You have just rejected entire genres of games, by this condensed super-compartmentalized definition of gaming. There are entire games that you might have played in 90s that will never qualify here.
These dimensions work for movies to a large extent, but should NOT be carried over to gaming. Making games relatable to movies is a separate initiative, but it should not be confused as having the same dimensions, same objective and same creative categories of a linear medium like movies. Doing this is not just an error, it is a mistake!
I am hopeful that there will be gaming-history afficionados on such panels who have a good judgement of what constitutes a good game, and how the dimensions overlap but also diverge with movie judging. Whether Keighleys does it or not is important in the near term, but a much more concerted effort needs to be adopted for the gaming industry to come together on such dimensions along the lines of how AMPAS and BAFTAS do it for the movie industry.
I have several genres that I would never ever include to be an overall game of the year. It’s not just sports/racing.
I never said it wasn’t a game. I said that it could NEVER EVER win GAME OF THE YEAR because it doesn’t cover every aspect that I believe every game especially now in 2021 should have to be a game of the year candidate and winner.
But we can agree to disagree. Your opinion isn’t going to change and neither is mine.
My opinion on this topic has been this way for over 20 years. It’s not going to change bud.
Personally, I don’t know why anyone even cares what wins GOTY from TGA or overall. Like I said near the start of this topic, the only game of the year award that should matter to anyone is their own because for each individual, that’s the only award that should be of any importance to them.
The greatest irony in this discussion is FH5 has shockingly good characters and story. While it’s not Telltale’s Walking Dead or TLOU or anything, it does punch significantly above its weight for a racer. The Vocho story is wonderful.
And this is coming from someone who beat everything in FH4 but the stories, as I just couldn’t get into them there. They are a leap up in quality.
I’m not trying to change your preference, I’m trying to get you to recognise that is what it is.
You like games with stories and characters, great, fill your boots, you’re lucky that’s the current trend in the industry.
It’s your claim that a game can only be GOTY if it is narrative, which is an artificial set of boundaries as games don’t need stories or characters and the Game Awards are supposed to recognise the best GAME not the best wannabe movie with bits of gameplay between scenes.
Let me ask you this:
A completely derivative and bland walking sim with an Oscar worthy story, acting and direction?
Or the most fun, addictive and original gameplay you’ve ever encountered in a with no story or characters at all.
Which is the better VIDEOGAME?
To me, it’s obvious. To you and Geoff Keighley, not so.
No, my claim is that GOTY can ONLY be a game that offers a complete package. Visuals. Audio. Combat/gameplay. Story/characters. It MUST have it all and be great or better in each category.
If a game has a 10/10 story but the other 3 categories are a 5/10 or some shit, then it doesn’t win a damn thing.
Which is why I never said that I take any of the awards seriously. Even here for FH 5, it’s for nothing more than bragging rights. That’s literally it. It’s also why I said that the only GOTY that should matter to anyone is their own.
I watch TGA only because of the game trailers and new reveals. The awards aspects on the entire show is a joke most of the time. And some awards are just rushed through, done on the pre-show or off-camera. But a lot of people tend to take it seriously for whatever reason.
Haha. In 20 years, I will be retired and probably done with gaming. And yes, my opinion would still be the same as it is now. lmao.
But you’ve already accepted that a game does not need a story and characters to be a game.
So those criteria cannot be required for a game to be the ‘complete package’.
Edit:
It’s like a Barcelona fan saying “the Balon d’Or can go to any footballer, but they need to be the complete package – skill, athleticism, vision, impact, and of course the most important attribute, a red and blue shirt”.
The argument IS about what game should win GOTY and what I personally believe a game should have in order to win GOTY.
You’re confusing a game in general with a game that should be GOTY. There’s a difference. Hundreds of games get released every year. They’re all games but 99.9% don’t win shit because well, they’re either shit or come up short in certain aspects or multiple aspects and don’t deserve to win anything.
TGA and stuff like that matter to when it comes to investments, funding future games, the direction of the industry etc. They are also a massively important marketing tool which is why you get some focus shifting to the types of games that win these awards.
Gaming is a lot like other industries though its very young in comparison and I think it has a lot to learn about how things are properly critiqued.
After playing more of Forza Horizon 5 I truly believe that this amazing game is deserving of winning overall GOTY this year. I had Psychonauts 2 before this which is an amazing game too, but the epic scale and just flat out nonstop incredible fun of this game that will continue to add content and grow over time too is just on a different level than anything this year.
yep shame xbox’s flagship wont be in the conversation because of the industry’s dumbass cut off date of this month when it should be january ultimately im not gonna really give a shit since i will be on zeta halo and skipping the show as its usually not that great outside of the game reveals
