Evaluation bombing has turn into a standard observe within the fashionable leisure panorama. Gamers and audiences use it as a device to make their voices heard, and within the case of video games it may be extraordinarily efficient.
Particularly on platforms like Steam, the place a recreation’s evaluation ranking performs an enormous position in how seen it’s on the digital storefront.
This 12 months kicked off with a large backwards and forwards of gamers evaluation bombing Helldivers 2 as a result of they didn’t like having to hyperlink their PSN accounts after which re-correcting these evaluations when Arrowhead Video games gave in to these calls for. And that’s not the final time this 12 months that Helldivers 2 gamers particularly have used evaluation bombing as a device to attempt to stomp out points they’ve.
Nevertheless a brand new FTC ruling that simply went into impact may’ve taken the tooth out of evaluation bombing’s chew. The ruling is particularly attacking faux evaluations, that means it intends to incentivize platforms internet hosting evaluations to distill issues right down to solely actual evaluations from actual folks.
Platforms that host faux evaluations might face severe fines if came upon, so the times of evaluation bombing having any impression might be executed. Say for those who’re evaluation bombing a recreation on Steam due to a latest change to their monetization mannequin.
Nicely, it might be the case now that to keep away from fines, Steam decides to take away these adverse evaluations which solely criticize the latest change, and don’t in actual fact mirror a evaluation of the general product. As a result of underneath this new submitting, its potential these evaluations fall underneath “evaluations and testimonials…that misrepresent the expertise of the individual giving it.”
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see the impression this ruling has on the video games trade.
Supply – [FTC via CNET]