We don't want to sound preachy here, but we've come to the conclusion that there are things as gamers, which we should all stop doing. Right now. Without going all hippy-drippy on your ass, we reckon if we all have a go at refraining from a few of the following eight things it'll make the games world a better place for everyone. Less arguing, less anger, less hatred, less endless moaning, fewer disappointments... okay we're asking a lot here we know. Just give it a chance, eh?

Stop getting excited about licenses
We do this all the time. Exhibit A: Superman Returns. The movie: A thoughtful superhero film dealing with issues of self-belief, spirituality and the damaged nature of the human - and not so human - soul. The game: A somehow ever-dreary chore that even made fighting a robo-beast the size of a skyscraper into a dull exercise. Exhibit B: Transformers: The Game, which you should already know is a rather good device for avoiding insomnia.

What's most disappointing, though, is that we let ourselves believe that this time it might be different. However, the nature of a licensed game is that it's created under intense pressure, to crazy deadlines, and is focused squarely on the mainstream audience and their open wallets. Sometimes, things go right - GoldenEye, for example - but good movie-licensed games are in the minority. So let's all stop wishing these games were anything other than the conveyor belt-produced, consumer-targeted merchandise they almost always are.

Above: Transformers: The Game hardly lives up to its exciting license - but why are we surprised?

Stop ignoring reviews
Few things frustrate us more than hearing gamers complain about buying a crappy game. The whole Internet has just dissected and analyzed the reasons why it was utter garbage not more than a week previously, but they still went out and wasted their money. We don't have to agree with a review (and hey, sometimes we have to use them too!) We don't even need to like what it says. But just reading it gives us a sense of the game's good and bad points, its plotting, the type of action to expect.

It's a reviewer's job to argue both sides - unless a game is utterly irredeemable - and offer evidence, examples and conclusions from their first-hand experience. Of course, if that isn't happening then it's a fault with the review, not the game. But at least if you've read a well-written review you can make an educated decision. So don't expect any sympathy if you still walk out with a stinker when 500 reviewers just spent 500 words describing how awful it is.