From Dragon Edge and Star Wars Battlefront 2 to The Last of Us II and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, review bombing has been rampant since its release, illustrating the extent of the cultural battle being waged around the video game industry. It’s a maneuver that tends to contract a massive influx of negative ratings to lower the average rating and alter the appreciation of a game.
The evolution of critical practices in online comments and discussions is profoundly transforming the way video games are evaluated and perceived. In particular, the rise of user comments, often motivated by emotional and moral considerations, seems to be overturning the historical dominance of professional criticism.
Historically, video game rating was part of a rigorous professional framework, based on objectivity and technical, aesthetic and historical analysis. The aim was to inscribe these works in the long term, establishing them as a cultural reference for an entire generation, as is the case with other art forms such as cinema and theater.
Social media have given rise to a new phenomenon: unleashed commentary. Spaces such as metacritics, where individuals express their personal feelings and moral opinions, often passionately, in an immediate and emotional way. It’s a phenomenon that has grown in power over the years, to the point of calling into question the relevance of professional ratings and reviews.
