Topic: So has Video killed written word.

Anyone else feel that Video has killed the written word when it comes to reviews, it seems more and more sites like IGN and GameSpot with the expection of persoalites like Greg Miller are dying out. I still love a nice written article when I go to gamasutra and even polygon. The latter has a nice feature on development hell by Matt Leone.

But when it comes to reviews I tend not to go to these websites any more and instead tend to run to twitch or youtube. On the Xbox one in the game store page it has links to twitch and user created game streams. So take when madden came out last week I went to the store page and it took me to twitch and I spent an hour watching a guy play the game and answrring viewer questions.

Video, I am reliably informed by The Buggles, killed the radio star.

My ideal video game review is a four second long video that consists of the game's title and a score out of 10 that flashes on the screen

I never watch video reviews, so I would assume no.

I never choose video by choice (If it the only option then maybe I will with the sound muted).

Nope. I prefer written reviews that I can either skim thru or read intently, depending on the game/reviewer.

Well, video games are a visual medium. So it makes sense to use a visual medium to best explain/show a video game.

Written reviews aren't dead, the writers are just crappy.

I never watch video reviews, so their loss.

I can confirm this is, in fact, true.

Ironically, one-hit-wonder status in turn killed The Buggles.

Have we stopped using question marks.

Yes we have?

no but video killed the radio star

I don't watch video reviews, therefore no one watches video reviews. I love your logic.

Back on topic, I'd rather watch a video review because I feel like it's multitasking; I'm watching a gameplay montage (of the strengths / weakness of the game) and listening to a review. Plus a video review can show problems like framerate drops, gorgeous scenery, and freezing.

I was actually told this by not The Buggles, but by The Presidents of the United States of America.

It's because the reviewer can show footage of the game, while showing footage for the audience to judge or to give examples.

So what Aviator and SkywardLink said

Maybe I don't look at enough review sites because I swear I read much more than I watch (not that I'm disagreeing with your point). The only "reviews" I typically watch are youtube walkthroughs and AVGN episodes.

I was gonna say something like this, albeit with more explitives.

And from what I've seen, Video reviews aren't much better than written reviews. A lot of people like to point out that they show off gameplay footage so people can judge things for themselves, but then why do you need the review? Go watch a let's play or a straight gameplay video. Unless you're using specific examples (which no game reviewer ever does, even though they really, really should), the videos would be more distracting from what you're trying to say. People should be coming for the body of the review, not the footage you have to show, since they can get that anywhere. It's why I hate Total Buscuit so much, his words just become white noise while I'm trying to watch a perfectly good gameplay video.

I refuse to watch video reviews. They take too long. You get these wannabe actors playing to the camera with their voice talking and puffing up stuff and rattling on about junk while letting an string of clips just play and play. I'm not going to waste my time on that.