Criticism Outside The Comfort Zone

Working as a critic, it's important to expand your horizons. Since I started writing about games on this here website, I've played releases I'd never normally touch with a barge pole, eased out of my comfort zone, and I've enjoyed the whole experience. The joy of playing and loving something that I'd initially dismissed, or that I'd begrudgingly accepted would be landing on my to-do pile, is much greater than the satisfaction of having good times with a game I'd always expected to love. The latter is a lovely thing, of course, but the former is glorious.