"While 80s and 90s computer game journalism can be criticized for this and that shortcoming, at least it led the way and broke new ground. Some of it was even great. In terms of form, content and integrity, 80s and 90s computer game journalism is head-and-shoulders above the gibberish that is all-too-common in the 2020s."

I read a lot of game reviews from the 80s and 90s and most of it is not very good. Writers were not given enough time or space to do a proper job. I think the author of this piece is letting nostalgia override rationality here. They do make a good point about rubbish being more visible today. However this can often be mitigated by good curation by the user. Curation you had to apply in the past but just in different ways

> The object of computer-game criticism is to set standards and lift them, not bring everything down.

Well, right there is where this analysis goes wrong.

The object of computer-game criticism is to earn money for the critic.