate games based on what other people have rated them, nearly as much as their own opinion -- or they simply don't want to give any game a "bad" rating.

Here are some general thoughts and pointers:

1. A game author may not like getting a low rating, but it's important to rate games accurately -- for two reasons. First, so other players know what to expect; second, so the author knows if they need to try harder in order to produce a good game.

2. Other people's opinions are not yours. All a 9.5 rating means, is that the game has a 9.5 rating; don't be afraid to rate a game a 6 or 5 just because everyone else didn't.

3. Every rating number has its own meaning - the entire spectrum, from 1 to 10, should be used when appropriate.

4. Most games should get between 4 and 7 in ratings -- 1-3 should be reserved for spectacular failures, and 8-9 should be used sparingly.

5. You should never rate a game a 10 unless you've thought about it pretty hard, first - if the "10" rating is to have any meaning, it should be extremely uncommon; I don't think I've ever given a 10; I've given a couple 9.5s, but there are always flaws.

6. Once in a while, a game is simply so creative you want to give it credit for being so original; I suggest rating it like usual, and then adding no more than 1 to the resulting rating... even creativity needs to be balanced by discipline and skill.

Anyway, to help people give better ratings, I've provided a number-by-number breakdown of possible ratings and when they should be used:

1 - AWFUL: unplayable, impossible to enjoy, or even tolerate; games which are so buggy you can't even play a minute or two might qualify, too.

2 - Terrible: nobody in their right mind would enjoy it; comparable to watching paint dry for sheer entertainment value.

3 - Bad: boring, annoying, repetitive; terribly balanced; severely buggy, etc.

4 - Mediocre: amateurish, tedious, or suffers serious balance issues; you wouldn't say it's out right bad, but you wouldn't say it's anywhere near good.

5 - Average: no crushingly bad flaws, but nothing impressive - a good way to waste time, but nothing more.

6 - Above average: fun, but with flaws; there may be balance issues, bugs, or implementation issues of a good idea. This should be the highest rating a game gets if it has even one serious complaint.

7 - Good: no serious complaints or bugs; above-average enjoyability, or an unusually creative game concept.

8 - Great: a great idea, with good implementation; there may be minor issues, but nothing that would stop a reasonable player from having a great time.

9 - Amazing: not quite perfect, but a masterpiece. No real issues; the only problems should be extremely slight, or subjective (matters of opinion).

10 - Perfect: flawless; absolutely no complaints whatsoever, and game play slightly more addictive than crack.

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