Summary
The Game Awardsis a contentious event every year, but this year’s nominations have been particularly discourse-heavy because for the first time in the show’s history,a DLC pack has been nominated for Game of the Year.
Whether you think that’sfairornotis really none of my concern, because right now, I’m more interested in analysing a far more common complaint about the show: the snubs. Every award show has people who complain about their favourite thing of the year being overlooked, and while some of the complaints have been entirely valid, one of them isn’t.Dragon Age: The Veilguardwas not snubbed.
Triple-As Don’t Deserve GOTY Just For Being Big And Expensive
I don’t really care for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I really wish I enjoyed it as much as some others did, but I’m part of that contingent of fans that are fairly disappointed with how it turned out. I’m still working my way through it, hoping that it’ll eventually start being fun, but it’s not very good so far. There’slittle accommodation for roleplaying,no tension between characters or factions,it ignores lots of existing lore… I could go on. As a standalone action RPG, it’s serviceable, but it’s no masterpiece.
A lot of fans still feel that The Veilguard only being nominated in the Innovation in Accessibility category (well deserved, in my opinion) is a huge snub. Among anger that it wasn’t nominated for Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Performance, and Best RPG, are people complaining that it was also overlooked for Game of the Year.
I’d argue that out of all those categories, Gareth David-Lloyd being overlooked for his performance as Solas is the most egregious. The art direction was also pretty good – the game has some beautiful environments – but the others in the same category outclass it.
I haven’t finished the campaign yet so I can’t comment on its overall narrative, but I haven’t been very impressed, especially considering how poorly it fits into the overall series’ lore. But Game of the Year? Come on, now. It’s not even in the same league as other nominees in the Best RPG category.
I’ve got my own gripes with the GOTY nominations, as does every single person in the world with the capacity to have opinions (Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth wasrobbed). But to say The Veilguard deserved a GOTY nom is like being mad that a Marvel movie didn’t win Best Picture at the Oscars.
Leaning on triple-A cliches that other games have used better, and Dragon Age’s successful history at The Game Awards in the past (its immediate predecessorwon the first ever TGA GOTY and Best RPG awards), doesn’t make it a contender in 2024, when many of the more deserving games nominated are trying to break away from that typical triple-A action RPG template.
Neither does having a long and troubled development cycle. While I respect that BioWare’s developers made the best game they possibly could with the resources given to them, the game existing against all odds isn’t a criteria for GOTY. (Well, maybe it is, the rules have never been made clear to its viewers.) That redemption arc is enough recognition.
Who Cares About The Game Awards, Anyway?
I can hear you yelling ‘that’s just your opinion’ at your screen. I’m in your walls, by the way. And you’re right. That’s what’s messed up about award shows, review scores, and even op-eds you disagree with – every assessment is based entirely on subjective opinion. There’s very little science to any of this, if any.
It’s also worth noting that The Veilguard only released a few weeks ago, and many of the jury members likely haven’t had a chance to finish it. But even if they did, I doubt things would be very different.
None of us are entirely happy with the nominations, because we all have opinions about stuff that likely contradict other peoples’. The TGA jury decided The Veilguard wasn’t all that good, and that’s an opinion I happen to agree with. The jury also somehow decided thatBlack Myth: Wukong deserved a nominationmore than Infinite Wealth did, which would probably make me want to scream if I thought The Game Awards really meant anything.
Don’t worry about it. The Game Awards are a glorified marketing show anyway, and the nominations are a popularity contest more than anything. I stand by my point – The Veilguard didn’t deserve a nomination – but don’t worry about it. It can still be Game of the Yearin your heart, and that’s worth a lot more because your heart isn’t presented by Geoff Keighley.
The Game Awards
Founded by Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards is a video games event centered on celebrating the best of the year’s titles, with emphasis on reveals and promos for upcoming launches.
