El crítico de videojuegos: perfil, rutinas profesionales y funciones

Introduction: The growing development of video games as an industry and form of cultural expression has generated increasing interest from mainstream media, which now joins specialized outlets in covering the sector through news, reports, and reviews. Video game journalism has become a subfield of cultural journalism, similar to film or literary criticism. This study aims to provide a preliminary approach to the role of the video game critic in Spain, with the goal of understanding their profile, functions, and routines. Methodology: To achieve this, the study employs semi-structured interviews as research method. The sample consists of nine critics from both mainstream and specialized media, all with extensive experience in video game criticism. Results: There is a disparity of opinions among critics regarding their role, though most agree on the importance of evaluative function. There is also no consensus on the use of ratings in reviews. However, most critics agree that their role influences both the industry and its users. Discussion and Conclusions: The video game critic is perceived as a professional with extensive knowledge beyond their field, following specific routines for crafting a review, from the gameplay phase to the writing process. Furthermore, video game criticism is evolving into a more rigorous and well-argued form of writing.