It’s one thing to not like a game, we all have our petty hatreds and bitter bones to chew. But when you do everything in the game entirely wrong, and then blame the game itself, well. That’s a right proper gaming sin. Games are mute guides; you must take their hand before they can lead you anywhere.

That includes reading the instructions.

So let’s take a look at this review of Rocksmith. Rocksmith is game built around teaching the basics of playing guitar. It plugs in a really-real guitar (instead of the modified and terribly expensive beast Rockband 3 requires), and puts you through a number of minigames and concert experiences. Word on the street from the music community is that it turns the boring parts of practice into a fun game they can’t stop playing. Good stuff.

Here’s where we should all get our pointing fingers warmed up. Rocksmith includes detailed instructions on how to set it up for best performance. The biggest, boldest, most important rule? Don’t run it through HDMI cables on the PS3. Here’s a quote from the review, “I was running audio through an HDMI cable into my HDTV.” The instructions say this will cause lag, and shouldn’t be done. Ever.

His biggest complaint, which frames the entire review? Lag. That he caused. By not following the game’s instructions, which he didn’t bother reading. During his paid review. So everything else in his review is untrustworthy. He has this job why, now? Oh, here’s the review.

I’m not here to start a fight with him personally, but it’s a trend I’ve seen in video game reviews for a while now. Just because you didn’t know how to play the game correctly, doesn’t mean the game is flawed. That ball is in your court. Just because you tried to play the game like another game in its general genre, doesn’t mean the game is bad. The Smash Bros. games aren’t Street Fighter. Brutal Legend isn’t Starcraft. Finally, just because you refuse to set up the right hardware for the game, doesn’t mean the game is broken. That’s all on you.

Reviewers, do us a favor. Respect the games you play. Read the manuals. Cruise through the forum threads at your local gaming watering hole. Look up the community for the franchise, get familiar with previous games in the series. In other words, drop your assumptions, do your research, and when the game holds out its hand, take it. Let the game be your guide.