This is a great article, with some truths hidden in it that apply well beyond gaming reviews. One of the parts that I found interesting was this one: I had a fantastic professor with whom I've had very interesting discussions. He'd state his opinion as a solid fact, often with very strong arguments. I combated him, in an attempt to find The Truth, aka objectiveness. Most of the time he'd find a good counterargument that subtly attacked that objectiveness ("how can you know that for sure"). It took me a long time and lots of discussions to figure out that his strong opinion was openly, unabashedly subjective and that he was trying to teach us how you can discuss with that in mind.A good review is openly, flagrantly, unabashedly subjective. It goes all in with the reviewer’s biases. It claims them for what they really are – not tastes, not mere opinions, but values. It is a full-throated expression of one person’s experience...
Dude. This bites me in the ass so much. As everyone has noticed, I voice strong opinions. Therefore, people assume that I believe my opinions are facts. The fact that I also often share facts doesn't help - in my mind, the facts and opinions are crystal clear ("I hate X" - clearly an opinion; "X received a lot of negative press according to wikipedia" - clearly a fact). Unfortunately, this gives opponents the leeway to act as if my facts are opinions. It also allows people to assume that every opinion I hold is held deeply. The fact that I wouldn't contribute to a conversation in which I have no opinion never enters the equation - that I only chime in about stuff I know about (or am curious about) ends up being to my detriment. So much inflection is lost on the internet. So much context. (opinion, but I can back it up if I have to) It makes conversations unnecessarily prickly.