myk
patron mod of ugly ducklings and black sheep
Posts: 10410
Registered: 04-02 |
Creaphis said:
"this map is a bad member of its genre/era,"
If that is the case (that a WAD is good for certain people) a good review will make that clear without the reviewer having to speculate on whether a certain group is a minority or if the WAD really fits in the category or what such categories should be used (many of these just sound insulting). The reason is because one would need to make assumptions about others' subjectivity. Instead, if one substantiates the review properly* (often called "being objective") people of all sorts, even those not easily categorized (and most smart people aren't) can judge whether the WAD is of interest and how. They (can) decide.
* Not that I think there is a way to quantify this, but you can tell whether a reviewer is pointing out why he judges the WAD in this or that way, characterizing the WAD as he does so. A review is a way of seeing a creative work through the point of view of another. If that point of view is clear, it will help you get acquainted with the work, even if you disagree.
One nice thing about having a single reviewer is that we all get the chance to figure out "I tend to agree/disagree with this guy about this," but we can't work that our for ourselves when every review is written by a different person.
That's easier with people who write better reviews; those who are more knowledgeable, pinpoint key elements and insights, and have a better grasp of language. In any case, this is not so different from having one or two reviewers as nearly all the reviews are by regular submitters.
You can give that sort of schematic advice and some might pick it up but from experience (here or in regard to literary criticism) its a "handbook tip hack" sometimes used in some commercial environments where you need to set up buyer categories. I think this community is mature enough that reviewers can be frank and trusting in their (possibly increasing) ability to provide a to-the-point review by focusing on their insight and experience, and not what they assume others think, or general community categories based on that (which ease things by making them stupider).
I understand the issue you're trying to tackle, but I think it's better for people to really learn to write good solid reviews, rather than use invasive clutches that still lead to poor reviews.
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06-30-08 20:42 
