Comments on: Do Zero Punctuation Video Game Reviews Influence Video Game Sales?

By: hakybroossy

hakybroossy — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:42:02 +0000

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By: ShieldT

ShieldT — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:50:38 +0000

Braid's release was the main reason I bought a factory refurbished XBOX 360 last month, rather than waiting until late next year. My computer teacher brought in his machine and put it up on the projector. Yahtzee panned Castle Crashers, so I didn't purchase the full version. If he'd disliked Braid, I wouldn't have an XBOX right now.

... I guess that means that his review made me comfortable with a purchase I was already going to make?

His reviews have helped put in perspective how many times I've been burned in the past, but I also want to see the new stuff coming out, so I've become a habitual renter at Blockbuster.

I expect that current sales won't be affected much one way or the other. I'm looking for two things to come out of his reviews:

One: Positively reviewed games will, a few months past release, be being grabbed off the shelves of used game stores at a much higher rate than otherwise.

Two: His reviews will be played and dissected by the Game Design classes of the future, affecting (one way or the other) what kind of games they put their time behind. I mean, its a bit like the effect the Evil Overlord list has on writers, right?

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:20:25 +0000

Or maybe he's aware that game reviews have the potential to be more of an opinion-based dialogue rather than the jargon-filled consumer recommendations they usually boil down to. Croshaw is a darling of videogame review because he's one of the only people doing what other media have had almost since their inception, ie providing actual criticism rather than mere review. Perhaps his thousands of views suggest that people are interested in hearing people talk about games as creative product rather than just giving them a score between 7 and 10 and telling them to buy it.

I venture to suggest that an exploration of the commercial viability of such an approach is rather missing the point, unless you're talking about whether he's increased traffic for the people who pay him.

By: Angry1541

Angry1541 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:59:39 +0000

@scratt

Ya, I bought Psychonauts based on his review also--any review that claims that a modern game brings as much enjoyment as gaming back in the C64 days convinces me.

By: Mikeystar

Mikeystar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:14:46 +0000

He shamed me into buying and playing Psychonauts as I had missed it first time around

and that was definitely a gerat tip, what a stellar game!

By: rene

rene — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:37:07 +0000

I really think i could never base buying a game off of his reviews because the shitty games and the great ones all have an equal amount of criticism

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:28:23 +0000

"On Amazon, sales of the old game immediately jumped 7400 percent."

So, was that 2 copies one day to 148 the next, or what? 7400 ZOMG sounds great, sure, but it really depends on what numbers you're using, and during what period.

By: creatorswhim

creatorswhim — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:41:14 +0000

Perhaps the gamers who watch Zero Punctuation don't own XBox 360s, (I sure don't) or perhaps those who do already bought Braid. (seeing as they are paying attention to reviews)

In any case, everyone who watches Zero Punctuation has access to a PC, and as the Yahtzee sold Painkiller as a best-of-generation FPS (a genre that has been mined into extinction recently) rather than a cute, fun puzzle game for a console that not everyone has, maybe the markets for these two games are incredibly different.

By: HVPinc

HVPinc — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:37:05 +0000

Omg are u people stupid? The games he likes do well because they're good games and are getting wide spread good reviews!! (and possibly commercial)

By: Kristen

Kristen — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:41:38 +0000

You know, I absolutely love watching Zero Punctuation, and I held my breath, and couldn't wait for him to rip apart Fable 2, which I had just beaten twice, and for the most part I liked. Yahtzee is exactly the same as any other gamer, like my husband or his best friend, or my brother. After beating a game they can have it ripped to shreds in ten seconds, and generally all of their arguments are true.

But do they stop playing? Of course not. And those same titles that they bash for not being up to their expectations they keep buying. (Note Yahtzee's love for the Silent Hill series....)

So a good review might make a difference, but people watch Zero Punctuation so that they can hear someone else say all the things they were thinking while they beat the game, and that's basically it.