a90skid.com
  • Shop
  • Reviews
  • Shop
  • Reviews
0
A 90s Kid
  • Shop
  • Reviews

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds record-breaking popularity and Geoff Keighley’s Video Game Award’s GOTY nomination have forced this question on the industry. The VGA will poll dozens of gaming outlets to choose the winner between:

Breath of the Wild

Super Mario Odyssey

Persona 5

Horizon Zero Dawn

and the Early Access! – PUBG

Argument Against

The game isn’t officially finished. It’s currently in Steam’s Early Access program and isn’t necessarily indicative of the finished product. There’s still just one map, and there are server/stability issues galore. The game could get worse or be abandoned (I don’t see millions of dollars being abandoned anytime soon). It could also set a precedent for games rushed to market with a lower bar of quality.

Rebuttal – Modern games are often certified Gold and ‘finished’ but require a Day 1 patch. Even with a patch, we’ve seen numerous examples of performance issues, especially with PC ports getting stuck with the broken end of the stick too often. Officially calling a game finished doesn’t excuse it from problems. A game should be judged on its merits, regardless of the label

This is the finished game, definitely NOT Early Access

Art vs Commerce

Judging the best game is a matter of art. The VGAs and every GOTY article are simply polling the opinions of a microscopic slice of the gaming population (games media). Judging games on sales would provide the most amount of data if we consider each sale a vote via the wallet. After all, while games can be artistic, the games usually considered for GOTY are all created by full-time devs that make games as a living. This doesn’t mean the game’s integrity is sacrificed in every possible way to make the most profit, but success is often told by sales. The problem with judging by sales are the many variables and uneven playing field. Consumers purchase games based on marketing, brand recognition, word-of-mouth, review scores, streams, and personal bias to name just a few.

We mentioned games that release ‘finished’ but are buggier than some Early Access titles. But Early Access titles may receive an unfair perception based on their not-finished status. If No Man’s Sky was Early Access would it have been spared the pounding it took from critics and consumers that felt cheated of promised features? Did Early Access grant PUBG an unfairly positive first impression that allowed it to sink its hooks into just about everyone that played it?

Bestowing artistic praise on a worthy piece of content is a wonderful concept. Developers work and sacrifice to create games that often miss the mark. Validation isn’t quantifiable, but it still feels good.

If a game is sold and people enjoy it, is it a game? Could it be Game of the Year? I say yes.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c[/youtube]
Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • battlegrounds
  • early access
  • goty
  • playerunknown
  • playerunknown's
  • PUBG
  • vga
Mathew Falvai

Mathew is a huge fan of Space, Strategy, and Shadowrun (Genesis version is #1). When it comes to games and films, he’d much rather experience a 10/10 classic from yesteryear than a 6/10 modern blandfest. He does feel we’re living in a gaming golden age with the power of indie developers at an all-time high, but wishes AAA publishers would take more risks. Mat believes it’s only a matter of time before the pendulum swings the other way and new ideas take their rightful place above reboots.

You May Also Like
Elden Ring Malenia Boss Fight at SGDQ 2022
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

SGDQ 2022 Closes With Elden Ring and $3 Million (Day 7 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • July 3, 2022
Super Mario World at SGDQ 2022
View Post
  • 6 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

SGDQ 2022 Speeds Up on Penultimate Day (Day 6 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • July 2, 2022
Deer Simulator at SGDQ 2022
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

Silly Games Help SGDQ 2022 Hit $1 Million (Day 5 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • July 1, 2022
Super Mario Sunshine Speedrun at SGDQ 2022
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

The Summer of Speedruns Continues at SGDQ 2022 (Day 4 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 30, 2022
Halo Infinite Speedrun at SGDQ 2022
View Post
  • 4 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

Horror, Halo, and More at SGDQ 2022 (Day 3 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 29, 2022
Boss Fight in Ninja Gaiden
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

Retro Game Speedruns Spice Up SGDQ 2022 (Day 2 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 28, 2022
Warioware Touched Gameplay
View Post
  • 3 min
  • Industry
  • Opinion
  • SGDQ 2022

SGDQ 2022 Starts With $130,000 Success (Day 1 Recap)

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 27, 2022
SGDQ 2022 Logo
View Post
  • 7 min
  • Opinion

The SGDQ 2022 Schedule – What Speedruns to Watch

  • Matthew Owen
  • June 20, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

A90KID.COM

VIDEO GAMES COMMUNITY & ENTERTAINMENT

A 90s Kid is an active website and media channel, dedicated to providing you information and entertainment related to the video games industry

Navigation
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund and Returns Policy
Recent Articles
  • SGDQ 2022 Closes With Elden Ring and $3 Million (Day 7 Recap) July 3, 2022
  • SGDQ 2022 Speeds Up on Penultimate Day (Day 6 Recap) July 2, 2022
  • Silly Games Help SGDQ 2022 Hit $1 Million (Day 5 Recap) July 1, 2022
  • The Summer of Speedruns Continues at SGDQ 2022 (Day 4 Recap) June 30, 2022
  • Horror, Halo, and More at SGDQ 2022 (Day 3 Recap) June 29, 2022
A 90s Kid
© 2022

Input your search keywords and press Enter.