Comparing film and video game reviews:

1. Comparing filmand video game reviews: A report using computer-aided text analysis By Ben Gifford Cleveland State University December 7, 2011

2. “Sometimes 'dead' is better” - Jud Crandall, Pet Semetary (1989) E.T. the game: 3.5 million unsold copies (out 5 million total) were allegedly buried in a New Mexico landfill E.T. the movie: Won 4 Oscars, nominated for another 5

3. Background/Rationale • Video games are popular and the industry is wealthy • 72 percent of American households play games • Average game player is 37, played for 12 years • $30.3 billion industry in 2006 • $46.5 billion industry in 2009

4. Purchasing decisions • What makes people decide to buy games? • Advertising • Reviews • Friends/Word of Mouth • ??

5. Game reviews • Little-to-no research has been dedicated to video game reviews themselves • Are they “up to snuff?” Do they display critical thought? • Can they impact sales (future research) • This project focused on comparing game reviews to film reviews.

6. Similarities between media • Origins in “exciting spaces” • Movies: kinetoscope parlors, nickelodeons • Games: arcades • Transitioned to home viewing/playing through VHS, television and home consoles/computers for games

7. Similarities continued • Focus on narratives • One goal of both is to induce feelings of presence • Movies: sound, color, widescreen, high-def surround sound, 3D • Games: improved graphics, voice-acting, motion capture, “natural”/motion controls, as well as 3D, surround sound, etc.

8. Film Reviews • Early movie critics and reviewers came from a theater background, and many early films resembled plays in the way they were shot and staged • Many notable film critics: • Pauline Kael • Roger Ebert • Leonard Maltin

9. Game Reviews • Early game reviewers came from?? • No truly famous game critics, at least not by name

10. Comparing the Two • Scalzi (2006) points to the relatively young age of video games. • Games have only been at the point of telling stories for around 20-30 years. • It's only in the past 10-15 years that mae narratives have really evolved.

11. Comparing the Two • Kael began writing for the New Yorker in 1967. • She established a “golden age” for film criticism. • Film had already been around for 50-60+ years at the point • Talkies had existed for about 40 years • Narratives in films even before that

12. First Gaming Magazines Both magazines launched in 1981. Computer and Video Games (U.K., left) still exists today but in a much different format and is primarily web-based.

13. Electronic Games Magazine The chart above came from the first issue published in winter 1981 and compares the home consoles available at the time.

14. First video game reviews Computer Gaming World also launched in 1981 and regularly reviewed computer games. It became Games For Windows in 2006, and shut down in 2008. (First issue pictured)

15. First video game reviews Famitsu began reviewing games in 1986 and is still well-regarded today. It gave its first perfect score (40/40) in 1998 and has only given a total of 17 perfect scores in its 25 years of existence. (First issue pictured)

16. Methodology • Using the popular review aggregator Metacritic (metacritic.com), 94 video game and 100 film reviews were gathered. • Reviews were selected using systematic random sampling and random.org

17. Sample Example Pick a random starting point using random.org, based on sample size. Make sure the proper filters are in place. This will show all of the reviews for PlayStation 3 games in descending order of Metascore

18. Sample Example Need to see all the reviews that Metacritic has gathered Pay attention the the Metascore – an average of all critics' scores

19. Sample Example Scroll down and count all the reviews that are in line with the Metascore for that game. If there are none, than count the ones closest distance wise (e.g. Metascore is 76, but no 76 reviews. Count all 77s and 75s if they exist. If not, count 78s and 74s, etc. until at least one review is counted)

20. Sample Example Visit random.org and enter the range with “1” as the minium and the number of reviews as the maximum. Red Dead Redemption had 11 reviews scoring a “95,” so enter “11” as the maximum. Click “Generate.” Count that many down from the first review that was counted. That will be the data collected. Sixth review from top scoring RDR at “95” Note: If a review is not written in English, or if a link is broken and that review cannot be found by searching the site and google, resample until a valid review is found. Click

21. Sample Example Copy/paste whole review into a text file. Discard titles, subtitles, image captions, advertisements, ratings, and conclusions separate from review if any are present. Note that some reviews may span multiple pages, requiring researcher to copy/paste each page in turn.

22. Sample Example Return to master list of game or movie reviews Count “X” reviews down from the previous item sampled, where “X” is “9” for PS3 games and “70” for movies. Repeat the process over and over until the population lists are exhausted. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

23. Coding • Reviews were coded using 12 dictionaries (8 Pennebaker, 4 custom) in Yoshikoder Sample words Cognitive Mechanics: abandon*, accept, accepted, accepting, accepts, achiev*, acknowledg*, adjust* Film Genres: Action, Adventure, Biopic, Blaxploitation Chick Flick, Comedy, Crime, Detective, Disaster Game Genres: 3PS, Action, Adventure, Arcade, Beat 'em Up, Beat em up, Dance, FPS, Fighter, Fighting Negative Emotions: abandon*, abuse*, abusive, ache*, aching, advers*, afraid, aggravat*, aggress*

24. Sample Words Cont. Sample words Nonsense: er, hm*, uh, um, umm*, zz* Optimism: accept, accepta*, accepted, accepting, accepts, advantage*, adventur*, assur*, award*, best Referencing audience: thee, thine, thou, thoust, thy, Y'all, ya, ye, you, you'd, you'll, you're, you've, your* Referencing self: I, i'd, i'll, i'm, i've, let's, lets, me, mine, my, myself, our, ours, ourselves, us, we, we'd,

25. Sample Words Cont. Sample words Sensory: appear, appeared, appearing, appears, ask, Asked, asking, asks, ate, bitter*, call Technical film terms: a-list*, a-movie*, accelerated motion, act, actor*, actress*, acts, ad lib, adaptation, Technical game terms: abstract game*, act, acts, adaptation, advergame*, aesthetic, allegor*, allusion* Vulgarity: (use your imagination; they're all there)

26. More About Dictionaries

27. Results * p < .05 ** p < .01 *** p < .001

28. Results Games Movies

29. Significant Results Tabled(Average language use)

30. MANCOVA • Movie reviews collected were much shorter than game reviews (word count) • What if the word count restraints placed on movie reviewers affected writing style?

31. MANCOVA Tests of Significance Only medium is significant

32. MANCOVA

33. Comparing new significant results to old ones Using word count as a covariate really reduced variance explained by the significant variables

34. Discussion • Problems • Yoshikoder • Sampling • Future directions • Financial impact of critical reviews • Quanitfy differences between critcal essays and reviews • More dictionaries and improving validity

35. Fin