Do You Still Trust Big Gaming Websites For Video Game Recommendations?

One of the biggest problems that we currently face in the gaming industry is that it’s difficult to determine whether a game is worth our time or not. In fact, there are a couple of factors that can affect the decision such as:

• The game might be really good, but is it really for me?
• A game might have a lot of content, but is it worth playing if I don’t have much time?
• This game could be really fun, but it’s getting a lot of negative attention for no reason
• Some games aren’t given a fighting chance and end up being forgotten

There are so many little considerations that go into picking a video game to play and it’s honestly quite exhausting. So much so that many people are completely fine replaying games they love or just sticking to simple mobile games so that they don’t end up wasting their time or investment on something that they’re unsure about.

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People enjoy playing what they’re used to

In fact, there are plenty of people that are more than happy replaying the same games (especially long RPG games such as the Final Fantasy series) on older consoles because they know what to expect and they’re comfortable playing those games. Nowadays, you never know what you’re going to get especially considering how deceptive marketing practices have become.

And that’s also spread to gaming websites as well. Those once-trusted news outlets are becoming more and more driven by things that have no relation to the game being fun or not, and with a large number of reviewers (and often outsourced work that they commission) on each website, it’s difficult to really tell if a game is worth the investment or not.

So it begs the question; can we really trust video game websites anymore? Especially the big ones?

Probably not.

Everyone has their own tastes

The games that you enjoy are probably vastly different from what the reviewer at a major gaming news outlet would enjoy. Let’s also not forget that some websites can be motivated by sponsorships and there’s always the possibility of a review not being published because the media are worried about their relationship with the games company.

There are far too many political nuances happening in the background and this eventually causes those reviews to become less-faithful to the reviewer. In addition, everyone has their own personal tastes when it comes to video games, so unless you can personally identify with the reviewer and their tastes, it’s unlikely that you’re going to see eye to eye.

Let’s also not forget that influencers on websites like Twitch and YouTube are often sponsored and paid to play a game. Sure, they disclose the fact that they’re sponsored, but that doesn’t change the fact that their opinion could be a little skewered.

So who can you really trust for gaming recommendations?

There are pretty much only two options that you can rely on for video game recommendations; smaller independent websites and friends.

Smaller websites such as Kiiings are a great source of gaming news and reviews because it’s run by a much smaller team. Sure, they might occasionally get sponsorship deals and so on, but they’re far more likely to give their honest opinion because they’re not afraid of falling out with a game developer or writing something controversial or honest because their audience values that integrity.

In addition, you tend to get to know the reviewers and writers at smaller publications, meaning that you could personally identify with their tastes and preferences. This could create a connection between what you personally enjoy and what the reviewer enjoys, meaning you’re more likely to trust their opinion.

The same goes for recommendations from friends; the better you know the person, the more likely you can trust their recommendation to be a good one. It’s far better than trusting random people on the internet and if you know them personally, there’s always a chance you can borrow or try the game before you get your own copy.

Some final words

So let’s pose the question; do you still trust big gaming websites? In the past, a lot of people turned to these big publications to see if a game was worth purchasing. Sadly, big sponsorships and “politics” made it hard to trust their opinions. Next, we got user opinions and reviews thanks to sites like Metacritic. Unfortunately, that system is also being abused by angry fans or people that don’t “get” certain games, causing the ratings to be much lower than normal.

As a result, there are fewer and fewer sources that we can turn to for gaming recommendations. Unless you’re willing to try every game before you buy, it’s probably time to change the way you receive video game recommendations if you don’t want to be disappointed.