Eurogamer Amends Policies, No Longer Attending VIP Review Parties

There's always something new to learn everyday, and today I learned that Eurogamer really, really, really wants to win over the favor of the game community at large. They've amended their policies and some of the new changes include things like no longer attending “VIP” review parties at hotels or abroad.

For those of you wondering what a VIP review party is, both Kotaku and Ars Technica give a rudimentary breakdown of what you go through when reviewing a game on the “publisher's turf”. That Kotaku article is definitely worth the read and I absolutely adored Tina Amina's unhinged look at how the review parties play out...written almost from the perspective of someone viewing an already surreal practice of content controlled reviews, from behind translucent satin.

The VIP review parties are a farce, to put it simply. A lot of glitz and glamor to hide the actual play experience; how can a reviewer convey an at-home experience for the average consumer picking up the game retail, when they aren't at home and they're being served beverages and offered amenities in a party-like atmosphere?

What's more is that Eurogamer is ensuring that none of their writers partake in or contribute to “mock” reviews.

For those of you who don't know, EA recently went on record to defend Medal of Honor: Warfighter because they claimed that the industry disappointment and real-world review scores didn't line-up with their own privately conducted “mock” reviews of the game. I'm glad Eurogamer is making sure that their writers steer clear of the ill-practice of helping a publisher “gauge” review directions with a paid-for review of the game.

It's nice to note that Tom Bramwell has been serious about the changes moving forward with Eurogamer and employing stricter standards to ensure that the consumers, gamers and enthusiasts they cater their content to are not being pandered to as if they're just adsense bait or day-one DLC wallet machines.

You can check out the entire policy amendment for Eurogamer over at their Official Website.