Forums are a great place for discussion, and when discussing an artistic medium like video games, people have many varying opinions on each game, and often strong feelings on what they like and/or dislike about a game. A generally accepted rule is that all criticism should be constructive, but not everyone criticizes games in a constructive way online. This isn't necessarily people trying to kick up dirt or start a fight; they have valid ideas on where games can be improved, but they receive backlash because of the presentation of these ideas. Because of this I thought I would write some tips that people can check with to make sure their criticism is constructive. I hope this will help keep discussion healthy, especially with talk about new and popular games.
When criticizing a game in a forum, there's a few things to take into consideration:
TIMING
How new is this game? If it recently released, people may still be on the hype train, and nobody wants their excitement suddenly dampened by someone else. If the game is old, people may have nostalgia for it, and aren't as receptive to ideas that go against their fond memories of the game. Neither of these things make a game immune to criticism, but in these situations you need to keep in mind how your communication is presented. This isn't a call to hold back from criticism, just to be aware of how it may be received and present it in a way that makes your message clear.
PRESENTATION
Constructive criticism has a very simple formula: "I like X, but I dislike Y. Z would be better."
You should begin your point with something positive about the game which is impacted by the flaw you're leading into with your criticism. For example:
Make sure your criticism is limited to flaws with the game, not criticizing people who enjoy it. There's no way to constructively criticize someone's taste in games. As soon as you move past criticizing the game and start insulting the people you're discussing it with, anything "constructive" you've said loses all credibility. Understand that people value different aspects of games, and will like games despite their flaws. Don't try to change someone's feelings about their favorite game, or assume they enjoy experiencing games the same way that you do. Focus on expressing your own thoughts and feelings about the game as opposed to coming at it from a standpoint of changing the other person's. If you express yourself well, more often than not the person you are talking to will take that into account and reevaluate their opinion with that information without you needing to take any active part in that process.
Edited in response to constructive criticism from the community :)
When criticizing a game in a forum, there's a few things to take into consideration:
TIMING
How new is this game? If it recently released, people may still be on the hype train, and nobody wants their excitement suddenly dampened by someone else. If the game is old, people may have nostalgia for it, and aren't as receptive to ideas that go against their fond memories of the game. Neither of these things make a game immune to criticism, but in these situations you need to keep in mind how your communication is presented. This isn't a call to hold back from criticism, just to be aware of how it may be received and present it in a way that makes your message clear.
PRESENTATION
Constructive criticism has a very simple formula: "I like X, but I dislike Y. Z would be better."
You should begin your point with something positive about the game which is impacted by the flaw you're leading into with your criticism. For example:
Presenting your criticisms this way does a few things:
- It makes your criticism constructive. Putting your positive point before your negative one gives your criticism context as to what area of the game was impacted by the flaw you're about to point out. Many people make the mistake of pointing out a flaw in a game, and explaining in detail why it is a problem, and leaving it at that. That is not constructive. Constructive criticism must explain how something can improve, not just where it falls short. Saying "Y is bad because of 1, 2, and 3" doesn't always make it clear where the improvement should happen. You might be talking about what you think should be removed from the game, but you haven't addressed what "better" thing should replace it. Make sure you're clear about what would be better, not only what is bad.
- It's polite. You avoid coming across as abrasive with your criticism. People won't feel like you're there to just "talk shit" about something they enjoy if you've articulated both its strengths and weaknesses. You don't have to like every game as much as other people do, but always be mindful when talking about it that you're not making people feel like you don't think they should like it.
- It validates your criticisms. When you can point out both the good and bad parts of the game, it shows that you paid attention when you were playing and carefully thought about both the strengths and weaknesses of the game before speaking on it. You've avoided coming across as someone making a knee-jerk reaction on something minor that pushed the wrong buttons, and are instead presenting yourself as someone who cares about the game and wants it to be better.
Make sure your criticism is limited to flaws with the game, not criticizing people who enjoy it. There's no way to constructively criticize someone's taste in games. As soon as you move past criticizing the game and start insulting the people you're discussing it with, anything "constructive" you've said loses all credibility. Understand that people value different aspects of games, and will like games despite their flaws. Don't try to change someone's feelings about their favorite game, or assume they enjoy experiencing games the same way that you do. Focus on expressing your own thoughts and feelings about the game as opposed to coming at it from a standpoint of changing the other person's. If you express yourself well, more often than not the person you are talking to will take that into account and reevaluate their opinion with that information without you needing to take any active part in that process.
Edited in response to constructive criticism from the community :)
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