Research: Review Scores Are Important in Game Purchase Decisions

A recent study conducted by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research and the Southern Methodist University has given credence to the claims of many companies in the video game industry that review scores can affect sales. The researches used PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies to see if critics had any bearing concerning quality perception and financial success.

The study initially involved 188 participants that were divided into three groups. One was exposed to positive reviews, one to negative reviews and one to no reviews at all. Afterwards, all three groups of participants had to take part in a 20-minute play session of Plants vs. Zombies, give it a mark using a 100-point scale and then choose between receiving ten dollars or a copy of the title.

The results were very interesting. The group that saw high score reviews rated Plants vs. Zombies six points higher than the group that saw no review at all and 14 points higher than the group that saw the low score reviews. Furthermore, 38 percent of the first group chose to receive a copy of the game, while 21 percent from the control and only 17 percent of the participants who read negative reviews decided on the same thing. This indicated it was true that expert reviews have an important input in what products consumers decide to be good quality and spend their money on.

When asked if they recommended the game to their friends and family, 91 percent of the positive review group said yet, as opposed to 65 percent from the negative review group and the 79 percent of the no-review control group. While high reviews are generally necessary to ensure the financial success of a game, the relatively high percentage of people from the group that was exposed to low score reviews who would recommend the game shows that the release of a free demo might do a lot to alleviate situations where the critic response is negative. This applies, however, only to high-quality releases, according to EEDAR.