I get the odd message from players needing writing hints and tips; specifically about writing reviews about Wurm. There is without doubt a vast difference between a good review and a bad review, just to state the obvious for a moment, but what is forgotten sometimes is how a good review not only says a lot about the game, but also about the person writing the review; readers will judge the writer by the quality of their article.
Reviews are an odd beast and have changed much since the Internet has enabled all of us to become instant published writers. Originally most reviews were authored by professional reviewers; normally experienced journalists who had an expertise in the subject. We still get those, though I am often appalled by the terrible standard of writing and bad construction that is published by game reporters.
What has gained popularity, especially in the software market, is the user review; the review written by just another consumer of the product. These are the most important reviews for most people when looking to buy or use a game, an application or even a car, as they are far more likely to relate to the writer and therefore trust what they have to say.
The down side to user reviews is that the writing and construction can make the review confusing, difficult to read or ambiguous to the point of very misleading and the poor writer gets completely misunderstood. So here are really obvious, but sometimes forgotten, hints and tips for writing a review of Wurm Online, or anything else!
1. Be as honest as possible
Its not helpful if your review ignores things that are an annoyance in a game. However, if the review is all negative, people will wonder why you are playing the game in the first place or would want to review it! The most helpful reviews are those that come from people who enjoy the game and therefore understand it. So, keep it balanced and don’t ignore things that you wished were better or the things you love
2. Make your piece from a players perspective, not someone trying to promote a game
This is probably the most important thing. If I write a review of Wurm it would not be a review, it would be propaganda – that is no help to readers. Your review should sound like you are playing the game because you want to, not because you were paid to.
3. Check your audience
Read other reviews on the site – see which ones were popular and which you enjoyed reading. That will give you a real heads up on what works on that particular site. You may also decide that what you have to say wont fit on that site and so should look for another outlet where you feel more at home.
4. Break it into sections.
Plan it out a bit so it is logical with headings – this also makes it much easier to write
- Introduction – a brief, non-critical outline of the game
- Registration and Getting Started (what help there was, etc – the Wiki, the Getting Started Section, help from players)
- Game play – What you actual have to do once you have burnt your first log
- Social aspects of the Game – how you interact with other players, importance of socialising or not
- Graphics – what it “feels” like, were the graphics absorbing or irritating, etc
- Interface – what it is like to use and how easy to ignore and get on with the game
- Challenges and enjoyment – what drew you in to the game and kept you playing
- Pros and Cons wish list – where it fell down, what you would put on your wish list, and where it surprised you
- Conclusion – very personal take on why you think people may like to try this game and what they should be wary of
In addition, some writers may want to address technology issues (like the fact it is written in Java and what that means), though remember that many readers may find that boring as hell – think of the website your review is for as a clue to whether it should be techy or not. Again, if you are desperate to push the techy side, but feel it will be out of place on the site you are considering, go find another site.
5. Writing Style
This is the most difficult part for many people who do not write on a regular basis. If you are not adept at writing in a specified style, just write as it comes into your head. However a few tips that may help are:
- Keep it light
- Don’t go for very long, wandering sentences
- Avoid too many sub-clauses – they can make it very ambiguous and confusing
- Don’t use tons of abbreviations or text-speak – it narrows the audience and can make it difficult to read
- Read it out loud to yourself – if you stumble a lot, then you have probably made it too complicated
- Make sure you break it up into clear paragraphs – however, do not just do lots of one sentence paragraphs, it will look like a list
- Ask a friend to read it before you post it
6. Images
Very important in a graphics based game!!
- Go for bright, daylight images (if people have their monitor settings darker than you, your images may be impossible to see if they are a night-time shot)
- Try and avoid outlines unless you are making a point
- The same applies to bits of the GUI interface like chat and event – they can mess up a thumb nail
- Get at least one full width image in there (work out what works best on the site you are writing for)
- If the site allows you to link images, put thumbnails in the article and link to the full image somewhere.
- If using small images, avoid detailed landscapes as they will just be confusing. Go for closeups. Same with thumbnails – sometimes a thumbnail is better as a portion of the full image rather than just a small version of the image
And that will do you, I think. There are probably loads of other hints and tips about writing, but I those are the main ones, the ones that trip people up frequently and I get asked about most regularly
My biggest tip is plan and make rough notes (how many times have I told my kids this when they are writing essays?). Writing should be a fun process, but it can become a chore very quickly if you are continuously tying to work out what to say in a nice way or lose you train of thought. Making some notes first can make the process both faster and a lot more enjoyable, and the article will be much, much better as a result.
GB
