The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic main page in 2010.
Web address videogamecritic.com
Type of site
 Video game journalism
Owner David Mrozek
Launched 1999
Alexa rank
 negative increase 7,616,704 (April 2014)[1]
Current status online

The Video Game Critic is a website focused on video-game reviews and run by David Mrozek. It was established in 1999, and is known for featuring comprehensive reviews on many early gaming platforms.[2]

History

Mrozek, a self-proclaimed fan of video game platforms old and new. He is by profession a computer programmer, and established Dave's Video Game Reviews in 1999, citing an inspiration from the reviewing format of the website "Tomorrow's Heroes". An early version of his site was primarily text-based, and featured reviews solely on the Atari 2600.[3] The platforms reviewed eventually expanded, and by 2000 the name of the site had changed to The Video Game Critic.[4] The original URL, www.thevideogamecritic.com, was stolen by a gambling website when Mrozek forgot to renew the domain, so the URL was shortened to videogamecritic.net.[5] Besides being consulted for video game reviews,[6] He has also been referenced in research journals regarding gaming systems.[7][8] The official domain was changed to videogamecritic.com in January 2013.

Reviews

The Video Game Critic contains over 4,000 video game reviews spanning across 45 consoles and portables.[4] The site's reviews are included in AtariAge[9] and MobyGames indices,[10] and have been recommended by Stephen Glicker.[11] The rating system used by The Video Game Critic is similar to the grading system used by educational institutions, and has a range of "A+" to "F−". One striking difference between many other review sites is that The Video Game Critic rates primarily on the gameplay, or the level of enjoyment. Secondarily, he factors in the games graphics, sound and control, and the length of the review is typically a paragraph.[4] Critiquing the way other review sites tend to dismiss early video games, Mrozek has said "I was also tired of reviewers trashing old games solely because of their antiquated graphics while being totally oblivious to their excellent, timeless gameplay".[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Videogamecritic.net Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. ↑ Hartlaub, Peter (July 2, 2002). "A crushing disappointment: Mayhem missing from Monster Jam". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. ↑ "The Video Game Critic". RetroGaming with Racketboy Podcast Episode #1. Racketboy. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Mrozek, David. "The Video Game Critic's FAQ". The Video Game Critic. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  5. ↑ Mrozek, David. "How My Domain Was Stolen". The Video Game Critic.
  6. ↑ Knapp, Linda (December 3, 2003). "Computer tools, toys round out wish list". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  7. ↑ Collins, Karen (Spring 2007). "Video Games Killed the Cinema Star: It's Time for a Change in Studies of Music and the Moving Image" (PDF). Music, Sound, and the Moving Image (Liverpool University Press) 1 (1). doi:10.1353/msm.0.0009. ISSN 1753-0768.
  8. ↑ Baha, Ehsan; et. al. "Short Cycle Product Creation Processes" (PDF). Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Atari 2600 Reviews". AtariAge. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Batman: The Video Game". MobyGames. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  11. ↑ Glicker, Steve (June 29, 2005). "Have You Played Atari Today?". Gaming Steve. Retrieved November 21, 2010.