Learning card

Reviewing videogames online

Description

The publication rate of new videogames is very high, and there are constantly new games appearing. Reviews play an important role when players decide which games to purchase. There are professional reviews published online, but also a large amount of fan-made reviews. This activity helps students to understand the difference between professional journalism and customer reviews. It also helps to understand the nature of fan-made reviews and the biases attached to them.

Tag
  • Blog
  • Journalism
  • News
  • Video
  • Videogames
Skills

MEDIA AND TECHONOLOGY

  • To recognize and describe
  • To compare
  • To evaluate and reflect

NARRATIVE AND AESTHETICS

  • To recognize and describe
  • To compare
  • To evaluate and reflect

IDEOLOGY AND ETHICS

  • To evaluate and reflect
  • To take action
Learning areas
  • Professional Competences
  • Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Technologies
Card language
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Finnish
  • Italian

Structure

Sessions
1
Duration
45’ (Variable)
Number of participants
10-30 participants
Age
  • 10-13
  • 14-16
  • 17-18
Materials
  • Writing material
  • Smartphone or video camera
  • Internet

Process

Key questions
  • If the writer is a fan of the game or game-series, is it shown in the text?
  • Which type of text is considered more reliable?
  • Do possible sources affect the opinion?
Development

At the end of the previous class, the teacher could ask the class if they read online videogame reviews and if they do, which ones and where? The teacher asks them to reflect on their practices

At the beginning of the class, the teacher discusses different types of reviews with the class. The class will also discuss their methods of findings information and reviews about media products. The teacher presents a couple of game review sites as well as some user reviews from for example Metacritic. The initial difference between the two is discussed. (15’).

After the initial discussion, each student picks one of his favourite games (if not a game, it can be an app) and searches for online reviews about it as well as user reviews from where they are available (e.g. Steam, App Store etc.). (10’).

Students then form pairs. In pairs of students present to each other different reviews about the chosen game and discuss the differences between the types of text. Which kind of text might affect the decision to buy the game more? What does the professional opinion about the game seem like to students? (15’).

The pairs then present the results of the discussion to the whole class. The class may compare the possible similarities or differences between the opinions. (10’).

The teacher holds a closing discussion about the activity. (5’).

Evaluation

In the evaluation, the teacher should discuss the differences between the types of texts more deeply, especially from the professional point of view and from the angle of how the text appears in the internet.

References for professors
Author

Tero Kerttula. University of Jyväskylä, Finland - tero.t.kerttula@student.jyu.fi

  • Blog
  • Journalism
  • News
  • Video
  • Videogames