This week is GDC and one talk will hopefully get a bit more coverage after the conference is done. This talk, by Full Sail University researcher Adams Greenwood-Ericksen, revealed the weighting system used by Metacritic when they compile their overall scores. The weighing system and overall metascore, has been used for quite some time as a reason for game developers to pay their developers bonuses and there is more talk about Wall Street stock prices being influenced by these scores.
Despite this power, little is known about how their metascores are developed so this research is extremely valuable. Below, you will find the weighting variable and it is interesting to note sites like Planet Xbox 360 and Playstation Official Magazine are given the highest scores.
Should sites like those be weighted so much? Should they even be considered as part of the metascore? Hopefully questions like this will follow the GDC.
The scores below were pulled from the Gamasutra article by Simon Parkin
Weighting — Critic/ Publication
Highest (1.5) — Dark Zero
Highest (1.5) — Digital Chumps
Highest (1.5) — Digital Entertainment News
Highest (1.5) — Extreme Gamer
Highest (1.5) — Firing Squad
Highest (1.5) — Game Almighty
Highest (1.5) — Game Informer
Highest (1.5) — GamePro
Highest (1.5) — Gamers Europe
Highest (1.5) — GameTrailers
Highest (1.5) — GotNext
Highest (1.5) — IGN
Highest (1.5) — IGN AU
Highest (1.5) — IGN UK
Highest (1.5) — Just Adventure
Highest (1.5) — Machinima
Highest (1.5) — Planet Xbox 360
Highest (1.5) — PlayStation Official Magazine UK
Highest (1.5) — PlayStation Official Magazine US
Highest (1.5) — Telegraph
Highest (1.5) — The New York Times
Highest (1.5) — TheSixthAxis
Highest (1.5) — TotalPlayStation
Highest (1.5) — VGPub
Highest (1.5) — Videogameszone.de
Highest (1.5) — Wired
Highest (1.5) — Xboxic
Highest (1.5) — Yahoo Games
Highest (1.5) — ZTGames Domain
High (1.25) — Absolute Games
High (1.25) — ActionTrip
High (1.25) — Adventure Gamers
High (1.25) — Computer & Video Games
High (1.25) — Console Gameworld
High (1.25) — Da GameBoyz
High (1.25) — Darkstation
High (1.25) — Edge Magazine
High (1.25) — EGM
High (1.25) — EuroGamer Italy
High (1.25) — EuroGamer Spain
High (1.25) — G4 TV
High (1.25) — Game Chronicles
High (1.25) — GameDaily
High (1.25) — Gameplayer
High (1.25) — Gamer 2.0
High (1.25) — Gamervision
High (1.25) — Games Master UK
High (1.25) — Gamespot
High (1.25) — GameSpy
High (1.25) — Gaming Age
High (1.25) — Gaming Nexus
High (1.25) — Maxi Consoles (Portugal)
High (1.25) — Pelit
High (1.25) — Play.tm
High (1.25) — PlayStation Universe
High (1.25) — PlayStation Official AU
High (1.25) — PSM3 Magazine UK
High (1.25) — PS Extreme
High (1.25) — RPG Fan
High (1.25) — Strategy Informer
High (1.25) — Team Xbox
High (1.25) — The Onion (AV Club)
High (1.25) — Totally 360
High (1.25) — WonderwallWeb
High (1.25) — XGN
Medium (1.0) — 1Up
Medium (1.0) — CPU Gamer
Medium (1.0) — Cubed3
Medium (1.0) — Cynamite
Medium (1.0) — D+Pad Magazine
Medium (1.0) — DailyGame
Medium (1.0) — Destructoid
Medium (1.0) — Eurogamer
Medium (1.0) — Everyeye.it
Medium (1.0) — Game Revolution
Medium (1.0) — Game Shark
Medium (1.0) — Gameblog.fr
Medium (1.0) — GameKult
Medium (1.0) — Gamereactor Denmark
Medium (1.0) — Gamers' Temple
Medium (1.0) — GameShark
Medium (1.0) — Gameblog.fr
Medium (1.0) — GamesNation
Medium (1.0) — GameStar
Medium (1.0) — GameTap
Medium (1.0) — Gaming Target
Medium (1.0) — Gamereactor Sweden
Medium (1.0) — The Guardian
Medium (1.0) — Hardcore Gamer Magazine
Medium (1.0) — HellBored
Medium (1.0) — NiceGamers
Medium (1.0) — Joystiq
Medium (1.0) — Just RPG
Medium (1.0) — Level 7.nu
Medium (1.0) — Modojo
Medium (1.0) — MondoXbox
Medium (1.0) — Multiplayer.it
Medium (1.0) — N-Europe
Medium (1.0) — Netjak
Medium (1.0) — NGamer Magazine
Medium (1.0) — Nintendo Life
Medium (1.0) — Nintendo Power
Medium (1.0) — Nintendojo
Medium (1.0) — Nintendo World Report
Medium (1.0) — NZGamer
Medium (1.0) — Official Nintendo Magazine UK
Medium (1.0) — Official Xbox 360 Magazine UK
Medium (1.0) — Official Xbox Magazine
Medium (1.0) — Official Xbox Magazine UK
Medium (1.0) — PALGN
Medium (1.0) — PC Format
Medium (1.0) — PC Gamer (Germany)
Medium (1.0) — PC Gamer UK
Medium (1.0) — PC Gamer
Medium (1.0) — PC Powerplay
Medium (1.0) — PGNx Media
Medium (1.0) — Play Magazine
Medium (1.0) — PlayStation LifeStyle
Medium (1.0) — Pocketgamer UK
Medium (1.0) — PT Games
Medium (1.0) — Real Gamer
Medium (1.0) — SpazioGames
Medium (1.0) — Talk Xbox
Medium (1.0) — The Escapist
Medium (1.0) — Thunderbolt
Medium (1.0) — Total VideoGames
Medium (1.0) — Worth Playing
Medium (1.0) — X360 Magazine UK
Medium (1.0) — Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
Medium (1.0) — Xbox World Australia
Medium (1.0) — Xbox360 Achievements
Medium (1.0) — Xbox Addict
Low (0.75) — 360 Gamer Magazine UK
Low (0.75) — 3DJuegos
Low (0.75) — Ace Gamez
Low (0.75) — Atomic Gamer
Low (0.75) — BigPond GameArena
Low (0.75) — Console Monster
Low (0.75) — Deeko
Low (0.75) — Eurogamer Portugal
Low (0.75) — Game Focus
Low (0.75) — Gameplanet
Low (0.75) — Gamer Limit
Low (0.75) — Gamer.nl
Low (0.75) — Games Radar (in-house)
Low (0.75) — Games TM
Low (0.75) — Gamestyle
Low (0.75) — GameZone
Low (0.75) — Gaming Excellence
Low (0.75) — Gaming Trend
Low (0.75) — Impulse gamer
Low (0.75) — Kombo
Low (0.75) — MEGamers
Low (0.75) — Metro Game Central
Low (0.75) — MS Xbox World
Low (0.75) — NTSC-uk
Low (0.75) — PS Focus
Low (0.75) — PSW Magazine UK
Low (0.75) — Video Game Talk
Low (0.75) — VideoGamer
Lower (0.5) — Armchair Empire
Lower (0.5) — Cheat Code Central
Lower (0.5) — Game Over Online
Lower (0.5) — Game Positive
Lower (0.5) — Gamer's Hell
Lower (0.5) — Gamereactor Sweden
Lower (0.5) — Gamers.at
Lower (0.5) — Giant Bomb
Lower (0.5) — PS3bloggen.se
Lower (0.5) — RPGamer
