I registered to clear up some stuff in the entry (and bump my score aggressively, of course
)
I dunno. I don't mind it being there, but it's presented like it's a final game or something. Who expects a prototype to get reviewed in the same breath as a final game? Feels a bit unfair, really.
Hey, I should clear up some things I believe. MobyGames attempts to document all electronic games known in history. This means, next to commercial releases, I also add a lot of hobby projects and independently developed games to the site, mostly to balance out the many commercial releases. This is done on a voluntary basis, contributors do not get paid in any way - it is a collaborative project of game fans. I've done the same for the VGNG compo and most indie games in general. The site has a huge amount of daily traffic with many known developers contributing, and not being a designer, it is my way of giving exposure to titles that I feel passionate about.
The descriptions are not in any way meant to be a review of the game. There is an option to add user reviews, but I simply can't devote time to reviews and descriptions are not supposed to have subjective elements. You'll notice they are written objectively and in the third person. Generally, we do not add beta versions or demos to the site, but a lot of the titles in the compo appear to be considered "prototypes" of which the finished state is somewhat unclear. A lot of indie games are constantly being reworked, so it is somewhat hard to tell when the game is "finished" and meant for public viewing. I would not add
Gesundheit for instance because the developer clearly only has released a demo of the game. If you believe your game should be considered a demo/beta and not a finished product meant for public viewing - just message me and I'll have it removed. It's just that there are so many new games every day, and some things are eventually forgotten, MobyGames can be one of places where history is preserved, even if a game was released but eventually not tuned to perfection.
As for the ratings, these are personal ratings of the visitors of the site. In addition to user ratings, the MobyRanks are used as "official" ratings by magazines and major internet review outlets. I rated the games in the state I played them, but also based on the potential. I'm not going to punish a game ratings-wise because of the time constraints in development time for the compo, but rather focus on the general game mechanics and potential. This is an individual choice of each user of course. Games can be re-rated, and I actually liked all the games I added, otherwise I wouldn't have done the effort to add them in the first place (next to playing it takes about an hour to add an entry).
I'm glad you found out how to revise the description. By all means do, the site is meant as a collaborative effort of volunteers, and taking a look at entries such as
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/100-in-one-klik-play-pirate-kart or
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/aquaria, you'll see games are added in the best intentions, with a custom description not using "official" or "copyrighted" blurbs, as a way to give as much exposure to them as possible. Keep in mind the description can be revised at any time and additional/replacements screenshots can be submitted - this is actually quite common.
Also, on a personal note, I edit a monthly indie section in a European paper press magazine. I've written a feature about VGNG in the past (mailed a scan to Derek once, don't know if he ever got it), and I intend to do the same for the PG competition in the next issue, so in no way do I intend to tick off anyone involved, instead I applaud your collaborative creativity.
Community
