Videogame Reviewer

Videogame Reviewer

Dan Amrich

Los Angeles, CA

Male, 41

I started reviewing videogames professionally in 1993, when Genesis and SNES roamed the earth. Over the next 15 years I worked for magazines and websites like GamePro, GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, and World Of Warcraft Official Magazine, while freelancing for Wired, PC Gamer, and many others. In an attempt to guide the next generation of reviewers, I wrote and published Critical Path: How to Review Videogames For A Living in February. Ask away!

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Last Answer on June 13, 2013

Best Rated

I want to collect all the best games, but there's so many games worth playing(and more on the way), i can't keep up. should i take the easy way out and stick with what i know and love, "narrow my search", or stop trying to collect all the best games?

Asked by vexation almost 12 years ago

You should do whatever you feel will make you happy. Sorry, this is not a question about videogame reviewing, and I do not have any special insight into how you should structure your collection.

Dan, thanks for awesome postings. Have you reviewed many mobile phone or tablet games? How is reviewing them different than PC/console? Mobile gaming seems to be here to stay, and I'm worried that the freemium model results in shallow, lame games!

Asked by MobileGamer almost 12 years ago

The mechanics for reviewing a mobile game are no different than reviewing a console or PC game. You're still trying to achieve the same core goal: Tell people what the game is and whether or not it's worth their money. The free-to-play model sort of makes reviews less crucial, but don't forget that even those require an investment -- one of time. And sometimes one of data storage, too. Is it worth bumping another app from your device for this new one? That's something a reviewer can help someone determine. So don't treat them any differently from anything else, because the reader is still looking for sage advice. 

A lot of times, you can take your own screens on mobile devices with a lot more ease. This is a huge benefit, because you want the screens to complement your text perfectly whenever possible. If you're calling a game out for something particularly good or bad, it's easy to show that exact moment if you are just a hotkey combo away from snapping the perfect frame. 

Is Japan still the epicenter of videogame production? What percent of hit games now originate in the USA?

Asked by JH over 11 years ago

 

Asked by about 12 years ago