What did I just punch? - Issue #19

Another Tuesday, another newsletter. First of all, I want to say hello to the folks who are new to these. I appreciate your reading of my ramblings. There are no set topics I like to cover, so these can be a little random. Bear with me though, there's usually a coherent thought in there somewhere!

Today I'm going to use my tiny soapbox to talk about something I've talked about in various places before, most recently in Paul's Gaming Rules! slack channels.

When you read, watch, or listen to board game coverage, it tends to fall into one of two categories: reviews or previews. What's the difference though, and why does it matter?

Let's start with previews, because this is the area most likely to wind me up. The most common place to find a preview these days is on a crowdfunding campaign page, usually Kickstarter. As you scroll down the half-mile page of any big campaign, you're likely to find videos and quotes from previews about the games. You'll see all the big names represented, and no, I'm not going to name names. The reason I'm not singling anyone out is because there's nothing wrong with what they often create, which is a paid preview.

In a paid preview, a publisher will approach a content creator and offer them money in return for an overview - or preview - of their game. Now, because money's changing hands, this is not, and cannot be a review. Most important is the fact that in many parts of the world, paying for reviews is illegal. Even if it isn't, it's certainly unethical and raises all manner of questions for you, the viewer/reader.

Let's use a hypothetical example. Let's say Big Publisher wants to give me £100 to review their game, and that it's legal for me to do so. If I give it a poor or mediocre review, you might believe what I say about it, but what if I tell you it's great? Why on Earth would you ever believe me, or anyone else saying the same thing, if you know money's changed hands? Why would you ever trust my opinion again?

This is where we get into the difference between a review and a preview.

Money does change hands for previews. Not all of them, but a lot of them. It's for precisely this reason that if you watch those videos, and listen closely, you will almost never hear an opinion about whether the game is good or not. You'll hear 'It has a lot of really interesting mechanisms', or an explanation of what's going on in the game, but never 'This game is great, go back it!'. Not in a paid preview. You might not even be aware of the absence of opinion unless you're aware of it. Go and have a look at some of the recent games you've backed, check out the previews from the 'big names', and see if you notice it.

Here's where we get to the crux of the problem, if you want to call it that. From a marketing perspective, and the publisher's point of view, it doesn't matter what's said on a lot of these previews. It doesn't matter one bit.

Crowdfunding pages are information overload, and they often throw so much at your eyes, you'll never be able to absorb it all. So as you scroll through, and see ten previews for a game, it's the names of the people that you notice. You see Joe Hypebeast's logo on a video, and that's enough. They're in on the campaign? It must be great, right? I'll get that spare kidney on ebay and back it now.

And you know what? That's okay. That's marketing. It's advertising, and that's what people need to do to get seen. But it is important to understand that it is not reviewing.

All of that said, I write previews too. The difference though, is that I never take money for writing previews. I'll usually be sent a preview copy, or a prototype of a game, and more often than not I'll have to send it to the next person to cover. This means that I can write honest, opinionated reviews, and tell you whether I think the game is good or not.

In fact, I state all of that in my review policy, which is something I think every reviewer should have somewhere.

Do I give favourable previews? Yes, I usually do. But that's not because I get money, cars, or women given to me. It's because when a publisher approaches me about a preview, I find out about the game first. I learn about it, and I might try it on TTS, before letting the publisher know whether it's a good fit for me. These days I turn down a lot more preview opportunities than I accept.

I'll give my views on what constitutes a review in another newsletter. If you've got any views of your own about reviews and previews, drop me a line, or come and chat with the rest of us over on the Punchboard Discord server.

There's just time for a reminder that my giveaway competition is still running, so spread the word, enter for yourself, and maybe win a game.

Thanks once again to everyone who supports what I do. I want to give a special mention to my current supporters: Mark, Becky, Gavin , and Krissie. It really makes a difference to me.

If you'd like to join them in supporting me, and becoming a Punchboard member, check out the membership page now.

Cheers for now,

Adam