Get Off My Lawn: Game of the Year Awards

   It's 1:30 in the morning and I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to write about the games that came out this year and why one of them is better than the other, or who the best Nolan North character was, or even why Mass Effect 2 was overrated. I just can't.

 

I've been watching Firefly again. I'd take any excuse to post Malcolm Reynolds at this point. 

 

I want to tell you why Super Meat Boy is awesome, or why I'm disappointed that people seem to have forgotten (or just haven't played) Cave Story. I mean, it was a great year for independent games, and for music, and for platformers. But why would I write that? You already know that. If you pay attention to the industry at all you already know what most people think of games this year. So what's the point of all of it?

   Look, I know I don't handle the end of things well, so maybe I'm a little more hysterical than usual. I just don't see what the point of all of these comparisons are. Who does it serve other than the advertisement committees who slap "Game of the Year Edition" on a box as an excuse to keep it from dropping in price. Hell, I'd be willing to bet most folk haven't even played all of the games. You see that stack. It's taunting you.

   I'm not saying  "let's just all get along." I'm saying anybody who truly cares about video games should be getting their hands on anything and everything they possibly can, not trying to validate that their purchases were the best purchases. Nobody is truly qualified to make any of these broad decisions, and they only serve to smother games that still do important things.

   This was a pretty awesome year, and if we want to reminisce about all the different games that came out, great. But games like Amnesia don't stand a chance to games like.. I don't know, what did kids like this year. Mario Galaxy 2, right? Sure, we'll go with that, that was pretty good. How is Amnesia, which is unique, but clumsy as fuck supposed to compare to Mario Galaxy 2? It's not like Amnesia has Nintendo's funding or distribution. And how do you fit Super Crate Box into any of this? You can't, you shouldn't, so why won't people stop?

   Alright. That's probably enough about this from me. I just needed to get my word in. What do you think about all of this madness? Is there any game you wish would get any more spotlight before the year ends and we all move on with our lives? Feel free to drop a comment, and thanks for reading.

Turns out I don't need an excuse.