"7/10" To Be Officially ‘De-listed’ as a Review Score: It’s a “Cop-out” That Tells Consumers Nothing

This might just be the best news we've ever written about. “7/10” – the de facto score given to games when a reviewer isn’t sure whether to love or hate it, but doesn’t want to risk missing out on future promotional goodies – is officially illegal. That’s right, no more hiding behind this mediocre middle ground. From now on, journalists will either have to award an 8 or a 6, which will now tell the full story: the best or worst game they've ever played. No more fence-sitting.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on some head-scratching 7/10s we’ve seen over the years. And no, it’s not just IGN. No Man’s Sky (at launch) got a 7/10 from Gamespot. Anthem scored a 7/10 from CGMagazine. Gollum somehow got a 7/10 from IGN Adria. Metal Gear Survive earned a 7/10 from GamesRadar. IGN gave Concord a 7/10. I’m going to repeat this one, just in case you missed it: IGN gave Concord a 7/10. Yes, really. And don’t forget Mass Effect: Andromeda – a solid 7/10 from Trusted Reviews (we’re pretty sure that was the last ‘Trusted Review’ they ever gave). Finally, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – you guessed it, a 7/10 from IGN Spain.

Okay, so while not every 7/10 came from IGN, they’re certainly well-represented here. There’s been a disturbing trend in the gaming world where reviewers are too afraid to give an honest opinion for fear of backlash from both developers and audiences. After all, both of these groups can make or break their finances. So instead of calling a spade a spade, reviewers have taken the coward’s way out: they roast the game for its bugs, lack of content, unengaging story, grindy gameplay, forced RPG elements, and an online mode no one asked for… and still somehow end up with a 7/10. At the end of the day, it is those big numbers that really matter. Players immediately skip to the end of a review to see the big numbers that tell them to consume or not instead of making an informed decision.

But here’s the thing: the death of the “7/10” score will be a welcome change for everyone in the gaming world. Scores might finally start reflecting the actual quality of the product. Some of the games listed above really deserved lower scores – we’re talking 2 or 3 territory – yet the safe “7” score gave them a cushion. This isn’t a high school essay on To Kill a Mockingbird we’re grading; these are multimillion-dollar products that need to prove their worth to consumers. When they don’t, a “7/10” feels like a cop-out – a score that lets a bad game skate by, allowing a few regretful buyers to justify their purchases.

Of course, after years of seeing nothing but 7/10s, gamers will have to adjust their perspective. A 6/10 doesn’t automatically mean the game is terrible – it could still be worth your time, but it might not be universally recommendable. Meanwhile, an 8/10 might be fantastic, but only for people already looking for something in that particular genre. Maybe in the future, as more and more review scores get delisted, all games will be scored with different variations of the monkey emoji – who’s to say?

Source: Trust me, bro.