What I Learned in a Marriage Course That I Try to Apply to My Video Game Content Approach

Before my wife and I walked down the aisle and exchanged I do’s, we took part in a marriage course. As members of the Catholic church, completing the course is a requirement. Though the thought of doing this weekend-long course sounded as fun as watching paint dry, it ended up being a really positive experience that taught us a lot.

One particular piece of advice that came out of it really hit home. Been trying to incorporate this into my day-to-day interactions with others ever since. Without realizing it, it’s also impacted my voice as a gaming content creator.

Continue reading

Video Game Reviews and Nerd Rage

As I often do, I was surfing through the NeoGaf forums when I found the following thread that caught my eye:

Reviews which you NEVER forgave (EGM/Nick Rox – Grrrr)

In this 500+ post thread, users go off on reviews, reviewers and gaming outlets that said something about games that they didn’t agree with. It’s kind of scary reading through some of the hate in these posts. Some of these users seem to be harbouring more ill will over a 15-year old review than I do about ex-girlfriends who cheated on me.

This behaviour isn’t isolated to NeoGaf. These types of angry and hateful comments are apparent on virtually every video game message board and every game review with a comment system. I’ve even heard numerous stories on podcasts where reviewers said they’ve received death threats from people who didn’t agree with their opinions. Tell me, why do people get so mad over video game reviews?

Continue reading