Sore Thumbs: The trouble with game of the year awards
Here’s my latest nerd minutia article, on the subject of video game of the year awards: Since becoming a full-time critic three years ago, I’ve been involved in selecting several game of the year awards, the summa cum laude of video game honors.
As a newbie, I was surprised to learn that voters are rarely, if ever, required to play all nominees before casting final ballots. Rather, a group of judges throws their favorites into a hat and lobbies against one another, whether or not they are qualified to do so. The process is very political. In most cases, the loudest voice always wins.
And therein lies the rub, underscoring how unorganized, unscientific, and naive some game of the year awards have become.