I’ve noticed a huge amount of negativity around games online lately, with people complaining loudly and often unfairly about things that may not even be true or representative. It’s gotten to the point where I almost dread checking out anything related to games I care about. Has anyone else experienced this? How often do you find that the criticisms are actually justified, or do you think the grifters and toxic voices online are just ruining the experience for everyone?
5 Answers
I’ve started avoiding pretty much all online discussions about games I’m interested in. I mean, I used to rely on reviews a lot, but now they’re mostly just people ranting and complaining about tiny stuff. The funny thing is, I almost skipped out on some great games because of bad reviews. I’m glad I took the chance and played at least one game via Game Pass that turned out to be one of my all-time favorites.
Man, some reviewers have really lost credibility lately. Like there was this guy — I won’t name names — who gave a lukewarm review because he forgot or messed up parts of the game and blamed the game for his own mistakes. It makes me skeptical of a lot of the YouTubers and streamers now. I usually trust fewer people these days, but Mortismal is someone I still think gives solid opinions.
Oh yeah, I noticed that too. Some reviewers seem super biased or just lazy, which makes you wonder if you should trust their takes at all.
Honestly, I just watch gameplay videos with no commentary now. If you’ve played games before, a few minutes watching gameplay is usually enough to know if you’ll like it or not without having to wade through endless rage and whining.
I don’t completely ignore reviews, but I’ve learned to find reviewers who have the same taste or style as me. That helps a lot because I can usually predict if I’ll like a game based on what they say, even if they aren’t universally praising it. Sometimes I disagree with popular opinions but still enjoy the game myself. So it’s about knowing whose opinions to trust, not avoiding reviews altogether.
Yeah, social media algorithms basically thrive on drama and anger because it drives more engagement. So people often exaggerate or outright lie to get clicks and shares, which makes gaming discussions way more toxic than they need to be. It’s like the internet encourages people to stir up rage instead of honest conversation, and that can really ruin the enjoyment of a game.
Totally, the whole ‘ragebait’ thing is real. It’s turned so many gaming spaces into garbage because creators just want views, not honest opinions.
Same here. Now, the only thing I use reviews for is to check if a game will run well on my setup.