Login
Remember
IF Answers
Ask a Question

# How do I judge/review meaningfully and diplomatically?

+1 vote
74 views
asked Mar 23 in Playing by AndrewS (250 points)
recategorized Mar 27 by Alex
I think we need more people in the community willing to do this. It's not easy, but it's good to have. But it is easy to worry you don't have anything to say, or even that you might be too harsh.

- reviewing
- community

## 1 Answer

+1 vote
answered Mar 23 by AndrewS (250 points)

I've been on both ends, so here are some thoughts:

- For parser games, a transcript can be extremely helpful. If you're up for it, mark comments with a semicolon (or any punctuation mark) to start. The author can search for it easily that way. (It may also lower your blood pressure to be able to vent. You can update the transcript after.) You can also give them a bunch of things to fix without putting their mistakes under a magnifying glass (e.g. ten typos, or even stylistic questions). It's not a requirement, but I think it's safe to say having a transcript for a game you bashed is a polite gesture, once you know about transcripting. It doesn't even have to be annotated.
- A list of likes and dislikes is more helpful than you'd think, and that especially extends to changes you think would have the greatest impact for the least effort. They've helped me, as an author, realize I need to attack or change something. It gives more dimensions than just a 1-10 score.
- Don't let a game's overall good parts make you think you can't request post-comp stuff. Sometimes authors just miss stuff.
- Sit back and see if your points about details are really bringing out general ideas, or if they are just kvetching. I take ten minutes before hitting "enter."
- Don't feel you have to review everything. Concentrating on 1/3 of the games in IFComp is an achievable goal, and many people who try to review all the games can hit one and collapse.
  - That said, if a game blocks you, move on and come back later. It's best not to review it til the end. If the game stuck you, and you don't know why, say so.
- As an author, a pet peeve is reading "How did they let this slip through?" Yes, I'm wondering the same thing. Often I've checked to make sure something worked and asked testers to--but it didn't, in a special case I ignored. Once I've been on this side, I'm more sympathetic to the other side
- I try not to talk about myself unless I recognize something biases me, or if I recognize a certain error would annoy me more than most.
- It may be hard to be diplomatic, or even to avoid "look I'm being diplomatic." I prefer a less emotional style unless a game is good, and even then, being emotional may spoil it. Don't feel you have to make a splash.

commented Mar 25 by dw (9 points)
Good ideas. There are some differences between reviews and feedback. (It would be valuable adding questions for feedback phrased like a player "what should i tell an author about the game?")
A review is usually public - more of the readers are (potential) players than author(s) of the work. A review should be more like a public discussion than a letter to the author. A reviewer should be mindful that different readers have different opinions - things I hate another player loves and vice versa. By moderating your statements - say "This attracted me/ I had a problem with that" you can remain readable for readers who don't agree. A serious reviewer should be careful to stick to the facts (every statement should be justifiable by a quote from the work). Vague feelings or suspicions (or gossip) don't certainly make a game better or worse - they don't belong in a review.
Feedback is usually private - It's valuable to give your opinion bluntly to inform the author(s). If gossip has the wrong impression about a game then an author might like to address that. A vague feeling might be a symptom of a problem (in the work) you just can't put into words - anything can be useful for the author(s) each piece of feedback is like a puzzle piece - putting them all together gives the author(s) the big picture which eludes individual players.

## Related questions

- How can I contribute to the community without writing a game?
- How can I find a good Twine game?
- How can I get involved in the interactive fiction community?
- How can I organize games I've played and want to play?
- Who is the author of sample project 'Onyx' which comes with the Inform7 desktop client?

...