A More Complex System of Video Game Scoring

This will be fun- in this article I am going to combine two of my favorite interests- data analysis and video games. I set out to develop a more complex game evaluation system. In order to do so, we need to think critically and ask important questions. What exactly makes a game a good game? I came up with four categories:

Controls
Gameplay
Graphics
Sound

Content was originally one, but that category has so much intertwined with gameplay that I joined the two. Next, we need to ask some questions.

Controls
How effectively are actions mapped on the controller?
Are there useless commands, or commands that do not work? (e.g. a punch attack does nothing)
Is the layout of the controller a hindrance to gameplay?

Gameplay
Does the game maintain my interest (does it bore me? Is it addicting?)
What is the length of the game?
Can I replay the game and still enjoy it later?
Or is it one shot, one go?
*Is there a plot? If so, does it have narrative?
Are there any inconvenient resets? (death = unsaved after 10 mins, game over means start from beginning)

Graphics
How does the game look for its time, taking into account average technology? Does it “work for you”?

Sound
How is the in game music?
How is the sound quality? (is it at all annoying?)
How is the voice acting?

If each question becomes a parameter, we can make a fairly complex matrix that will quantify our desires in a video game. To do that, we need to assign a weight, or “rank”, to each question. It is important to note that some games have a story, and some do not. This is especially true with older games. Simply leave out story in a “scenario #2” situation. We can justify this because story was a breakthrough not seen in earlier generations, and it would be wrong to compare generations (apples to pears). Each person is different in what they desire in a video game: and a changed weight may make your score different than mine. As shown:

In the first column, we have our parameters. Next, we assign a weight- highest number acts as our priority (otherwise, we have to multiply by a reciprocal). Next, score the game on a scale from 1 to 5, or 1 to 10 even. The next column multiplies the weight by your score. The next column is the highest possible value (5 times a weight). Finally, we have a column that gives a percent (weighted score/highest possible score). Average these numbers, and multiply by your same scale (1 to 5) to maintain consistency.To clarify the "resets" parameter, a "good" score for this would be high, indicating that you want to score on resets based on how much you do NOT have these problems as being your high number in the scale.

Gameplay would result in a 4.685/5. The same can be done for every other category. To fast track: audio: 4.6/5 controls: 4.58/5 graphics: 5 gameplay: 4.67 average all of these numbers together and you have a collective weighted score for your video game. In this case, the game earns a 0.942. or a 94.2. This type of game, in my opinion is of exceptional caliber, and should probably be owned by a majority of gamers. It won’t be for everyone, though. You can also assign weights to these final numbers, citing one resulting parameter as a priority. In that case, I would assign: gameplay controls graphics audio in that order. If we complete another matrix:

The game in question is Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 30 hours in I jumped the gun and gave it a 99. Now that I have developed a more complex game rating system, I should go back and evaluate each game. Wouldn’t you know it: my score is similar to Metacritic.You are free to use this system and expand upon it.