Editorial charter
Why we're here
screenactu is devoted to video games, cinema and, more broadly, pop culture. All right, there's a bit of tech too, as you've probably noticed. Our aim is to inform you, to analyse when needed and to review games and products regularly, not forgetting our film critiques.
We have no intention of publishing more than everyone else (given the size of the "newsroom", that would be impossible). So we'd rather put up pieces that genuinely bring something to the reader, whether that's a story nobody else has, a deeper breakdown, an opinion, or simply the urge to introduce you to a less popular game, a film that got little coverage (there'll be Asian cinema, brace yourselves) or an underrated bit of tech.
How we review
Our reviews are independent. We're not here to hand a game a good score to please a publisher, nor to kick it around for the fun of it. Before awarding a score, we finish the game in full (as far as that's possible), then we try to explain clearly what works, what works less well and why.
A game can have flaws and still be excellent. Conversely, it can be technically faultless and leave us completely cold. The score is an indication; above all, the review should let you understand how we reached that conclusion. The "Coup de cœur" badge is reserved for games we genuinely want to champion and recommend. A game can have a merely decent score and still be one we want to stand up for.
Our headlines aren't clickbait
A good headline has to make you want to click, otherwise it isn't much use. But above all it has to match what the reader will find behind it. So we favour headlines that are clear, precise and sometimes catchy when the subject allows, without turning every piece of news into "breaking news" or an "impending disaster". We steer clear of artificially alarmist headlines, the endless ones written to chat up the Google Discover algorithm, and ragebait phrasing. Clicks matter if a publication is to survive, that's true. The reader's trust matters more.
Corrections
Like everyone, we make mistakes. It might be a typo, some wayward syntax (we do sometimes write at 3 or 4am with a foggy head) or, occasionally, a genuine error in the content of an article. When it's a simple slip, we correct it directly. When an error changes the meaning or the understanding of the article, we correct it and flag it clearly, with the date of the change.
We don't delete an article simply because it contains an error. Wherever possible, we'd rather correct it and own up than pretend the problem never existed. The exceptions are, of course, the particular situations that require a piece to be taken down.
Your feedback
Spotted a breach of this charter? Let us know via the contact page. We do reply. Just not necessarily straight away.