A Well-Supported Judgment: Basing Judgments On Criteria

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 Analyze 
Use the basic features.

Evaluations usually assert an overall judgment of the subject in the thesis statement, as Boxer does in the opening paragraph, in which he calls LA Noire the “embodiment” of the game industry’s “holy grail” (par. 1). Calling something the “holy grail” is certainly high praise. Boxer qualifies this claim a bit by using the hedging word “might.” Nevertheless, he opens his evaluation by declaring his judgment clearly and forcefully.

To effectively support a judgment, the criteria or standards being used to judge the subject need to be appropriate for the genre, and the writer must show that the standards are indeed being met (or in the case of a negative evaluation, failing to be met). In his review, Boxer asserts that the most important criterion, the “holy grail” the industry has been seeking, is “a game that is indistinguishable from a film, except that you can control the lead character” (par. 1).

ANALYZE & WRITE

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Write a few paragraphs analyzing and evaluating how Boxer presents and supports his criteria:

  1. How does Boxer support his judgment that LA Noire “feels like a film” (par. 2)? To answer this question, analyze the details he provides about the game, the comparisons he makes, and the words he uses that are associated with film.
  2. In addition to its seeming like a film, what other criteria does Boxer use to judge LA Noire? How appropriate do you think video game enthusiasts would consider these criteria?
  3. If you have played LA Noire, consider whether you would use the same evaluative criteria Boxer uses. Or think of another video game you know well, and decide what criteria most people would think is appropriate for evaluating that game.

    Question