A reflection on the relevance we give to prizes, awards and other paraphernalia. Is it justified?

A reflection on the relevance we give to prizes, awards and other paraphernalia. Is it justified?

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Once a reasonable amount of time has passed since the last The Game Awards gala and we have finished digesting the rivers of ink that have flowed on the networks between the staunchest fans of God of War: Ragnarök and the acolytes of Elden Ring, I think we can talk calmly about this now. I open the melon: Are these awards really that important? see, don’t get me wrong. Of course, when someone is capable of creating something like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West or the aforementioned God of War: Ragnarök and Elden Ring, they deserve all the recognition in the world. We all like our work to be valued, and when a work deserves an award, well it deserves it, what the heck. That is something that does not deserve any discussion, it would be missing more.

Graphic summary of The Game Awards 2022. God of War: Ragnarök vs. Elden Ring. Quite a fight of titans!

A more complicated subject than it seems

What I mean by the question that I pose is that it seems as if these awards currently have more importance for the players than for the video game developers themselves. Closely linked to those characters who at this point still continue with the absurd console warFrom time to time, some luminaries appear who would die of a syncope if their favorite game did not win the award for which it is nominated. In the same way, it seems that these figures would automatically give up buying the game that has not been a winner in the awards gala on duty.

It is very possible that all this is just a pot trip on my part, but if you knew the stupid debates that I have found on forums and social networks you would hallucinate. I have even come to see people who wait until the gala is over to decide which video game to buy. And I ask: are we crazy? Is a video game automatically less fun or less engaging if a jury decides that another title is more deserving of the “GOTY” label? At what point have we stopped having our own personality as consumers and have become an army of sheep who have to be told what to consume?

A year of “videojueguil” bonanza

It makes me somewhat sad to see how all the attention (deserved, on the other hand) is directed to the winner of the event, to the one who takes over the GOTY label, while the other titles seem relegated to be forgotten by a good fraction of the gaming community. Let’s take a look at other games nominated in various categories at the latest The Game Awards: Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Metal Hellsinger, A Plague Tale: Requiem, SIFU, Tunic, Vampire Survivors, Neon White, Horizon Forbidden West, Cult of the Lamb, Stray , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder`s Revenge, Triangle Strategy, The King of Fighters XV, Victoria 3, Return to Monkey Island… Don’t you think the games I just mentioned are equally wonderful within their respective genres and that can give you thousands of hours of gameplay? because I do believe it, and there may even be some that call my attention more than the Elden Ring itself (for example, Vampire Survivors occupies a very important place in my heart, I love Metal Hellsinger and both SIFU and The King of Fighters XV I have a lot of desire).

Vampire Survivors is the simplest game I’ve seen in decades, but it’s so pure, so addictive, and so video game that it’s become my favorite of the year 2022.

Prizes of this type are still recognition of both a job well done and the excellence of a product. But that does not mean that those who stay on the way to winning the trophy are bad games, far from it. That’s why my advice is that you properly inform yourself of the releases that are emerging, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, visiting websites like Alfa Beta Juega, watching gameplays on YouTube… Have personality, form your own opinion and don’t let others tell you what to play. Elden Ring is an absolute smash game, but don’t stay on the surface… Dive into the depths of what other releases have to offer!

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