About the talk
This light and humorous presentation pokes fun at the persistent myth in gaming culture that review scores are weighted too frequently to be a 7/10. Through an investigation of why this happens, Ryan proposes a “solution” in the form of a standardised five-star, no-half-star rating system that will elevate game reviews to the status they should have always had.
Speaker
Dr. Ryan Stanton
Lecturer of Gaming and Society · UNSW
Dr Ryan Stanton is a Lecturer in Gaming and Society at the University of New South Wales School of Social Sciences. His research is interested in the culture and societal impact of games. He has previously worked as a Postdoctoral Assistant at City University of Hong Kong, where he began his project examining the implications of online service withdrawal in the videogame industry, while his dissertation analysed the communities and creators of two dozen gaming podcasts which won the Best Thesis Award at DiGRAA 2026. His work has been published in multiple edited collections and journals including Games and Culture, and he has presented his research at dozens of conferences including ICA, AoIR, and DiGRAA.