My room had a private balcony, a calming view of the Pacific, and beaches a few hundred feet away. Like dozens of guests who stayed at a Santa Barbara resort in October, I was there to play a video game.

The editor in chief of Play magazine, Dave Halverson, has some harsh words for anyone who scored Sega's Golden Axe: Beast Rider below a 7 out of 10: "Be wary. The majority of these people (can't call them critics) either didn't complete a fraction of the game, don't understand game design, or just plain suck at…

Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, thinks game reviewers are lazy. The head of the AIAS — the body that organizes both the D.I.C.E. Summit and Interactive Achievement Awards annually — points to a glut of critics, but little in the way of critical analysis according to a Shacknews…