“Best Game Ever”, what nonsense

“Best Game Ever”

The world of video games is quite vast, we all know this well. How many times has it happened to us to be indignant in front of some rather absurd awards? Not for anything else, just last week I exposed myself to The Games Award and the fact that some genres are not properly considered.

What has happened in the last few hours, however, is bordering on the absurd. During the annual awards ceremony of the Golden Joystik Awards (one of the most anticipated "events" regarding the enhancement of video games) a series of awards were given to the games of the year (and not only). I certainly don't want to comment on the winners of each category, but I want to focus on a particular award "Best Game Ever".

The winner of this bizarre award went to Dark Souls, the popular Action-RPG from From Software that has made millions of fans dream (and swear) all over the world. A title with evident qualities and certainly one of the most important video games belonging to its genre. An authentic masterpiece, with clear defects, but still a rather worthy work of attention.

There is absolutely nothing to say about the game: it is a product that can please, how can not like. But definitely on a level. However, I would like to focus precisely on the category of the award, completely absurd and without any kind of logical and meritocratic value.

How can you even think that the “Best video game ever” can exist? Based on what? To the genre? To the gameplay? To history? Videogame experiences are independent and each of them showcases strengths and weaknesses, perhaps exalting themselves at certain points. Just to give you an example, it is clear that in Skyrim its exploration is enhanced and its visual impact is criticized, or with The Witcher 3: excellent story and graphics, but revisable gameplay.

Net of this, the “Best game ever” cannot and will never exist, not from an objective point of view. I can tell you that Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the best game ever for me. But I cannot emphasize that it is so objectively for everyone. It would be wrong from all points of view.

Since the "video game" was born, it has allowed us to get in touch with various experiences, some of which have revolutionized the world of video games, becoming milestones. Despite this, none of them can be defined as the "Best Ever".

But now it remains to understand why these absurd categories suddenly pop out of nowhere. It certainly makes more sense to the classic top 100 renewed from year to year, rather than a single prize awarded to a great game, but which is still part of a little fish in the ocean. I will write to you more, perhaps it makes even more sense what IGN did a few months ago, with a "social battle" on the poll, remaining a subjective choice and not based on a ... jury.

It remains to be understood now the yardstick, what has been evaluated to assign something so important? If I knew, I would tell you, but honestly I am quite perplexed. This "evaluation" can only bring back into vogue an old speech that I made live on a live and that I resumed in the previous article dedicated to TGAs: this type of awards must certainly change, having become real marketing mirrors, completely in contradiction with gamers and what "the video game" represents.

Making objective something that is not (and not for demerits eh, attention) is not good and can only give life to a model of enhancement that certainly cannot work. If every year, an award were given for a game that revolutionized video games, it would make sense and would be completely contextualized and in line with the thinking of fans: an award that until a few years ago the TGAs gave to old developers and Publishers such as Westwood. Studios and Sierra.

In short, the “Best video game ever” category could very well not exist and the award conferred rather useless, at least from the point of view of collective value. I am very happy for Hidetaka Miyazaki, he is a great Director and I really think Dark Souls is an exceptional work. But you must forgive me if I believe that the award conferred is only a red herring, like so many these days.