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This is the ratings of all the storygames on the new storygames page (also note I've only rated one of them).

Just take a moment to process it and then we can discuss the current quality of games on this site.

Compared to CoG, we're leaning toward 'quantity' rather than 'quality'.

*compared to COG, we're leaning towards 'free' rather than 'paid'.

FTFY. Then again, I suppose that's why we have more stories than they do...

Yeah. CYS also has lower standards compared to CoG. Which is why we have more less-experienced and less-skilled guys compared to CoG.

Comparing this site to CoG feels like comparing Soviet conscripts to elite Waffen SS troops in WW2.

So all the new games are 2/8 - 4/8s. Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Bad writers are faster than good ones because bad writers don't care about quality control or taking the time to make a good game. New writers, being eager, also tend to rush to put out their work. 

To add onto what Kiel said, the writing contest has many of our proficient writers tied up in their own entry. If you'd take a snapshot during the height of submissions, the overall rating would be (hopefully) higher.

I think a few good points have been made. If you're free, you're likely to get people of all skill levels; whereas if people pay for the content it's obviously going to draw higher quality.

What's important is that you continue to rate the shit stories as shit, and the good stories as good. People coming to the site to read are going to be looking for good stories and the ratings are a great indicator. Furthermore, your featured stories list is a great introductory tool for getting the readers to better stories. If I have any one critique it's that the recommended reading full list should be displayed on the homepage rather than just two top-5 lists.

Here's the other side of it though, writers who are not very good aren't as intimidated here as they would be on other sites. Some of these writers (admittedly a very small percentage of them) are trying to improve. As for the rest, hey at least they're giving the site traffic which is ultimately what keeps the Interwebz alive.

Also. Schools out for the summer. Prepare for an onslaught of kids with too much time on their hands. My advice is to offer constructive criticism and help mold the writers of the future. Think (or look) back to your earliest stories. I don't think anyone was writing at the same level then as they are now.

How come when people publish games and comment they're terrible? If they think it's terrible, why post it at all?

... *shrug* Honestly, that's the one thing I've never understood. I understand if your (collectively, of course) self-esteem is a bit poor so you don't feel it'll be great or you're not sure if the community will like the subject matter, but either you really don't believe it's that bad and are fishing for compliments / sympathy, or you do believe it's that bad and you couldn't be assed to do anything about it. Even though I was nervous about posting my first game, and I still felt awkward about the editor, I knew it wasn't anywhere near "terrible" and if it had been, I would've scrapped it and started over.

Oh, it's 100% fishing for compliments. They think if they say it's shit, people will be like "No, it wasn't too bad! I actually kind of like it!"

Oops, meant publish.

I don't know, but this "ISentinelPenguinI" guy has commented on all my games telling me how shit they are. It's practically a tradition now.

I think the most recent game that's been published should be unpublished. There seems to be only one correct path to follow and all of the other paths are riddled with many dead ends and pages with no links, then there's a incomplete page or two waiting to surprise you whenever you aren't dying. Some deaths are also bizarre as in the last thing that happens to you as the player is getting "your nipples twisted." I don't even... 

It's summer time.

This makes so much sense. 

That, too.

I mean, it's unpublished now, but the quality of the writing wasn't an issue. I actually enjoyed the story's ending when I was able to get on the correct path after stumbling through dead links and deaths for almost a full hour.

Not sure why you're replying to me on this... and it took me a minute to even realize what you were talking about... but if you saw my review, you'd see that my opinion was about the same.

Well you are one of the few people that actually completed it.

Yep.

Isn't a 4/8 considered average?

And besides, I need everyone's expectations low enough so that when I publish my utter piece of shit, it will look like something worthwhile to read because their minds are all numb from randomly clicking through another september the 14th game just so they can get that one. Precious. Point...

4/8 aka 2 stars is average, yes. I saw this thread when it was posted and wasn't even really sure what we were supposed to be discussing. Most of the stories posted are average or slightly below, yes. This has always been the case. Of course I haven't been paying much attention the last week or so, I'm not sure how many truly dire ones have had to be removed, but if anything I'd say that list is looking pretty solid.

Speaking story game quality…

So, I’ve been going on one of my uncharacteristic rating sprees lately and I decided to choose the Romance section because apparently I was in the mood to play as a slutty teenage girl. (This must be how Raven feels every day)

So far I’m finding it amusing that one moment you’re going on a date/prom/whatever and then all of a sudden you’re married and living happily ever after when you barely even know the guy.

Granted I’m starting with the worst stories first, but it’s funny to see how many follow this pattern.

It's like WC with people! :P

My god...

It’s actually a little more amusing at least since it doesn’t have the whole creepy emphasis on cat sex and is usually just misguided ideas of love/romance/sex. Half of the time they're just boring, but sometimes they're bad enough to be funny.

The funniest one I’ve encountered so far was some story where I got with the girl, then she stabbed me, said “I like raisins” and then glow worms ate my innards.

Apparently this sort of chaos pissed off a lot of readers in the comment sections, but given how mundane the rest of the story was, I enjoyed the trolling randomness of the endings.

That one was fucking hilarious. Everyone who rated it poorly is a buffoon with no sense of humor . 

"This must be how Raven feels every day."