Every year, Steam has a "Steam Awards" where its users vote on which
are the 'best' games in pre-determined categories. Like most awards,
these are highly contentious and usually favor the most POPULAR games.
But this year, the awards are just strange.

Not least because a third of the games in the 'best of 2023' list were
released BEFORE 2023 (I mean, if we're ignoring release year, we might
as well agree that the original "Doom" wins first place, this year and
every year ;-).

But some of the winners... Best Game on Steam Deck going to "Hogwarts
Legacy"? Whether you like that game or not, how is it worthy of that
title when it doesn't do anything special on SteamDeck except, you
know, run on it? (And, again, if just running on a platform is all
that's needed, "Doom" would like a word ;-)

Or Most Innovative Gameplay going to.... wait, STARFIELD?!?!?!? When
the biggest complaint about the game was that it was little more than
a retread of old Bethesda games with a sci-fi skin and terrible
procedural generation?

Or "Labor of Love" (what does that actually mean) going to "Red Dead
Redemption". A game, let's note, that hasn't seen an update in years.
The only love Rockstar Games has for that game is that it makes them
money.

"Atomic Heart", which looks like every other modern FPS with realistic
graphics, somehow wins "Outstanding Visual Style". "Dave the Diver" is
somehow classified as a "Sit Back and Relax" game. "The Last of Us" -
an unforgettable game with completely forgettable score - somehow
squeezes out "Best Soundtrack". It's madness.

It's almost as if Valve is trying to prove the pointlessness of these
'awards' but really, all it does is make me question Valve's own
competence at curation. It makes them seem pointless and out of touch.
While Epic's boneheaded moves into the video-game marketplace earned
them no friends, I'm not opposed to Valve getting some real
competition. Hopefully sooner than later.

On 1/3/2024 7:47 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> Every year, Steam has a "Steam Awards" where its users vote on which
> are the 'best' games in pre-determined categories. Like most awards,
> these are highly contentious and usually favor the most POPULAR games.
> But this year, the awards are just strange.
>
> Not least because a third of the games in the 'best of 2023' list were
> released BEFORE 2023 (I mean, if we're ignoring release year, we might
> as well agree that the original "Doom" wins first place, this year and
> every year ;-).
>
> But some of the winners... Best Game on Steam Deck going to "Hogwarts
> Legacy"? Whether you like that game or not, how is it worthy of that
> title when it doesn't do anything special on SteamDeck except, you
> know, run on it? (And, again, if just running on a platform is all
> that's needed, "Doom" would like a word ;-)
>
> Or Most Innovative Gameplay going to.... wait, STARFIELD?!?!?!? When
> the biggest complaint about the game was that it was little more than
> a retread of old Bethesda games with a sci-fi skin and terrible
> procedural generation?
>
> Or "Labor of Love" (what does that actually mean) going to "Red Dead
> Redemption". A game, let's note, that hasn't seen an update in years.
> The only love Rockstar Games has for that game is that it makes them
> money.
>
> "Atomic Heart", which looks like every other modern FPS with realistic
> graphics, somehow wins "Outstanding Visual Style". "Dave the Diver" is
> somehow classified as a "Sit Back and Relax" game. "The Last of Us" -
> an unforgettable game with completely forgettable score - somehow
> squeezes out "Best Soundtrack". It's madness.
>
>
> It's almost as if Valve is trying to prove the pointlessness of these
> 'awards' but really, all it does is make me question Valve's own
> competence at curation. It makes them seem pointless and out of touch.
> While Epic's boneheaded moves into the video-game marketplace earned
> them no friends, I'm not opposed to Valve getting some real
> competition. Hopefully sooner than later.
>
>
well, it's not like there's a real expectation that a retailer's awards
are more than a promotion. it's what they want to push, or are getting
paid to push.

On Wed, 03 Jan 2024 13:47:34 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>
>Every year, Steam has a "Steam Awards" where its users vote on which
>are the 'best' games in pre-determined categories. Like most awards,
>these are highly contentious and usually favor the most POPULAR games.
>But this year, the awards are just strange.
>
So are the Golden Globes... or any other industry awards for that matter.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

>But this year, the awards are just strange.

No argument here, and I'm disgusted that a russian game won anything.
Gee I wonder how that came about.

rms

On Tue, 9 Jan 2024 09:31:27 -0700, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rms
wrote:

>>But this year, the awards are just strange.
>
> No argument here, and I'm disgusted that a russian game won anything.
>Gee I wonder how that came about.
>
>rms

PUTIN!!!!

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On 1/9/2024 9:16 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
> On Tue, 9 Jan 2024 09:31:27 -0700, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rms
> wrote:
>
>>> But this year, the awards are just strange.
>>
>> No argument here, and I'm disgusted that a russian game won anything.
>> Gee I wonder how that came about.
>>
>> rms
>
> PUTIN!!!!
>
His people were practicing for the 2024 elections. :P

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

>His people were practicing for the 2024 elections. :P

Oh that's in full swing already: Prosecutors & judges are being swatted,
state party websites reported as 'unsafe', all kinds of shit.

rms