‘Judge what is there’

I think it’s important to engage what the creator offers rather than what the audience member might instead wish to experience. In both professional and public criticism, I frequently see horror films, games, and books judged negatively because the property didn’t strike the chord someone was expecting to hear. In my reviews, I will do my best to recognize what the creator was aiming for, assess how close they came to achieving it, and ultimately discuss how I responded to those efforts as a recipient.

‘Judge against peers’

Quite simply, I don’t judge an indie film made by three people with a single camera the same way I do a production from A24. A low-budget found footage film should be digested and evaluated in comparison to others of its kind, not the vast body of horror movies that are out there.

‘Judge honestly’

This one is trickier, because I think we have this in spades when it comes to films and video games; everyone out there wants to have a take that will get eyeballs, even if the reviewer doesn’t really feel the level of conviction they’re expressing. The sharper and snarkier you can be with criticism, or edifying and hyperbolic with praise, the more likely you are to be picked up and quoted.

I will not do this. There will be proportionality and mindful qualifiers in all of my criticism.

(here’s where I clipped a rant about the professional book review industry. I want you to know that I know, so this parenthetical will be retained.)